Magyar News, 1995. szeptember-1996. augusztus (6. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1995-10-01 / 2. szám
RAMARKS ABOUT SPORT BROTHERHOOD By Jack Lewis, Activities Chairman THE WELCOME One of the prevailing emotions at the welcoming reception was a degree of uncertainty about, and reluctance to, interaction with the Hungarian delegation. However, once the formalities of the welcoming speeches were finished, and dinner was served, everyone loosened up. Sharing the meal, and trying to communicate without words led to some interesting situations. One of the committee members called me over and introduced me to the athletes at her table; when she told me that two of them were basketball players, I looked at them and mimed dribbling and shooting the ball. They responded the same way, and pointing at one another and miming, we agreed that, at some time before they left, we’d play a game. THE BASKETBALL GAME As it turned out we had a chance on Tuesday to practice and shoot around a little with them; and through their coach and interpreters, we set up a scrimmage match for Wednesday, as a chance to get them ready for the competition the following week. Although we had originally planned for six or eight of us to play the Hungarians, when game tune arrived on Wednesday, we found that we had more like 15 players to their nine. The game itself was non-stop, with substitutions bemg made almost on the fly. Overall the game was pretty much evea although nobody kept score. I was pretty impressed by the caliber of the ball they could play. The Hungarians were really quick at bringing the ball up the court, which caused some of our older players to tire a bit (I include myself in that group). And their defense and shotmaking were very good ; no quarter was asked or given by either team. When the game ended, and we all sat in the bleachers for a picture, it was like a group of friends who had just finished a pick-up game on some neighborhood court. RECOGNITION One of the basketball players, István Szívós, had an idiosyncrasy of wiping the sweat from his forehead with his fingers, and then flicking the sweat of them. On Tuesday, I happened to be watching him practice, and as he wiped and flicked, I caught his eye; when he looked over at me, T copied his wipe and flick motion. He laughed with me about that, and from then on, whenever we met or caught sight of one another, we’d trade salutes - wipe and flick. We even recorded it on video. COOPERATION One of the things I was most impressed by was the willingness on part of the athletes to do whatever they were asked. It was as if the slightest kindness or assistance from us was so appreciated that they wanted to return it to you. When the delegation gave the committee members a team shirt and one of the pamphlets with pictures of all the team members, they were all trilled to sign their name by their photograph. Even Gabor Suhajda (track), who had a major difficulty writing, signed, taking more than five minutes to write his name, simply because I.d asked. And Szilvia Gortler, the swimmer with no arms, happily had here shoe removed so she could sign, using her foot, giving me a big smile and a “hug” afterward. DEPARTURE Putting the delegation on the buses and sending them to New Haven was one of the most difficult times for us all. The ties between us were so strong that it was hard to part. They wanted us to ride to New Haven with them. The athletes even asked if they could stay in Naugatuck, commuting to the games. It was so gratifying to know that we made such a strong impression during the short span of three days. Even Zsolt Trombitás (basketball), who had hardly said a word all week, was nearly in tears; he had the most sorrowful, hang-dog look in his face. Even the coaches, who early on had seemed so reserved, were enthusiastic in their thanks and farewells. The basketball coach, Tamas Egly, was so appreciative for all we’d done, particularly those of us who’d scrimmaged his team. And Istvanne Kovács, the swimming coach, who was a formidable individual, disciplined and in control of her swimmers and obviously giving her all for these athletes, came over and gave me a huge hug and smile before boarding the bus. The soccer team MEDALS AND POSITIONS WON BY THE HUNGARIAN TEAM GOLD SILVER BRONZE 4 5 6 7 8 Athletics 2 2 2 3 3 Football 1 Basketball 1 Table tennis 2 2 3 1 1 Swimming 7 5 1 2 1 1 Gymnastics 4 2 6 1 1 TOTAL 15 11 12 3 1 7 4 1 PAGE 5
