Traveler to Volunteer Dissension
Volunteer to volunteer, you think. After all, a traveler is a person who travels for a specific purpose, and a volunteer contributes free of charge.
The realities of the twenty-first century harmoniously combined these two concepts. To date, many tours and trips have been developed, which are designed to help volunteers for a symbolic reward. For example, payment for the road, accommodation, food, and sometimes even salary.
Accidents are not accidental, I realized when I came across an announcement about the recruitment of volunteers for one of the stages of the Russian Triathlon Cup. The duties of the volunteer were simply to ensure the free movement of athletes at their distances.
By the way, the triathlon consists of passing three stages: swimming, cycling and running.
Bonus for each of those who responded to this announcement: travel, meals, free passage to the territory of a wonderful sanatorium, a cool T-shirt with a print of the triathlon stage of the Kyrgyz Republic, gratitude, new acquaintances and the opportunity to personally observe competitions of this level.
We were instructed on the spot, distributed in stages and transported to places. A short wait and a "march" command was given for the contestants. The cycling stage, which I controlled, was probably one of the most difficult for athletes, as it was 20 km to overcome.
It was a pleasure to help at such an event. But the awarding of the participants did not bypass me, I decided to photograph the winner (as it turned out later - my future ski coach) and the winners of the race.
It would seem that this is the end of the volunteer story, but once you try, you will definitely try again.
So after about six months I was in the wonderful city of Izhevsk, where was one of the winners of the triathlon.
Yeah, one random ad, one randomly sent questionnaire and you're traveling to a neighboring republic.
The day before the competition, I managed to walk the local streets. Calling my new friends, I went to the biathlon complex for my first training session.
At the right stop, I saw the first feature of the city: it is customary here, waiting for the right bus, to stand in one column, one after another. So people take their seats, something like "who got up early, so slippers" and no push.
The biathlon complex for me was the first attraction: well-rolled tracks, lighting, shooting range, scoreboards, seats for fans, everything that athletes in small cities can dream of.
For 50 years, the capital of Udmurtia has become a place of attraction for biathletes, selecting the best of the best for top-level competitions.
After the New Year, some winners of the Izhevskaya Rifle, the so-called stage, glorified our country at the World Cup.
Despite the fact that I was from the Perm region, I was gladly accepted into the team. Everything we needed was written and told in advance.
In the first 3 days, I recorded the shooting of each participant on the forms, which were later given to the judges. On the last day I decided to go straight to the finish line, where the referee met biathletes after the race and accepted their numbers.
Undoubted advantages of volunteering: the opportunity to attend an event of this level, see the biathlon from the other side, on the other side of the screen, food, acquaintances, gratitude, and of course, live to communicate and learn from future champions.
The stadium that I already knew became an integral part of my ski training, which I did in parallel every day of my trip.
The motto of this trip was the phrase “Udmurtia charges” because it was there that I was able to combine the process of volunteering, sports, and of course travel.
In Izhevsk Be sure to visit the local zoo, which is spoken about far beyond Udmurtia. A large number of animals, their comfortable habitat and a great place to relax will not leave you indifferent.
Also in the city there is the famous M.T. Kalashnikov Museum, its expositions will introduce the history of the weapons world, which will be interesting for adults and children. There is also a special shooting range in the museum where anyone can shoot.
An integral part of the capital of Udmurtia will be a visit to the Sports History Center, it tells about the legendary athletes, the pride of the city and the whole country.
Do not forget about walking around the city, each of the 6 days I tried to allocate to get acquainted with the Armory capital of Russia, such an unofficial name are these places. The streets of the city are clean, and trolleybuses seem to have come off the shots of Soviet films, adding a special entourage.
A good end of the trip will be a trip to Izhevsky baths. The wellness complex offers swimming pools, Jacuzzi, a large selection of spa treatments and much more.
The Udmurt Republic itself is a small but very important part of Russia. About 1.5 million people live here, they all charge with kindness, love for their small homeland, for new achievements in sports.
Text and photo: Anna Drozdova