70 years from the Victory Day!
Today is a significant date – 70 years from the date of the Great Victory! On this day, CanoeSport congratulates all the grandparents, as well as the younger and younger generation. Appreciate and love this holiday – May 9, remember the great feat of our grandfathers.
We wish that there will always be a clear, peaceful sky above your heads! We wish you all happiness, well-being, strong friendship, health, happiness and love. Let there be a lot of good in life: give it a piece to others, share with friends and family.
Let everyone celebrate, glorifying the Great Victory! Eternal glory to the heroes.
The origins of the rowing traditions in the Medvedev family
For this anniversary date, the Medvedev family prepared a small documentary video to recall how rowing and canoeing originated in Leningrad, because our Gerbtsian roots go back to the distant 1940s.
Our grandfather, Kuznetsov, Fedor Matveyevich, began rowing in a kayak immediately after the end of the war. He became the first champion of the Soviet Union, and won a total of all-Union competitions 6 times!
Our grandmother – Kuznetsova Faina Konstantinovna – was born on December 31, 1927 in the village of Lavrovo (Nevsky district, Yaroslavl region).
Faina Konstantinovna – the repeated prize-winner of the Soviet Union, the master of sports of the USSR in skis. Honored trainer of the RSFSR, coach Olympic champion Galina Kreft! Our grandmother has a badge of honor and two medals: for the defense of Leningrad and for the conquest of Elbrus!
When Faina was 7 years old, her family was expropriated. I had to collect belongings and walk to the city of Pavlovsk in the Leningrad region. But even there it was impossible to count on a quiet life. The Germans attacked and, in the end, forced the family to leave Pavlovsk and go to Leningrad.
When her parents died, Faina was left alone. She was lucky: the local janitor decided to save the girl from starvation and took her to a vocational school. There, in addition to rations of bread, one could get a bowl of chowder. There was a chance to survive.
Those days that Faina spent in school, can not be called light. All went to study and work systems, and fatigue and hunger followed on the heels. Now and then I wanted to fall into the snow and forget about everything. When someone became completely unbearable, so much so that there was no further strength to go, everyone stopped. Then the master from school began to sing – and everyone picked up. “Get up, the country is huge, get up to the death fight …”
At the age of 12-13 years old Faina made cartridges and bolts for machine guns at the plant. The weapons had to be transferred to the front, and for this the factory workers met with the soldiers. They were surprised at the meeting, did not recognize each other – both the workers and the soldiers were just teenagers …
Try to overtake?
After the war, the period of upsurge and development of sports began, the youth took up swimming and skiing. Recorded in the section of the sports society “Labor Reserves”, participated in mass competitions.
Faina Kuznetsova came to rowing after winning the ski race. At that time, many athletes switched to rowing from swimming or skiing. Once the girlfriends-kayakers called the girl with them for training – they wanted to laugh, beat her. “On skis, you may be fast,” they teased, “and try to overtake us on the boat?”
They wanted to leave a skier with a nose, but it was not there! A week later, the newcomer won against everyone in the local kayak race – and that was it.
Dear, sit in the boat!
Faina Konstantinovna says that canoeing appeared in Leningrad later than canoeing. She remembers the funny story, which then began to walk around the city along with anecdotes.
In 1952, when everything was just beginning, on the Neva river one could often see a familiar picture: many boats, all rowing, sitting. Suddenly, a policeman shouting from the bridge: “Dear athlete, sit in the boat! I repeat once again, sit in the boat! ”It turns out that among the kayaks there was a canoe, and the guard was not aware of why the rower was standing.
“King of kayaks” in Leningrad
In 1952, the legendary Swedish rower Gert Frederickson came to Leningrad. This man won six times at the Olympics, won seven gold medals at the World Championships, and at the national finish the first 71 times! Its crown distance is 1000 m and 10,000 m.
When Gert arrived in Leningrad, the rowers were shocked by his technique and speed. He showed a truly powerful, modern rowing. It cost Frederickson to wave the paddle, like a wooden boat literally flew out from under him – so great was his speed. Comparing themselves with the great Swede, the local pros felt like novices. Everyone was very happy to have the opportunity to learn the rowing technique from such an athlete.
Faina Kuznetsova had to compete with Nina Savina, who won the bronze medal at the 1952 Olympics.
The girls met at a distance of 1500 meters, Nina was the first. In those days, it was possible to hit the stern and deploy the rival’s boat, but Faina was shy.