Biathlon - a new passion for children: how to train in NEXTGEN sections

After biathlon sections were opened in Moldovan schools, the sport has attracted almost a hundred children. Biathlon has become a new hobby for them, say the coaches of the NEXTGEN project, whose initiator in Moldova is Dmitry Torner, President of the Biathlon Federation.

The largest sections operate in the Criuleni district - here, de facto, the "pilot base" of the project has been created, says Alexandra Camenșcic, director of the local sports school. Alexandra is an Olympic biathlete. In February, she became the first coach of the NEXTGEN project.

The district section operates on Wednesdays and Fridays, based at the UNIT Youth Center in Criuleni. Also, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Alexandra organizes trainings in the NEXTGEN section in the school in the village of Izbiște, and on weekends, she trains the group from the village of Râșcova.

"The opportunity to train with laser weapons causes a lot of interest among children. Several dozen people come to train! It has warmed up and we have already started to hold the trainings outside in the stadium. The structure of the trainings - shooting, running, relay. This allows us to involve all the children, even if only a few dozen people come to the training sessions", Alexandra Camenșcic remarked.

The young biathletes from Waldorf High School are coached by Andrei Dubceac, Master of Sport (summer biathlon). He has been working here for several years as a physical education teacher. Previously, he was the school principal, the children know him very well. The Waldorf High School has a relaxed, informal atmosphere, which contributes to the education of sportsmen and sportswomen, says Andrei Dubceac.

A coach is both a friend and a mentor to an athlete. We have created a chat with the children and we are always in touch. We train four times a week, and sometimes, if the children wish, we train on the weekend. The permanent training team consists of 10 children who are really interested in biathlon. They look forward to the competitions and really work hard. Many kids come to training only once in a while - the heavy burden of extra lessons from other disciplines sometimes makes it impossible for them to come to training regularly. Some come, try, stop coming, then come back. In any case, biathlon has already appeared in their lives, so biathlon enthusiasts or supporters in Moldova are becoming more and more numerous", Andrei Dubceac is sure.

Another NEXTGEN coach, who runs the section at the Gaudeamus High School in Chisinau, believes that children can also attract adults through biathlon. Marina Șendrea, a physical education teacher, is the mother of two biathletes. Victor, her youngest son, has already been part of the national team since this year.

The NEXTGEN section opened at the Gaudeamus secondary school at the end of March, with training on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Both boys and girls come to training. Of course, the biggest excitement is the laser guns - it's something extraordinary for them at their age of 12-13. At every practice, we train accuracy at different distances, increase the range, and sometimes we have to use the high school hallway. We have a tradition: for one miss - 5 push-ups. For the kids, it's not a punishment, but a motivation. We also organize training outside - we practise the precision of the movements, we build endurance", Marina Șendrea told us.

Dmitry Torner, the President of the Biathlon Federation, told us that the NEXTGEN project is aimed not only at deepening the knowledge of biathlon among teenagers, but also has a national goal - to find and educate a new generation of Moldovan biathletes. Thus, children born in the years 2010-2011 will make up the Moldovan youth selection to participate in the 2028 Winter Olympic Games.

More details about the NEXTGEN project and the activity of the sections can be found at the following link: https://www.biathlon-moldova.md/nextgen