Legendary Russian coach Nikolay Karpol has just turned 80 years old, and is still going strong. On his birthday, Russian President Vladimir Putin granted him the title of Hero of Labor of the Russian Federation. Afterwards, Karpol spoke about his years coaching in Russia. He has been with Uralochka for the past 49 years:
“Imagine how many different characters have gone through the team in all this time! And you need to reach out to everyone, convince everyone of your goals. Working with men is easier. A man can play for 20 years at a professional level, without being distracted by other problems. The girls come to the team at 18, a few years later they give birth, and then return to the courts. Stability when working with women is very small. When you have a gap in the team, due to pregnancy for example, you just have to just relax. But I learned everything that I did, thanks to women, and I do not intend to go anywhere from them.”
One would imagine that after of almost 50 years coaching a single team, Karpol would be ready to call it quits now. Nothing is far from the truth, as the coach wants to shell out a few more seasons with the team before retiring:
“People change and very few today are willing to serve a team for decades. However, I can not criticize all of the current generation, as even today in Yekaterinbug I see those who are truly devoted to their work, who remain loyal, no matter what. I really love consistency. I am sure that I will serve Uralochka until the end of my days. I always look for something new in my work, and I really like it. Probably, I will work in “active sport” for another 2-3 years, and then I will help my native club as an adviser. I really hope that my grandson will continue my work. He already holds many independent training sessions. He is my grandson, so I have the right to shout at him. I’m glad that Michael is now in volleyball. He is my reliable assistant, but he still has a lot to learn. I try to make sure that he doesn’t get carried away with fame and starts believing he is better than he actually is.”
*All quotes extracted from Championat.com
To learn more about Karpol’s legendary career, read the articles below:
Vladimir Putin Grants Hero of Labor Title To Coach Nikolai Karpol
Meet Nikolay Karpol, Uralochka-NTMK’s Coach For The Last 49 Seasons
Gamova Wants Her Character To Be In A Possible Coach Karpol Movie
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