#ARCTIC.#SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. The CSKA basketball players arrived in Norilsk. The athletes visited the Komsomolsky and Octyabrsky mines, the Nadezhdinsky metallurgical plant, and also held master classes for young Norilsk citizens and a seminar for local basketball mentors.
“It’s an incredible feeling – first to fly at an altitude of ten thousand meters in an airplane, and then find yourself underground, descending two thousand meters down,” with these words CSKA head coach Dimitris Itoudis began the meeting.
“Before that, I had never been to such a production facility. Being here is very interesting and quite useful. We were introduced to the history of the enterprise, they told how it all began, and showed us the museum. Such huge factories, where people do something so important for the country, are certainly impressive. It is very hard work, even standing here, you feel the temperature, and the metallurgists themselves are in heavy suits. Many thanks to these people for their work”, the team member Alexey Shved shared his impressions.
Alexey’s teammate Will Cliburn is for the first time in Norilsk too:
“I’ve never been to a factory like this. I watch with interest everything that happens here, I learn a lot of new things. This is an absolutely amazing and new experience for me”.
“When I see a finished product, I always want to know how it’s made. Today we had such an opportunity, and it’s great,” supported him his teammate Tornike Shengelia. “At such moments, you understand and appreciate the work of the specialists who work here more”.
Talking about how the team manages to achieve high results, Itoudis noted that everything does not happen in one moment, it takes time.
“The main thing in a team is teamwork and solidarity. Even if there are 12 of the world’s best players in a team, it does not mean that they will win every match. You need to build a certain system: during the game, everyone should have time to show themselves. And it is important to understand: if you do not know how to lose, you will not be able to win”, said the head coach of the CSKA team.
The main topic of the seminar for the Norilsk mentors was revealed by the physical training coach Kostas Hatzihristos. He spoke about the basic exercises that should be used in the process of training athletes, that training needs to be built individually and how rehabilitation should take place.
The players of the famous Moscow basketball club CSKA held master classes for young people and told Norilsk teenagers about the intricacies of the game. Young basketball players were shown how to masterfully pass the opponent and throw the ball into the ring, as well as defense exercises.
The master class with eminent athletes attracted not only boys, but also girls, one of whom even managed to bypass the CSKA forward Andrey Lopatin and win a valuable prize – a modern gadget and a club shirt with the player’s autograph.
“At first I was worried. I didn’t think I could get around Andrey Lopatin. I realized that the player is tall and I need to bet on deceiving him and jumping back sharply, and then performing a throw”, said Ksenia Rublinskaya, a student of the secondary school №6.
In turn, Andrey Lopatin appreciated the sports training of novice Norilsk athletes.
“I am very glad that the guys in Norilsk are fond of basketball. I hope that they received new knowledge and inspiration from the master classes to develop further in this sport. As you can see, the girl was able to beat me. It was unexpected, but pleasant”, the athlete shared.
On August 23, the CSKA basketball players played a friendly match against the team of the Norilsk division.
“We have not been to Norilsk for 16 years”, the guests said before the start of the match. “Over the years, a lot has changed here, a new super arena Aika has appeared, the city has become better, more beautiful, but one thing invariably remains – how they root for CSKA in the northern city. So many thanks to everyone. Thanks to the employees of the Nornickel company, in each of our victories there is a huge part of your work, and today, having visited the mines and the metallurgical plant, we understood this even better, thank you very much for that. We are playing our first, albeit a friendly match this season in Norilsk in a friendly semi-official format, and this is a great honor for us. May everyone get a charge of good mood today, and this match will bring us good luck in the coming season!”
The friendly match at the Aika sports complex between the award-winning Moscow basketball team CSKA and the team of the Norilsk division ended with a score of 142:70. The red and blue have prevailed over the parquet owners.
During their two-day stay in Norilsk, the Central Sports Club of the Army team will also take part in the Taste of Victory culinary show, and the team captain Nikita Kurbanov will try on one of the working professions in the Severny Gorod media company’s project – Quite a Different Matter.
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Text: Victor Tsarev, Tatiana Ermolaeva, Elena Stepanenko, Photo: cskabasket.com, Olga Zaderyaka and the Nornickel’s press office
