Saratov is a city with a rich sports history. It can be proud of its outstanding sportsmen who have brought fame both to our country and Saratov.

Sport is an inseparable part of my life. I can’t imagine my daily routine without it. I have been doing sports since I was four. And now I’m thirteen. I study at three schools: one comprehensive and two sports schools. I do triathlon and football. So my life is pretty busy as I have two trainings a day – before and after school. It goes without saying that sometimes it’s rather difficult to combine studying and trainings but I try to do my best and I think I’ve succeeded so far as I’m an excellent student at a comprehensive school and I achieve good results in my sport life.

There are many famous people among sportsmen who inspire thousands of boys and girls to do sports. They are idols for us. But heroes can be found very close to you, they live in the neighbourhood. As for me I’m lucky to have wonderful coaches and the teacher of Physical Education. Under their guidance we work a lot, we learn a lot – not only about sports but about life as well and achieve good results.

We’re training in the same swimming pool with the Olympic champion Iliya Zakharov, we run in the same stadium with Alexander Loginov – our talented biathlete. When we swim in the Volga we watch our canoeists training. It gives us confidence that each of us can reach the very top of sport skills.

The main point is to work hard and to achieve goals. And in the end the result will find you! So I totally agree with the slogan of the Adidas company: IMPOSSIBLE IS NOTHING! I try to follow this motto in my life.

Though I spend most of the time doing triathlon, I adore football as well. Despite trainings and taking part in different football cups, I follow all the events taking place in the world of football using all the sources of information: the Internet, TV, magazines, encyclopedias, newspapers.In comparison with triathlon where individual skills (both physical and psychological) are important, football is a team game. The ability to be the team-player is rather difficult on the one hand, but on the other hand it’s rewarding! Team-spirit and the sense of belonging, sharing common goal makes you feel as if you were a part of a big family. Even my little sister loves football and the atmosphere of the football stadiums!

I love sport and can’t live without it. But this is thanks to my nearest and dearest. If to be precise, my inspiration comes from my Granny. Though she’s never done any sports, she’s always been a great supporter and fan of sports.She’s absolutely mad about ice-hockey. When she was young she attended all the matches of our ice-hockey teams. She has got autographs of such outstanding hockey-players of the Soviet period as Luchenko, Petrov, Kharlamov, Tretjak, etc. In our family it’s considered to be family relic.

I love sport and can’t live without it. But this is thanks to my nearest and dearest. If to be precise, my inspiration comes from my Granny. Though she’s never done any sports, she’s always been a great supporter and fan of sports.She’s absolutely mad about ice-hockey. When she was young she attended all the matches of our ice-hockey teams. She has got autographs of such outstanding hockey-players of the Soviet period as Luchenko, Petrov, Kharlamov, Tretjak, etc. In our family it’s considered to be family relic.

I’m ready to listen to her stories thousand times because they are very interesting, touching and very dear to my Granny.Her favourite ice-hockey player is V. Kharlamov and I invited my Granny to the cinema to watch the movie “Legend №17” when it was released. Granny enjoyed it greatly!Figure-skating is also my Granny’s favourite. She has got special albums with pictures of our figure-skaters and articles about them.My Granny was the person who told me about different championships and Olympic Games. We still watch all the sports events on TV, we’re usually mesmerized by what is going on in various championships and games!

We’ re great friends with my Granny. I’m very lucky to have such Granny. She’s my best supporter and fan!

We’ re great friends with my Granny. I’m very lucky to have such Granny. She’s my best supporter and fan!

My granny is an example to follow. She’s got strong will and character (though love and kindness are combined with strictness), she’s a very responsible person, a man of word and deed. Besides she’s very sociable and gets on very well with all my friends. She’s always present at all our football matches and we call her “coach assistant”. My Granny keeps repeating that Russia has always been the country of sports, it’s a long-lasting tradition and the task of our generation is to follow this tradition! Moreover, when we are together, we’ll be able to do everything - Teamwork Makes The Dream Work and we know that Dreams Come True. She also tells me inspirational sports stories that focus on good deeds, overcoming obstacles, achievement and sportsmanship.

My granny is an example to follow. She’s got strong will and character (though love and kindness are combined with strictness), she’s a very responsible person, a man of word and deed. Besides she’s very sociable and gets on very well with all my friends. She’s always present at all our football matches and we call her “coach assistant”. My Granny keeps repeating that Russia has always been the country of sports, it’s a long-lasting tradition and the task of our generation is to follow this tradition! Moreover, when we are together, we’ll be able to do everything - Teamwork Makes The Dream Work and we know that Dreams Come True. She also tells me inspirational sports stories that focus on good deeds, overcoming obstacles, achievement and sportsmanship.

I’m the contemporary of the 21st century and the 2nd millennium, which are marked by great positive changes in all the spheres of life and especially by the improvements in the sphere of sport. We have a lot of possibilities to do sports as there are innumerous number of sports facilities right now. And I take this chance and choose the healthy way of life because doing sports is the way to success! But my Granny, who is very wise, reminds me not to forget that only hard work in combination with the desire to do sports will bring the result. Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.

I’m the contemporary of the 21st century and the 2nd millennium, which are marked by great positive changes in all the spheres of life and especially by the improvements in the sphere of sport. We have a lot of possibilities to do sports as there are innumerous number of sports facilities right now. And I take this chance and choose the healthy way of life because doing sports is the way to success! But my Granny, who is very wise, reminds me not to forget that only hard work in combination with the desire to do sports will bring the result. Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.

As the English proverb runs: Life is not the bed of roses. The same is in sport: sometimes you win, sometimes you fail to win.But anyway you never lose. In any case you gain invaluable experience. Doing sports teaches you to overcome all the difficulties and obstacles and to achieve goals. The value of doing sports is hard to underestimate.

There is a poem that I tried to translate into English (though I’m not much of a poet). I strongly believe that it’s also the key to success!

Everybody knows perfectly wellThat the most difficult fight isThe fight with yourself.To win yourself – no matter how hard – Is the dearest victory of all in one’s life.You have to remember for all and the rest – The victory over yourself is the BEST!