YuSU students are the best in sports tourism!

The podium is ours! YuSU students became the best at the first stage of the All-Russian Student Sports Tourism Competition “Student League of Sports Tourism”, which took place in the Sverdlovsk Oblast. YuSU teams brilliantly handled the combined distances.

As YuSU students note, these competitions became for them a real test and at the same time a great pleasure. It was 72 hours of non-stop competitions: three days in the forest, two overnight stays in tents in the snow (don't worry, there was a stove in the tent), more than 20 kilometers traveled with equipment, and also - search and transportation of a wounded person, first aid, log laying, descents and traverses on the rocks!

As a result, two teams of our university became the best:

1st place - “Sever”: Andrey Bragin, Andrey Berdnikov, Polina Pavlyukova, Yana Sysoeva.

2nd place - “Mammoths”: Alexander Vnukov, Alexander Sokolov, Alexandra Greenwald, Danil Kozhevnikov, Nikolai Vasiliev.

“The competition turned out to be a completely new format for many participants, including our team. There were moments when our strength was barely enough, but thanks to our unity we overcame all the difficulties. Team spirit was our main strength: supporting each other helped us to overcome even the most difficult stages. I would like to say a special thank you to our leader - Olesa Leonidovna. She united us, prepared and inspired us throughout the preparation and the competition itself. Thanks to her we were able to show such a result”, - shared her impressions Yana Sysoeva, a student of the Higher School of Physical Education and Sports of YuSU.

The girl also told how she got involved in sports tourism: “One day I saw an ad in a social network and decided to try myself in a new sport. My main experience is related to biathlon and ski racing, where I already have a sports category CMS. As for future starts, I will gladly take part again, if the opportunity appears. These competitions gave me a powerful charge of energy and the desire to move forward.”

“The competitions left behind a lot of bright emotions and unforgettable memories. All three days we passed various stages: from tracing a ski track in a steep ascent to descending a cliff with self-guided insurance, as well as searching for and transporting a wounded person uphill. The days were very busy not only with sports competitions, but also with the evening creative program, where the team performed creative numbers, sang songs around the campfire. As the captain of the team “Mammoths”, I believe that we performed well, all the guys showed great dedication and fortitude. In a short time we have become a united team, where everyone helps and supports each other”, - said a student of the Higher School of Digital Economy of YuGU Alexandra Greenwald.

Alexandra herself became interested in sports tourism after entering the university: “Earlier I had experience in hiking, as I am from the Urals, my family and I often went to the mountains. As a child, I graduated from the Olympic reserve school for skiing, and at the moment I am involved in soccer, but sports tourism is a new discovery in sport, which I want to continue doing”.

Both teams were prepared for the competition by Olesya Krymskaya, a senior lecturer at the YuSU Graduate School of Ecology. As Olesya Leonidovna noted, on the sport distances the students showed super speed, ability to navigate on the map and were very united, which allowed them to show excellent results.

“It may seem that tourism competitions are simple and easy, but it is far from so. Starting with the preparation of tourist and sports equipment, the road to the competition - by bus, train, electric train and two kilometers through the forest to the parking place with backpacks and skis, and ending with the very distances and creative program. The students and I turned out to be a real team, the guys are great! Courageously overcame all the difficulties, despite the fact that almost all were the first time in the winter hike, and in addition to the difficulties of organizing life in the hike: to put a tent, constantly procure wood for the fire and stove, cook food on the fire and constantly be in the cold, the team performed various creative tasks, sang songs, knit knots, there was a competition captains of teams. The most important thing is that the students listened attentively and fulfilled all hiking duties, calmly reacted to unforeseen circumstances and confidently went to victory. And that victory happened! Thank them very much, I am very proud of them!” - shared Olesya Krymskaya.

Let's add that the competition was held within the framework of the complex physical culture event “74th gathering of tourists-skiers on the border of Europe and Asia”. There were nine teams representing three universities - YuSU, UrFU and URSPU.