At my college we’ve got lastly made it to the time of yr after we can think about writing and analysis. It’s a clear change of tempo; from the relentless chitter chatter and interplay of instructing and evaluation to a shorter, generally extra reflective, time. It’s over all too shortly, and although I really like my time with the scholars, more and more I’d reasonably be studying and writing. It is vitally essential to plan my work so I do not waste the approaching couple of months when we’ve got just a bit extra respiration area.
After I started my weblog I to start with noticed it as a channel for my writing, secondly as a path to self-understanding: what on earth is it about gymnastics, Russian gymnastics particularly, that I discover so compelling? After three and a half years of running a blog (769 posts!) and a pair of.6 million web page views … Properly, I’m a bit wiser, however no much less hooked to my topic. In truth, if something, I’ve dug myself deeper and deeper right into a multi-layered world. There will not be sufficient hours within the day, weeks within the yr, years in a lifetime for me to cowl this topic in enough depth. I need to thank all of the journalists, bloggers, translators, photographers, entrepreneurs and followers who’re perpetually contributing to my private image of Russia, its gymnasts and its wider context of sport, friendship and worldwide relations. This ever-changing image, generally flickering and vague, usually clear and exquisite, sometimes unhappy and painful, is what provides me the stimulus to maintain on writing.
I’ve additionally slowly begun to grasp that it’s not simply gymnastics that fascinates me. With out Russia, gymnastics could be meaningless to me. Russia is solely intoxicating. The wholly completely different philosophy of sport. The beautiful colors within the amazingly ornate structure. The way in which the language seems to be and sounds. The individuals. The woody scent – is it fennel, is it sandalwood? Gymnastics and Russia is an ideal match of thriller, tradition, sport and politics … gymnastics is a window right into a world that I’ll by no means actually know, however cannot cease exploring.
My self-knowledge nonetheless has an extended approach to go. I do know now, for instance, that being learn means way more to me than the tortuous technique of writing! Feedback and discussions are fairly often probably the most attention-grabbing a part of this weblog. I do not write as a lot as I would really like; usually I’m merely reporting occasions, or offering summaries of what’s being stated within the Russian press. One factor I had not envisaged when starting the weblog is that a complete neighborhood of individuals would construct up round it; 3076 followers on Fb is excess of I ever anticipated. However after all, this makes for a accountability in direction of the weblog’s followers; I attempt to present an outline of all the primary issues, however cannot do the whole lot. Different blogs, akin to the superb Movies of Russian Gymnasts, are higher at preserving observe of the up and coming juniors, the Russian Gymnastics Federation website is more and more helpful for its hyperlinks to information tales and transient profiles of workforce members. The gymnastics teams in VK.com preserve us updated with the gymnasts’ lives so far as is respectful to them as individuals, and the varied Tumblr blogs give some helpful insights.
I say I do not write as a lot as I wish to, however it is important to chronicle the occasions of Russian gymnastics and to collate the central occasions in its developments if I’m to have the ability to write something significant in regards to the sport. This weblog due to this fact tries to be a repository for the important thing sources. A number of the most under-used sources listed below are the tabs to the appropriate of the weblog’s house display screen, the place hyperlinks to articles, a bibliography and a listing of video documentaries might be discovered. There may be additionally an archive of all of the previous posts on the weblog, accessible by date. You may search by label to seek out all of the articles on a specific topic.
So I’m now trying ahead to a different yr of running a blog and studying about Russia, its creative gymnastics and its sports activities system. I’m going to jot down one other publish imminently – within the subsequent few days – speaking in regards to the completely different areas of information that I might develop right here. I need to attempt to add depth to my work greater than breadth, so count on a couple of surprises.
You probably have learn this far, and have ideas and concepts on the course this weblog is taking and will soak up future, please depart your concepts in a remark or two – I really like studying them and they’re at all times helpful.
