Классный журнал

I BEGAN PLAYING hockey at age six, and it became my first passion. The sport was my mental, physical and spiritual teacher. It became an outlet for creative self-expression.
 
When I was 13, I moved to a team that hired a new coach from the former Soviet Union — a first for an American team. My coach was a student of the godfather of Soviet hockey Anatoly Tarasov, whose philosophy emphasized creativity, skill, improvisation and a fluid, collective playing style. Our training was rigorous and unusual: we were forced to walk on our hands and do somersaults on the ice; we skated while carrying tires and with our teammates on our backs. Many in the Chicago hockey community where I grew up didn’t take him seriously. But he transformed my entire concept of sport, and I became a more inspired and dynamic player. My faith in the game was strengthened.
 
I was recruited to play hockey at Yale University, and I was confident that I was on track to play professionally. But after three years playing at Yale, I had a crisis of faith. For the first time, I wasn’t enjoying playing the sport. My coach was a disciple of the North American system, and his philosophy emphasized systems and defense. Under his lead, creativity and improvisation were discouraged. Training was uninspired, dull, and systematic. It was hard for players to get to know one another as the coach continually changed the composition of our lines. Our team didn’t come near its full potential, and there was no life to the game. After more than a decade of intensive dedication to the sport, I voluntarily ended my hockey career. It was the most difficult decision I’ve ever made. But I couldn’t keep playing because I had lost faith in the sport.
 
While my experience at Yale led me to abandon hockey, I hadn’t lost faith in the power and importance of creativity in sport and beyond. I found a new passion in filmmaking, and later I began working on a documentary film called Red Army. The film is about the history of the Soviet Union and its national hockey team, which dominated international competition for more than a decade.
 
The team’s unparalleled success was a result of its free, collective playing style and revolutionary training. But Red Army isn’t just about hockey. It also explores how sport is informed by culture and ideology, and I believe the film’s lessons extend well beyond the hockey rink. Any healthy, successful society must create an environment that supports and fosters creativity and ingenuity and free expression. Only in this way will sport — and culture — continue to evolve.
 
Колонка Гейба Польски «Веротворение» опубликована в журнале "Русский пионер" №48. Все точки распространения в разделе "Журнальный киоск".