2006 RUSSIAN SUMMER CAMP

St Petersburg, Russia

July 2006

Andrey took a group of 11 Alliance fencers to St. Petersburg, Russia for two weeks of intensive training, along with some sightseeing in St. Petersburg and Moscow. The camp itself, located in the woods about 60 miles from the city and surrounded by several small lakes, was sponsored by the club where Andrey began fencing, the Spartak Fencing School of Olympic Reserve.
The training included running, general fitness exercises, footwork, fencing, one-on-one lessons with Andrey and the local coaches, and other activities such as playing soccer and up-and-down hill sprints. Each day started with a lap around the camp (approximately 1.6 miles), fitness exercises and soon after, breakfast. At 9:45 AM fencing practice began, continuing on until noon. Lunch was at 2 PM and after that, nap time! At 5 PM was more fitness. Dinner was at 7:45 PM and after which we were free to wreak havoc on the rest of the camp. It was difficult, but everyone survived. Mealtimes were looked forward to, although the food was not what everyone was used to in America. But after a hard day of training, almost any food was welcome. After training, many of the kids would go to the discos that were held every couple days or just relax and do other things.
Although most of the time there was devoted to training, the group took several trips to St. Petersburg and one to Moscow. In St. Petersburg, the group visited Palace Square, the Peterhof (Peter the Great’s summer palace), the Hermitage Museum, and other points of interest. Andrey was a great tour guide; he pointed out lots of interesting things and enlightened the group with relevant facts from Russian history. The group enjoyed the grandeur of the Peterhof, marveled at the paintings in and the beauty of the Hermitage Museum (formerly the Winter Palace), and generally had a good time walking around the city seeing the sights, and eating the food. The group also took a trip to see the impressive, world famous Russian ballet. The opportunities to eat in the local restaurants were greatly anticipated, more so than at camp, as the food in the city was infinitely better. After nearly every event, food would be mentioned, but with hungry teenagers, what else would you expect? Everyone loved St. Petersburg, but no trip to Russia would be complete without a visit to Moscow.
Moscow was reached after an all-night ride on the midnight train. It quickly became obvious to everyone that it was much larger than St. Petersburg. After breakfast, the group set out for Red Square, and the Kremlin. They were awed by the grandeur of the Kremlin. A long walk later, the group visited the beautiful Cathedral of Jesus Christ, the main church of Russia. All in all, it was a long but very enjoyable day.
The last days at the camp were normal training days, with an especially hard last day. At last it was time to go, and after a long ride to the airport, we were airborne. Everyone had a great time and made memories that will last a lifetime. Many of the fencing globetrotters look forward to a return visit. Many thanks to the work and planning that led to a fantastic look at Mother Russia!