Vitti ... Wratislavia ... Its nice to be here!

In the 90's it was "Challenge Vitti", it was qualification for Polish Championships U15.

Big and strong competitions, among those first ones with many international fencers I could fence against. I remember (and I checked) that last time for me was 1996 and I was 10th among 235 fencers. I lose L16 against Marcin Zawada 15:10. Michal Ponaczewny won this competitions in the final aginst Krzysztof Gracki.

I could check it in my "fencing diary"... yes, because I have one, since my very first competitions in 1994 until I start work as a coach 2006, all competitions I was, all places, all matches, always with best top 8 results and my result, if possible with article from newspaper..
who has something like this now??

After Challenge best 30 Polish fencers has qualified directly to Polish Championships, than another 18 fencers gets "ticket" after additional qualifications in regions... and few months later Michal Ponaczewny became Polish Champion, with Krzysztof Gracki in great final, 15:14.. last hit was "squat".. Michal was like 30cm smaller than Krzysztof, so hi just used oportunity.
its history.. I lose L16 again.

Challenge Wartislavia has long history.. 36 years, as a competition for kids, bigger and bigger every year. Since few years ago we have new categories U15, U13 and U11, all six weapons!

I think there is no chance to find any good european fencer who didnt fence there!
Offcourse succes in Challenge will not determinate your fencing future, but its always good memories.

Kids competitions with budget around 80 000 euro.
Kids competitions with all weapons and 3 age categories in each
Kids competitions with over 2000 fencers
Kids competitions with great finals and TV relations

I love come to Challenge Wratislavia.
Meet all people here,
Meet coach Glowacki who seems be always that same, that same since I was 15 years old.. but is already another 15 years later.
My coach Puza, "maestro" Kuzma, ... Im kind of sentimental guy sometimes.
All Coaches who remember me as boy.. boy, girl.. doesnt matter - you are "sword" as Syrio Forell says, Old coahes has always something to say, I like to talk.. and I like to listen about fencing.

I always get news who is coming to Polanica tranings camp during summer.
I hear news which are not always official...
I see many new talents, and what is most fun as a coach I can seee how few of them growing from U11 to U13 and than to U15

Fencing is great, you know, you meet people here who will follow you whole your life..if you just decide to stay with fencing. We were 15 when we compete here, we are 30 and we are still here.
I can imagine that I will meet many of those people even when I will be 50.

So, why I write about it?
Because I think that good competitions should get good "marketing" among fencing people.
And I always try to say between the words, that fencing is the best you can do in your life.

More about competitions here: Challenge Wratislavia

About sport in Poland..

There is a lot of discussion about Polish sport now. Big changes, new ideas, seems like sport ministry has no idea how sport works.
I would like to share my opinion about it. Its about Poland.. my country, its about sport.. my love.. so this is important!
I have many friends working there, coaches, PE teachers, instructors.. all trying hard to make champions! I wish them well, but when I see what hapend there Im not so optimistic.

I was thinking about it, read about it a lot, so I have questions and few answers too, few ideas also.

Its a big reform in polish sport on the way. Sports became divided to 3 categories and depends on it will get, or not money.. team sports are separate categories.
Many questions, many very bad ideas, but I found also quite good, just quite good.
It can works, but is polish sport ready for changes like those?

Is it so hard to find a guy (for me guy means also women in this case) who know his things about sport, and has idea how to manage polish sport?
Is it so hard in 38mln people country to find a 1 person like this?
Our sport ministry Joanna Mucha maybe is a good manager.. but no shit about sport.. and in sport its not enough to be good manager.. you need to fell it.

I totally understand that is not so easy to find right person just because of politics reasons..
but fuck politics reasons!..
its about sport... NO GAMES (politics).. JUST SPORT.. as a Mell Gibson said in one movie,

Is it so dificult to make a team of people who can help a sport ministry to manage sport in country?

There are many specialist in Poland, in every sport! Very good coaches, sport directors, people who knows how sport works, people who has ideas how this sport can works better.

Is it so hard to ask every sport federation or the main organisation for it and delegate one or two people to represent their sport and present what this sport need to be better?

Maybe every sport should present some kind of program, without all this bullshit "we will" .. just write what kind of ideas is possible to start in practice, what can give more kids doing this sport, what chances for succe have they, show how situation looks today, how many coaches can and will work for it, how many clubs are interested to work hard for better future, what possibilities have they, what kind of projects can start together with schools, what kind of project can this sport start on "comercial" fields - becouse there are sport which have little easier to get money from there.

Later every project can get own budget.. no money just for ferederation or sport, just money for speciall projects and special group of people who will take care about it.. without totally unnecesary administration. this is olso part of new ideas, but the way how it became annonced and way how poeple from goverment make it its not best one.

What is important people who decide about it should understand that sport need a time and stabil situation, is impossible to start some kind of project "make a champion" during 2 or 4 years..
yes is impossible if you already have "almos champion"
but Im talking about working on the ground of piramids.. with small kids, with clubs, with schools...
we need a thousands kids trying be champions.. to get one champion!

Is it necessary to have sport ministry?
Many countries havent and they works some how.
How much it cost to have sport ministry? Many people working with sport "on the papper", many departaments... milions of polish zloty which can be used to work with kids

Poland have good Olimpic Committee and there is many great people there, everything they do around olimpics works, so maybe they can do everything around sport in Poland?
Offcourse its need bigger reorganisation to do it, but is it impossible?

How much money we can safe on administration and use to real projects when we have just one organisation takin care about sport?

How much money we can safe if we liquidate all regional administrations?

Is it so hard to look around and watch how others do, if they do good maybe is a worth it to try that same?

Its not so easy to copy some solution from another country, but there are always som details of whole solution which can help others be better.
Academic sport like in USA.
Army, Police sport like in Italy (especially in fencing)
more commercial solutions in sport like in GB or USA that people pay quite a lot for it becouse until some level you will not get any money from goverment

I read also that 1 $ invest on sport with kids can help save around 6 $ on health care
Is it not good idea to make som kind Super project with ministry of health, education and sport ?

Maybe even financiall ministry could help and arrange som kind of speciall rules for business, that companies can count "off" all money they put to the sport? its working in other countries (Hungary).

There is many ideas to get better. BUT
Ideas its not all, even if ideas works and money come, more places to make sports builds..
we need good people who can take care about sport!
Proffesionall people. Coches, instructors, PE teachers, sports managers.. with good education, knowledge, and what is even more important...passion!

I see one big problem in Poland... 50 years of communism!
It was a great time for sport! ... but there is no communism anymore around..
unfrotunatelly a lot of people still thinking like during communism..
"we should get money.. becouse.. we should" :)

Its quite easy to change some system, make it new... but change people its not so easy.
so maybe its time to say "thank you and goodbye" .. give chance to younger without "bad habbits".

Sport in poland need young blood, wise solutions, and time with stabil situaton around it.