“Minsk Ski Track– 2012”: Recreational skiing under guard

This year the traditional festival “Minsk Ski Track” for some reason was held without the main skier of the country.

A blogger Vladimir Chudentsov (Uladzimir Chudzyantsou) shares his impressions after visiting the event.

The traditional festival “Minsk Ski Track - 2012” was held at Minsk roller skiing track along Peramozhtsau Avenue on February 18.

Big-bellied bureaucrats from district administrations, and schoolchildren from the capital who had been compelled and herded to take part in the event, had to demonstrate achievements of “the most sporty nation in the world”.

However, in the spirit of the Belarusian tradition, which has become an established one, the number of policemen in uniform and in mufti, as well as the number special services officers, is comparable to the number of participants. It causes rather strange feelings, to put it mildly. One should enjoy healthy lifestyle on such a day, which could be described by the poem of a Russian classic author: “Frost and sun – what a glorious day!” But for some reason, when one moves along the ski track, all the thoughts are about the “guards” around. Only observation towers with machine guns along the track were missing to make the picture complete…

“The sportsmen against their will” from different schools of Minsk were taken to the place of the event in an organized way, in buses. There were also blunders: for instance, schoolchildren of one of the schools in Uruchcha district had been waiting for a bus for a very long time, and they not only were late for the start, but they became really cold. When the children arrived, even the smallest ones were met with a thorough personal search with the use of metals detectors: the authorities obviously had serious fears that there could be dangerous terrorists among little schoolchildren.

The pickets of vigilant policemen from Minsk Regiment of Special tasks police were standing along the track as well, but only not far from the starting line. When one moved towards Minsk Arena a little further, metal crowd control barriers ended, and anyone could come to the ski track without difficulty. And finally I did so. Not only a photo camera could be taken there, but anything at all.

In addition to forced sportsmen, their parents who worried about their children’s running noses, state-run TV channels crews were noticed at the Minsk Ski Track to be very active. Well, cheerful news reports about Minsk dwellers, who (certainly, absolutely voluntarily) came to take part in “Minsk Ski Track” in great numbers, and are endlessly grateful to the authorities for wonderful possibilities for indulging in winter sports.

It should be noted that some winter sports lovers arrived to “Minsk Ski Track” under their own steam. For instance, there was a man who brought several pairs of skis in his minivan, for his entire family probably. But it could also be a state official, who paid attention to his subordinates. He was not talkative so I am not sure.

In general, it was rather problematic to park along “Minks Ski Track” race course: there were lots of cars on the adjacent street. For instance, several police paddy wagons occupied so much space and the serene picture of the mass people’s sport.

The presence of paddy wagons could be explained by the fact that sportsmen had arrived in them as well. They were sportsmen in mufti. Well, Belarusians have got used to being under control all the time, not only during mass rallies, but even during skiing competitions. It should be admitted that it is an interesting idea for peacekeeping: to hide under a guise of usual skiers.

And what about amateur sportsmen? According to the story of the authorities, this event was intended for them. It should be admitted that the sight of the skiers causes serious concerns about their health. It was obvious that children were driven to the “festival” without any selection, and certainly some of them had no skills of skiing.

There surely were some good skiers, but the majority of children looked as if they were skiing for the second or even for the first time in their life.

I even had a chance to speak to some of the schoolchildren. A 17-year-old Yahor told: “If you do not want to take part in “Minsk Ski Track”, your academic term mark in physical training will be bad. And besides, teachers promised serious problems with a certificate of secondary education. I want to enter the Belarusian State University this year, and my friends want to enter other universities, so everyone had agreed to come here. Yes, we understand that it is just eye service. And teachers are saying that in plain language. They are criticizing the authorities without restraint. However they make us fulfil all their instructions. Teachers say if we refuse to participate, they would have problems, and they have to feed their children somehow. We decided not to ask for trouble, took the skis into the bus and arrived here.”

It should be noted that Belarusians understand everything early enough, while they are still children. Tired, but quick-witted Minsk schoolchildren, even the smallest ones, cut corners of the wandering ski track in order to make the finish line closer, even when they had to climb a hill carrying the hated skis…

To my mind, it is a very symptomatic fact from the point of view of pedagogics. Everything is done for the sake of appearance. The Olympic principles, “main thing is not to win but to participate” mean nothing, as a tick-box approach is the main thing even for the youngest Belarusian. A tick on the list at the starting line, a tick on the list at the finishing line, a tick in the Belarusian Youth Union membership fee list, or a tick on the list of persons “ready for collaboration”… From early time in life our children are taught to live dishonestly. They are taught to survive, to make pretence, to wear a mask. To implicitly obey in words, and get one’s own way when no one sees that. The state apparatus is working for upbringing this kind of people consciously...

Many children certainly will be absent from several school days after “Minsk Ski Track” because of a cold or even pneumonia: physical exercise in freezing temperatures are good for well-trained people only. And not all children are used to that. Is it an acceptable price for another lesson of lies and flashiness?

I do not know. As real Belarusians living in the era of Lukashenka’s stability say, “the authorities are in a better position to judge”…