Ice hockey training of Gargždiski players – with roller skates

Most unanimously agree that the Gargždas need a swimming pool. However, opinions differ about the ice arena. However, the manager of Klaipėda ice hockey school “Skatas”, as well as the player of Gargžda “Ledžinga” Eduardas Pavliukova, has no doubt that investments in sports infrastructure always pay off. Especially since a demonstration ice hockey practice was recently held in Gargždai and a number of young Gargžda residents gathered for it. Some of them have already decided to attend classes in the port city.

Seeks to popularize
E. Pavliukova, who organized the ice hockey demonstration training, informed “Banga” that the Klaipėda ice hockey school “Skatas” will implement the project “On the ice and beyond it – together!”. This is a project for the promotion of physical activity and the development of healthy lifestyle skills for families in Klaipėda County aimed at popularizing recreational ice hockey. The project is financed by the Sports Sponsorship Fund.
“We aim to promote physical activity, employment and community spirit of Klaipėda County families. Ice hockey is a dynamic and intelligent sport that combines physical activity, play, teamwork, and can be played not only at the professional level, but also become an excellent recreational opportunity available to the wider public. However, in Klaipėda County, due to low “visibility” and insufficiently developed infrastructure, this sport is considered risky, expensive, and requires a lot of investment. We aim to reveal the specifics of ice hockey “outside the ice”, so we organized the first demonstration training in Gargždai, at the “Skate” park, which is next to the “Kranto” school”, said E. Pavliukova.

Drives to the port city
The people of Gargžda were invited to the event, through the mediation of Klaipėda District Municipality and Gargždai Eldership: both children and adults. 34 people participated in the event. Coaches from the “Skato” school demonstrated skating exercises, as well as elements of the hockey game. Ice hockey equipment was distributed to the participants: skates, sticks, balls. Participants could engage in fun activities or simply watch the exercises and consult with the coaches about the possibility of playing sports in the future. Such demonstration trainings are planned in Kretinga, Skuoda, Šilute.
E. Pavliukova, who lives in Klaipėda district, emphasized that this sport hardens and strengthens a person physically. Children also develop socialization skills very quickly, because it is a team game. “Klaipėda district is big, so I think it is also worth setting up an ice arena here. When the Žemaitija ice hockey championship is held, amateur teams appear both from Gargžda and from Šilutė, Plungė, Kretinga, there are 3-5 teams in Klaipėda. Ice hockey is becoming more and more popular, especially when the Lithuanian national team improved its results”, the interviewer has no doubts. He remembers when he started coaching the kids 16 years ago, they were 16-17. And now there are three hockey schools in the port city, attended by 300 children.
“There are many children in the area who train on the ice of Klaipėda’s Akropolis. Therefore, if only an ice arena appeared in Gargždai, it would certainly not be empty,” Jonas Blagnys, businessman and president of Gargždai “Ledžinga”, has no doubt.

Agne ADOMAITĖ
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