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Page THE HERALD Wednesday June Athletes not forced Jim Hall returns from Moscow Herald ports editor Jim Hall recently returned George town after three weeks in Moscow Russia where he and North Americans had the opportunity lo study coaching techniques in that country Hall laid he went into the Inn with preconceptions of what life for an athlete is like in the Soviet Union but he added that a lot of them turned nut to be misconceptions NOT FORCED A lot of people North America ihink that Soviet athletes arc forced to pursue sports if they show ability in them the Centennial Education tiachersaid Actually youngslcrs there far as I see have the option of training in port or not he School teacher was one of wrestling coaches from throughout Canada lo make the trip There were also 15 wrestling loaches mm the United Stales The init lies and on the jaunt were there to either study the Soviets techniques in vullcvball or physical education Half the people on the trip were Canadians and the oilier Americans I 1 1 all hough youngsters are not forced lo tram in a show promise in most of them consider it a high honor to be asked to pursue excellence in said he also went into the trip the young let to be very sombre and businesslike in heir training HAVE FUN Actually although the Soviets are com pletely serious during training they alio seemed be enjoying it a lot and having fun During the first week Hall was in Moscow i tie group of North Americans stayed together and visited schools observe the teaching and coaching techniques Hall said children in Russia all enter the educational system when they arc one year old They stay In that some school until they are seven years old They are in school each day from to The reason they begin school so early in their is there is full employment in the Soviet Union Hall said However it is not a daycare centre During the final years in that school study the history of their country and also have physical education It is during the next phase of the young Soviet athletes life thai he begins to special in the sport he shows promise in From the tops seven 17 the attends the same school At that school aside from studying academic Hie students also can join one of the clubs if they show promise and interest in a sport Their facilities ill the schools are not as good as they arc here Hall said But in the the coaching the athletes receive is excellent It is in he clubs lhat the athletes receive most of their training The major clubs in Russia are Red Army Torpedo 10 local wrestlers going to tryout ill again be hes of Ha lo out fur the Then mav lie more In come four wrestlers off Huh Rebel team will maki the trip lei St Catharines Mike Ken Ward and Unfair ire all Taylor Ward and wire ill on the team last Thin willlie moving up in age crimp i year There re two divisions 13 and vear olds and and 16 year olds Six wrestlers off Halls wrestling learn at Centennial will also out They are Mike and Hob eerie Doug llruce Mar id Pal Tile iilkspie and Marriott won Ontario this past year and and finished sin wrestlers adelhe National am The World in New This soar the World ham will be held at San Diego California on August J their weight swill then return lost runs on where will train until the Ih the competition is ipletid in San Diego the stay for two ra Ins on a cultural joss trying out and mak ing the will be thing local merchants for sponsorships Last year the six local boys who made the team were well reeeiv in asking for sponsorship Dynamo and Large factories also hove their own clubs The students actually consider a real honor be asked to Join a club and to try and achieve excellence In a sport Hall said The motto for the schools is working in preparation lor labor and defense The school day or youngsters begins at 7 and ends at until pm In the sport of wrestling while an athlete is joungerhelrams for two hours four nights a week When he gels older it becomes three hours five nights a week ON TOONE What impressed Hall most about the clubs is the amount of Individual coaching each athlete received In he said every athlete received one toone coaching Hall said that while he North Americans schools they were encouraged to Willi athletes and the coaches There was an interpreter on hand at all times It seemed that there they emphasize discipline much more than they do here he said Here it seems that discipline depends on specific teachers There it is pari of the sstem youngsters grow up in In the final two weeks of his stay there Hull studied the wrestling program The coaches in the clubs have to have heir Master of Sport certificate The is very professional Hall said There was absolutely no time wasted and Ihe practises wire very intense and although it was very intense it seemed like the kids wire having a hall Hall said the major difference between wrtstlcrs here and in Russia is that Ihere the are sound We know all the things they know about wrestling he said But there their moves an vers sound just ton I miss Hal also said that Russians have specialists in both and Free stile resiling hire wi just do not have the amount people to do same litre a lop freestyle wrestler would also be beat in Creco a free style would not come close to wrestler In Creco wresllers are not allowed to use the legs Most of the North time was spent at the Institute of Physical Fitness studying Sonet techniques but there was or sightseeing shopping and many wi wonted to In our spare time without Soviet HELPFUL He said he found the Sovicls lo be very friendly and even helpful when they could be Its surprising how much they know about Canada especially hockey he said They alt talked about Guy Lafleur and Ken Hall said Moscow is a lery clean city with a fantastic subway system He also said that is not a house to be found in the whole city Everybody lives In apartments II is great honor in Russia to be a laborer such as a bricklayer or carpenter Hall said The laborers get paid more than professionals such as teachers or coaches Hall said that he found the average Russian lo be very jovial and friendly There were also many cultural events set up or the visiting North Americans They went to the Moscow Circus the ballet a rock concert In which Russian bands played your basic rock and roll and tours of the Kremlin Olympic site the Red Square and Lenin Mausoleum The group also saw an international basketball game between the Soviet Union and Poland a national soccer game and a city final volleyball game Hall said he enjoyed his trip very much but that he would not trade his position with a teacher in the Soviet Union for anything in the They just got the interaction between the students and teachers he said Their system is no belter than ours and no worse it is just different It works there because their society is structured ititlenntly It would not worn here Hall also said one reason the Soviets win so gold medals in sports is pure numbers have million people while Canada has They can have specialize in just one while having many others to spet itilize in other sports Halt said he thinks Canadian work just as hard as do in the Soviet Union and are just as tough I think 1 will change my basic approach coaching because of the trip Hall said will use some of Ihe things I learned leaching of techniques in wrist ling The Canadian Russia was part aiourse with Concordia University Hall will now prepare a paper on the trip to receive a Ian Clark runs best race in PanAm trials Ian Clark continued his excellent by recording his best lime ever in the metres event it the Pan Am Trials over the wiekend particular field of fourth place running in a and took ith lime of never had before Although the track and field meet was billed as the ihosm for the The I The Georgetown runner was the only school d students lompeluiK in the athlete ihenfore although hams won the race he will nut be a member of Canada Pan Am team Peltr Duller who finished seventh this and Greg was second will trip In San Juan Puerto Rico to rcpre sml Canada Clark had not run melres even since summer The lime hi recorded this year in the event shows the dramatic improvement he had made year he had a time of 14 for the event Hockey games go h Columbia He surewhether he I 501 or from Page it to many practises will la The hockey games will go are trying out to work as originally scheduled The n arrangement with two games will be play would probably choose one of the loner races he said But gained a lot of speed so I might run the 15O0