How to Become a Champion

Last Tuesday Kyiv Orphanage No. 3 welcomed several guests of honor: this year’s Olympic champions Olena Kostevych (air pistol shooting), Yury Bilonoh (shot put), and Yury Nikitin (trampoline). The event was part of a social initiative organized by one of the largest mobile phone operators in Ukraine, which wanted to offer financial and psychological support to orphaned and disabled children. Similar events planned in eight regions are aimed at showing kids that each one of them stands a chance of achieving major goals in life.

Yury Bilonoh said, “The main thing is to set a goal, even a very small one. Then your words must give way to deeds, and you must do something every day to achieve this goal. If your goal is too high, you can break it down into smaller ones. It is very important to learn to drop momentary wishes that stand in the way of your plans.” Yury himself used to attend a sporting school far away from his parents, so he is keenly aware that kids must communicate with adults who can help them find their rightful place in life and encourage them in difficult moments. When he was young, he often had to tackle all kinds of problems, study, and make crucial decisions. A teacher by profession, Yury loves communicating with children, including his own. The other champions who arrived at the boarding school were also bursting to hug all the kids. However, there was practically no time for an informal chat, and these children most probably will never know how these strong people learned to exert themselves and overcome difficulties.

The soiree went off in the best Soviet tradition. Obeying the teachers’ command, the children applauded the arriving Olympians and a sizable crowd of media people. The visitors said a few words of greeting and stood poised for what they had actually came — questions. But none of the kids (there were hundreds of them in the room) asked a single question. As the concert went on, the pupils would automatically clap on a signal from a teacher, which ended up drowning out the performers and preventing even a shadow of emotion from appearing on their still very young faces. Only a few children livened up a bit when the signal came to have a picture taken with the guests. Little boys cuddled up to the towering figure of Bilonoh, while the girls surrounded Olena Kostevych. Another group of kids tried to look Yury Nikitin in the eyes.