New Olympians are being trained at the Baran' horse sports center
The fates of professional riders, masters of sports of international class Alexander and Irina Lis, are intertwined. Today, this titled couple is nurturing new talents at the Vitebsk Regional Center for Olympic Reserve in Equestrian Sports and Horse Breeding in Baran.
«The Stable Brought Us Together
This is how Alexander and Irina jokingly recall their first meeting. That
"stable" was the current Republican Center for Olympic Training in Equestrian Sports and Horse Breeding in Ratomka, near Minsk. By the way, they are both residents of the capital, the same age, but their paths to big sport were different. Alexander's love for these amazing animals was instilled by his grandfather, a war invalid, who lived in the village and always had horses at hand. He would take stallions from the collective farm stable that no one else could handle. This was passed on to his grandson. Later, Sasha learned that there was a riding school in Ratomka. His father took his son there without question. In the future, he got to training sessions on his own by bus and train; no one led him by the hand.Ira dreamed of horses since childhood, although she initially participated in other sports sections. And when she came to her senses and decided to pursue her passion, it turned out not to be so simple. The coach flatly refused to take the 12-year-old
"old lady". If only the mentor had known then that he was rejecting the future star #1 of Belarusian equestrian sports, thanks to whom our country has made a worthy mark on the world stage.At home, Irina confided in her mother, who understood her daughter's feelings and went with her to Ratomka the very next day. There, she persuaded the strict coach to take the girl on a two-month trial period. And the girl did not disappoint; from the very first lessons, there were no questions regarding Ira.
Although the young people trained with the same coaches, they only knew each other by sight. True love came when they both turned 17. Then Alexander had a break in his sports career and personal life: he was called up for military service. He served in the 103rd Guards Airborne Division in Vitebsk, then Lithuania, worked in the Minsk police, until finally he realized that he wanted to be with the person he loved constantly.
Always be in the saddle!
Alexander's time of forced
"downtime" took its toll. He had to start as a groom in Ratovka, then worked as a foreman, gradually regaining his form as a rider. Irina, meanwhile, was moving towards her future victories all these years. In 1994, she was included in the reserve squad of the Belarusian national team, and in 1997, she was transferred to full funding.Irina Lis is a participant in two Olympics: Athens 2004 and Beijing (equestrian competitions were held in Hong Kong) 2008. The athlete considers her best achievements to be reaching the semi-finals of the 2004 Games and taking the 23rd place, the best in the history of our equestrian sport, as well as 8th place in the World Cup final in Las Vegas in 2005. She participated in numerous World and European championships. And when asked how many times she had been the national champion, Irina couldn't even answer:
"Either 8 or 9".It should be noted that her husband was by her side all this time,
"serving his way up" to become the head coach of the Belarusian national equestrian team. They were rarely home, so the upbringing of their son Alexei fell almost entirely on the shoulders of their grandmothers. What can you do, a common situation in the families of athletes... In 2010, when Irina retired from active competition, it was the turn of the head of the family to fully engage in high-performance sports.Today, Alexander is a multiple prizewinner of international competitions. At 42, he is still at the top of his game, as evidenced by his victory at the last national show jumping championship. By the way, in equestrian sports, a rider's peak performance usually comes after 30, and you can find athletes in their sixties at the main events of the world season.
New Olympians are being trained in Baran
Today, Irina no longer competes, focusing entirely on coaching, while Alexander, in football terms, is the center's "playing head coach".
"playing head coach" of the center.I couldn't help but ask how the couple works together. Does it harm their family relationship? Not at all, they both believe, citing numerous examples where athletes cannot get along with their partners from other spheres of activity. Here, on the contrary, the experience and skills gained are accumulated and directed towards achieving a common goal.
The couple does not regret leaving the capital. They love Baran for its clean air. The living conditions suit them. For example, their son is in a kindergarten group of 7 children, while in Minsk, there are 30. Also, Alexander explained, equestrian sport requires silence and concentration, which is not available in Ratovka, where there are 50 coaches and 200 horses. Mass participation is necessary, but when it comes to professional sports, where skills are honed, it should be different. Baran is very appealing in this regard: the coaches of Lis hope to train athletes of the highest class here. By the way, while the elder son,
18-year-old Alexey, is drawn to Minsk, the younger one, 4-year-old Misha, likes living in a corner near Orsha. And they place great hopes on him to continue the family dynasty in equestrian sports.
Ales Byankov, "Vitebskiye Vesti"