– How did your adventure with sports begin and when was your volleyball talent noticed?
– The adventure with sports and the first training began in the third grade of primary school. The coach selected the most fit students for SKS (School Sports Club) classes. I was very happy that he chose me. Back then, rarely anyone had their own ball, and playing football – it wasn’t volleyball yet – on a professional pitch was something else. Then I got discouraged, I didn’t want to go, but the coach convinced my parents and me to come back and continue playing sports. In the fourth grade, I joined a volleyball class at a sports school. Back then, I wasn’t a standout player on the team. Only my high school coach noticed my talent. There were a lot of extracurricular activities, I trained on Saturdays and Sundays. When a new coach appeared, my hard training, dedication and commitment began to bear fruit. I was noticed by the coach of Stilon Gorzów, first I joined the junior team, and then the senior team.
– What values, skills and features has sport shaped in you? Those that are still paying off today?
– First of all, fight and tenacity. It’s hard to get success right away. I was guided by the motto “it doesn’t matter how many times you fall, what matters is how many times you get up, draw conclusions and keep fighting.” This was very motivating for me, because there were several falls, figuratively of course, in my life. I always picked myself up and learned from them. This is what you do after every match, especially a losing one – you have to sit down and analyze your mistakes so as not to make them later. And keep doing your thing, fight against adversity. There have been, are and will be failures in life. Another feature is teamwork. In volleyball, without cooperation with the team or in beach volleyball with a partner, you will not achieve anything. Discipline, dedication. Without this there will be no success.
– You started training in the 1980s or 1990s. Please compare – is it easier or more difficult for children today to practice sports?
– When I was in high school, the coach trusted us enough to give us the key to the hall. We could come 20 minutes earlier, prepare for training, play with the ball. Today it is difficult to understand, because the halls are open to the public, there are sports fields and Orliki. There are open sports facilities in every housing estate. Availability is much greater.
– However, it is more difficult to convince children to take part in sports. What to do to change this?
– It is difficult to imagine children practicing any sport without the support of their guardians. A lot depends on parents, guardians and grandparents to take the child to training, convince them to play sports, show them that sports are fun and motivate them. That’s why parents need to be educated first. Without the involvement of coaches, without their passion, it is much more difficult to keep a child in sports. Therefore, it is necessary to focus on their education and decent remuneration. You must not forget about meeting your idol. A child who has a hero or a role model will be more motivated to practice sports and improve in them to become like this idol.
– Now volleyball has many loyal fans.
– Yes. It is the result of many years of hard work. Success creates idols, they become heroes for children. This helps convince the youngest to practice this discipline. The training pyramid is very important to us – encouraging children to participate in sports and compete with their peers, because without it it is difficult to see our own achievements. This is what our Mini Volleyball is for, a nationwide tournament with nice prizes. Children, for example, go to games abroad or pass balls to their idols during matches. Tomek Fornal, Magda Stysiak and many others started there. Then we enter interschool volleyball tournaments. The next stage are sports championship schools and sports clubs. The best ones go to the youth team. Let’s not forget about beachwear. Many kids choose this discipline because it is less about height and more about mobility and maneuverability. You can see that this training pyramid is bringing results. We draw players from here for senior teams and I hope that the good level of Polish volleyball will be maintained for many years to come. Not everyone will become a professional volleyball player, but everyone can stay involved in volleyball, even as a fan.
– ORLEN also supports young people’s volleyball. The first edition of the “Sportowy ORLEN” program was attended by 28 volleyball clubs and multi-section clubs, also conducting volleyball classes. As an association, do you see any positive effects of clubs using this support?
– Yes, of course, it’s a very successful project. It mainly helps student sports clubs that have greater financial problems and less external support. Local governments help, but the needs are much greater. ORLEN’s support helps them to become known and continue training children at an increasingly higher level.
Recruitment for the ORLEN 2026 Sports program lasts until March 6. The program offers local clubs up to PLN 100,000. PLN subsidy for training of children and youth (up to 18 years old). The program budget is PLN 12 million, and the support covers equipment, camps and coaches’ salaries.
The material partner is Orlen
