Alexey Zhelubenkov

Form 11 M

Sport is an Essential

Part of Life

Dubna – 2004

Contents.

1.   Introduction ……………………………3

2.   Sport in my life ………………………..4

3.   Sports in Russia ……………………….6

4.   Sports in Great Britain ………….……..7

5.   The Olympic Games …………….…….9

6.   Sports and Healthy Way of Life ….…..11

7.   Conclusion ... …………………………13

8.   Bibliography ………………………….14

Introduction

Sport is not only for champions. All over the world people of different ages are very fond of sports and games. Sport not only helps people to become strong and to develop physically but also makes them more organized and better disciplined in their daily activities. It makes healthy mind in a healthy body. People who go in for sports are always in good mood. Sports help them to keep in good health.

Sport for different people means different things. Some people go in for sport seriously and achieve high results. They make sport their profession. They are professionals. All the others who go in for sports in their free time are amateurs. Some of them jog in the morning, do morning exercises all the year round. They go in for winter and summer sports. Still others do not go in for sports. They are sport fans. They go to the stadium or sit in their armchairs at home shouting for their favourite teams or athletes.

We all need to exercise. Even if you do not plan to make a career in sport  you still have to practice.  Regular exercises  give  you more energy. That is why many people who suffer from general tiredness should take more exercise than more rest. Exercise makes you feel and look better. The best exercises are those which involve you in repeated movements. They are: walking, jogging or swimming. Bending and stretching will add flexibility and feeling of lightness. Skiing is a symphony of snow, sun and movement; the air is champagne to the lungs. No wonder skiing has conquered the world. It recruited millions of followers.

Sport in My Life.

As for me, my life is impossible without sport. I agree that sport helps people to stay in good shape, keeps them fit and healthy. Anyone who knows my family can say that it’s strange that I am a table tennis player, because my father plays volleyball. He was the captain of the students’ team of Moscow Lomonosov’s University. When I was 6 years old, my father began taking me to the gym. While he was playing volleyball, I was running, climbing up the Sweden wall, etc. But all the summer before going to school, I stayed in our yard, playing ping-pong. There were two tables in the yard. I was the youngest, only 7 years old, so the older boys often defeated me and I lost the matches more often then won them. Sometimes I cried. In September my parents suggested me going to the table tennis club. Of course, I agreed. Some boys, whom I played with, also decided to join this club. That is how it began.

I liked training. Some months later I was moved to an older group. That very winter I went to the competition for the first time. Of course, I lost many games, but I liked to compete. I enjoyed the atmosphere. I started training harder. A year later I took the second place in my age group in the Moscow Region. Next years I participated in different competitions in many cities of our country, such as Cheboksary, N.Novgorod, Petrozavodsk, Tula, Ivanovo, Vladimir, etc. It is interesting to have competitions in the place where you have never been yet.

Many times I was the first in the Central zone which includes 17 regions of Russia. Some years ago I took the third place in all-Russian national competitions in my age group in pairs. Though table-tennis is an individual game, there are team competitions too. I like to play team-games. While playing in the team you always feel support of your team-mates.

But you mustn’t think that I am only interested in table-tennis. I am also fond of volleyball, basketball, biathlon, but of course, I am fond of football most of these sports. In summer I always play football with my friends in the yard or sports ground. I enjoy shouting for my favourite team “SPARTAK” sitting in front of the TV-set. I don’t know why I am a Spartak fan. Maybe, because my father likes this team, maybe, because it is the most popular team in Russia. I always take to heart our national football team’s results. It is true, our football is not having its best time now, but I am sure that soon the time will come when we will be proud of our football team as well as our country in the whole.

Sport in Russia.

Russian and especially Soviet sports have many glorious pages. In all times our sportsmen have been the strongest in many kinds of sports. Athletes from Europe and Asia, Africa and America have always been afraid of their Russian opponents. People all over the world know such names as Larisa Latynina, Valery Borzov, Vladislav Tretiak, Irina Rodnina,Vladimir Salnikov and of course Leo Yashin, who was recognized as the best goalkeeper of all times and all nations.

In the  Soviet  Union junior sport  was  well-developed. There were many sport clubs, stadiums, grounds and gyms all over the country. Many competitions between schools took place in every town. In our clubs the best coaches worked. Among the sports popular in our country are football, basketball, swimming, volleyball, ice hockey, tennis, gymnastics, and figure skating. ............