North American SUMivtsi prepare to return to European Olympiada (07/16/00)

North American SUMivtsi prepare to return to European Olympiada

by Mark Howansky

UNION CITY, N.J. - Does going back to sports camp at age 26 sound strange? How about traveling from the United States and Canada to England to do it? Well, that's exactly what Taissa Matla and this writer did last summer. And it was a blast! It was so much fun, in fact, that I am planning to return this year.

Every summer the Ukrainian Youth Association (SUM) in Europe runs a series of camps at its resorts in England, Germany, France and Belgium. Similar to the SUM camp system in North America, there are educational, recreational and sports camps. One of the most popular camps is the Sportova Olympiada, which rotates among different countries from year to year. This is the camp that Ms. Matla and I attended.

The Olympiada takes place during the third week of August and is structured as a competition among countries, similar to the Olympics. Competitions are held in soccer, volleyball, basketball, badminton, shooting, track and field, and ping-pong.

Last year the Sportova Olympiada was held at the Tarasivka Resort near Manchester, England. Roman Panas of London was commandant and Bohdan Prychidnyj of Leicester was "bulavni." Together they successfully oversaw a camp of over 150 participants from seven countries: England, France, Germany, Belgium, the United States, Canada and Australia.

The daily routine was much more relaxed than the sports camps here in the United States. There was a morning flag-raising ceremony, but no morning exercise. There was usually only one sporting event going on at a time, so people not participating could watch and cheer for their countrymen. Also, there was a bar by the kitchen, which served beer during all meals. All of this made for an atmosphere that felt like a summer festival.

But don't be misled - the actual competition was fierce, especially between historical rivals England and Germany. National pride was on the line. Ms. Matla and I competed for the host country, England, which barely edged out Germany for first place in total team points.

I was surprised to learn that the average age of campers at the Sportova Olympiada was around 21, with some campers in their 40s. Being that Europeans have longer work vacations, they are more inclined to spend a week in "tabir" before their traditional holiday than we Americans are.

We slept in large army tents, which each held eight military beds. These wooden plank beds reminded me of my camp years, as did my "dyzhur" duties as a kitchen helper and my all-night "stiika" (watch).

The social aspect of the camp was incredible: I met Ukrainians from all over the world. Besides playing sports together, we sang Ukrainian songs, went on a day trip to Stratford-upon-Avon (where Shakespeare was born), and relaxed at two dances. We also celebrated Ukrainian Independence Day in Leicester by putting on a singing performance at the local Ukrainian home.

It was a great experience communicating with the Germans, French and Belgians in Ukrainian. If it was not for our common heritage, I would not have been able to communicate much at all (being that I speak neither French nor German). It was amazing to see how similar we are even though we grew up continents away from each other.

The Sportova Olympiada camp this year runs from August 19 to 26. It is going to be held at the Centre des Vacances Ukrainien in Resey par Raze, which is in eastern France, near the city of Vezyl. The cost of the camp for the week is 790 francs (approximately $115 U.S.).

If enough people from North America are interested, it is conceivable that a separate team could be formed to compete against the Europeans. Even though the camp is run by SUM, Plast members are welcome and have attended in the past. For more information, please contact Mark Howansky at (201) 864-5751.

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