Mikhail Chekmarev: “Without the support of partners, the children’s sledge hockey team in Orenburg simply would not exist”

02.03.2022

The sports portal Udar56.ru published an interview with the chairman of the board of the Orenburg sledge hockey club “Yastreby” and the coach of the children’s team, which is supported by the Russalt company.

…“WE DO NOT “STIE” PLAYERS, BUT WE PREPARE OUR OWN”

Tell us how the Orenburg sledge hockey club “Yastreby” works?

– We have a team of masters (12 players) and a children’s team (15 people).

The team of masters are professional athletes who live for sledge hockey. Sledge hockey is their job, for which they get paid. We water, feed and dress the guys, rent apartments for them, take them to competitions. They plow every day in training, perform in the Russian championship.

This team is financed mainly from the budget of the Orenburg region. We also have a general partner – the T Plus company, which helps the professional team and partially participates in the financing of the children’s team.

The children’s team is more of a socially oriented project that is not tied to the age of the children. For the second year we can sleep peacefully – the Russalt company took over the financial support of the team. Mostly we have guys with cerebral palsy syndrome. We are not talking about professional sports here. We are engaged in rehabilitation and socialization of children.

How do your athletes train?

A team of masters is training at Zvezdny. In the morning, the guys visit the gym at Lime Fitness, and from there they go to the ice palace.

Most recently, a three-week cycle has ended, during which the guys had intensive training on the ice. Now the athletes are working in the gym, in the pool, where they swim from six hundred meters to one and a half kilometers … Then we will let the guys rest and resume preparations for the final stage of the Russian Championship.

The kids enjoy going to training, developing. They train three times a week on the ice of Zvezdny, visit the throwing area at the Boxing Center, and work out at the same Lime Fitness. And, of course, the children’s team has two days off.

Who is helping the Hawks?

The money that the club receives from the regional budget, we can only spend on a professional team.

Help, I repeat, the company “Russalt” and its director Sergei Cherny, the company “T Plus”, as well as Dmitry Boldyrev and a number of businessmen of the city. Without their support, the children’s team simply would not exist.

Before the New Year, we had another partner – the STM-clinic medical center.

We do not take any money from parents, and the help of partners allows us to pay for ice rent, a gym, a swimming pool, equipment, field trips and much more.

We appreciate any support, many thanks to everyone who provides it to us!

The full interview with Mikhail Chekmarev can be read on the website of the Orenburg sports portal HTTPS://UDAR56.RU/?P=22165