Wood chopping challenge among journalists near Minsk: New events, larger scale
The wood chopping challenge among journalists is a truly unique event. The format is unusual. So are the participants: correspondents, TV and radio presenters, bloggers, editors and other workers of the Belarusian media. Some of them were born and raised in the countryside. Others never used an axe in their lives before. But the warm, almost festive atmosphere of the event united the colleagues, so the competitions turned out to be a friendly challenge. Nevertheless, the best were named and awarded. But even those who did not make it to the podium did not regret participating. A BelTA correspondent went to the shore of the Vyacha reservoir and talked to the participants of the challenge among journalists. Among them was a BelTA team.
A little digression into history. The wood chopping challenge was first held last year. A video of the head of state chopping wood to help Europeans stay warm went viral and journalists offered Aleksandr Lukashenko to organize a challenge to check which of the journalists were faster and better at wood chopping. The president approved the idea, and on 7 November, the first wood chopping challenge among journalists was held.
Press Secretary of the Belarusian president Natalya Eismont conveyed greetings from President Aleksandr Lukashenko to the participants of the wood chopping challenge among journalists.“The mood is great, wonderful. I am very glad to meet with all of you here in a much larger format. This is important, and we all understand it," Natalya Eismont said. “I think we must be continuously grateful for that fact that while things are getting more and more difficult around us, we get together again to chop wood, compete in wood cutting, and just have fun. It's really cool!”
The second challenge was held in the same location - on the picturesque shore of the Vyacha reservoir in Minsk District. Journalists competed with each other in such disciplines as chopping firewood among men, chopping firewood among women, cutting logs with an axe and a relay race. A new, quite a complex discipline called as “chopping wood in the presidential style” suggested cutting two wood rounds at least 50cm in diameter and at least 40cm high.
The range of participants grew larger too. This year, 35 teams took part in the challenge. Employees of the Chinese news agency Xinhua also decided to test their strength in chopping wood. Lu Jinbo, an employee of Xinhua, said that he watched last year's firewood chopping challenge with great interest.
"We work in Belarus and want to know more about life here, so we decided to take part in the challenge. I've never chopped wood before. I watched videos from previous competitions, where your president showed how to do it. So I had some idea of what it was but I never tried my hand in it until today," Lu Jinbo said.
BelTA cameraman Pavel Gichko participated in the challenge for the second time. "As a child, I helped my father and I also chopped wood myself. It was interesting to test my strength, so I decided to take part in the event. At the last challenge, I participated in a relay race, and this time I had the opportunity to chop wood. In general, I am satisfied with my result. The most difficult thing was to cut the second wood round, because there were a lot of branches. It took me about two minutes," Pavel shared his emotions.
By the way, the challenge featured not only teams of media employees but also teams that actively liaise with the media. Daria Naida, Chief specialist with the Center for Public and Media Relations, said that today's challenge was the fifth time she held an axe in her hands. "Our team practiced their skills before the event. It was an interesting experience. Last year, we eagerly watched the challenge, and this year we became its participants. I did not have a single penalty log. I did well today. Sometimes the axe would get stuck on the branches. But I pulled myself together and tried to do everything without mistakes," Daria said.
The head of the joint editorial office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Aleksandr Troyanovsky hailed the high level of organization of the challenge. "Journalists are used to working with other tools, and now they showed their class with an axe in their hands. A big bonus was the opportunity to talk with colleagues. After all, a lot of different events are happening now, and there is not much time left to exchange experiences, to catch up. In general, the atmosphere was very warm," he added.
Aleksandr Troyanovsky noted that the team had been preparing for the challenge more theoretically and mentally. "Unfortunately, we did not have a chance to have a practice, but I rate our performance as excellent, regardless of the place. Much more important was the spirit that united all journalists," Aleksandr Troyanovsky is convinced.
Indeed, the atmosphere was really warm. Even the damp and chilly autumn weather was not a hindrance. Those who worked with an axe or a saw were certainly not cold. With positive emotions running high, participants shared their impressions with each other and encouraged those who had yet to enter the sector. Winning a medal at such competitions is, perhaps, not the most important thing. Much more important was the feeling of a holiday, the opportunity to enjoy a truly friendly atmosphere and recharge with most positive emotions.
Written by belta.by