БАЛКАНСКИ ПЛУВНИ ИНТЕРВЮТА (5) Октавиян Тилеага – (Румъния)

 

 

The popular Balkan aquatics media the First Bulgarian Swimming Site (Bulgaria) launched a new project: a chain of interviews with the leading Balkan swim peoples. The interviews are made from the well-known Balkan swim expert Dr. Ivan Tsanov (Bulgaria). We hope that the different and competent Balkan voices and opinions will help promoting and supporting the sport of swimming across all Balkan Peninsula and better understanding the Balkan swim community.

 

1. The first interview with Beso Buranaj Hoxha (Albania).

 

2. The second interview with Željko Panić (Bosnia and Herzegovina).   

 

3. The third interview with Goran Rasula (Serbia).  

 

4. The fourth interview with Borislav Georgiev (Bulgaria). 

 

5. The fifth interview with Octavian Tileaga (Romania).  

 

 

 

– Shortly. I can say I found myself totally in FINA’s motto: „Water is our world”. I should say, I spent my entire life around the swimming pool. First as an athlete and then as coach. Starting swimming at age of 7, at the Sport Club CRISUL, in the town of Oradea (close to the Romanian-Hungarian border), I finished my last 2 years of performance activities at the age of 19, playing water polo at the same club. After my graduation, in 1973, I became a swimming coach at the High School Sports Club in Constanta.
As experience, over the years, I had the chance and honor to be 15 years Coach at the Romanian National Team (1995 – 2010), 13 years coach at the Romanian Olympic Swimming Team (1998-2010), Head Coach and Federal Trainer for the Romanian Swimming Federation (2005-2010);

The most beautiful memories I have, are related to the Summer Olympics in Athens 2004, where my athlete Razvan FLOREA won the olympic BRONZE medal in the 200 m Backstroke. He thus confirmed the SILVER medal he won a few months before the Olympics, at the European Swimming Championships in Madrid 2004.

 

 

– In the last decades Romania has been a constant presence in the global elite of the world swimming. Many Romanian swimmers climbed the stairs of the Olympic fame. It is my pleasure to remind you well-known names as: double Olympic champion in Sydney Diana MOCANU, Olympic champion in Athens Camelia POTEC, Olympic medalists Beatrice Caslaru, Razvan FLOREA, Noemi LUNG or Anca PATRASCOIU, other world medalists as Dragos COMAN, Stefan GHERGHEL and so on. They made history for the Romanian swimming. In my country they all are known as „the Golden Generation". How did they manage? Simple: lot of work, passion, daring and of course TALENT. Even if the training conditions (low number of swimming pools) were not always ideal. Now all of them retired. Romania faces a transition period between generations. But we all know that successful means knowing how to use your talent and resources to best advantage, and it’s very difficult to "win" if you don’t have this kind of „game plan” in place. We know also that a successfully implemented long term athlete development strategy will deliver athletes to the national teams with greater potential for improvement at an age where optimal performance is possible. In plus, an effective development strategy will deliver athletes with advanced abilities across all physical, technical, psychological and lifestyle skill sets. Well, in present days, the only question that preoccupied the whole Romanian swimming family is if the existing infrastructure allows us to apply all of these goals. Facts are, in Romania there are only 10 operational 50 m. swimming pools, and only one 25 m pool that can hold sports competitions (indoor & outdoor). All of them located in 9 cities. And that’s absolutely unacceptable. Is there necessary to remind you that Romania has a population of 20 million people? But good news come from the late „explosion” of the new private swimming clubs, interested to promote swimming and of course to give a hand to increase of the swimming pool numbers. According to the Romanian Swimming Federation statistics, Romania have around 40 private clubs which represents 44% of the total affiliated clubs to the Federation. My hopes go to them. I’m sure they will have a huge impact in the Romanian swimming development.

On the other side, recent official statistics indicate that Romania has 3.800 licensed swimmers, but for various reasons only 35% of them (around 1300), are active competitors, constantly participating in competitions. This is another issue to be solved, closely related to economic and financial crisis in Europe and obviously in Romania. However, I have great confidence in the Romanian swimming revival. As everywhere in Europe or around the world, Romania has his own talents. I know them. They exist. I also know the capability of the Romanian coaches. From time to time I like to give as example my colleagues from Sports High School in Braila (Romanian harbor on the Danube). They made a real miracle. From a small crowded 25m.pool, called by the Romanian press "sink", they gave Romania three swimming Olympic champions and medalists. Now, that’s what I call denotation and capability. Such trainers can ensure the return of Romania in the international elite.

 

 

– First of all we must recognize that Olympic swimming competition in London was very spectacular. A great achievement in the promotion of swimming as a sport. London has confirmed the new up-coming wave of young swimmers, which led to a pleasing homogeneity among the world’s elite. Unlike other years, athletes from many countries around the world appear in the world swimming top, even if USA continues to dominate the world of swimming. On the other hand, personally, I experienced some moments of confusion. Let me explain. We all agreed that the future of swimming is about the swimmers, not about the swim suits. We all believed that swimmers and coaches at an age level should concentrate on getting the best coaching and training for the athletes and not the best swim suits. Even then, as now, everyone was talking about "maximizing performance to enhancing performance". As a result, in 2009 FINA agreed to reconsider the swimwear approval procedure. FINA rewrote the rules regarding swimwear (swim suits, swim caps, and goggles) that can be used in competitions. The material used for swimsuits can be only "Textile Fabric(s)", defined as material consisting of, natural and/or synthetic, individual and none consolidated yarns used to constitute a fabric by weaving, knitting, and/or braiding. I said: sounds good. After this, came the big surprise in London: incredibly high TIME results. That even surpassed the old records set with the famous „fast-suits”. Only then I did understand the ironic question appeared in the British press, before the start of the swimming competition at the London Olympics: „Can the swimsuits of 2012 beat the polyurethane swimsuits 2009?” In conclusion, my personal opinion is (and I believe I’m not the only one who thinks so), the current swimsuits are more sophisticated than the famous "fast suits". The results were "flawed", as before 2009, in a fairly large extent by this new kind of suits. I still look forward for ways to maximize, to push the performer over the competition, but not by „tech” swimsuits.

 

 

– Very good question. The answer is simple, but still must be put into practice: COOPERATION.  Starting from the superstructure, the national swimming federations and ending with the swim clubs. In many ways,  relationships between the Balkan national swimming federations are still quite "anemic". I have noticed the same situation between the swimming clubs from the Balkan countries. Any bilateral, trilateral or multilateral competitions would be extremely useful. In all type of terms: sport and/or social relations. At the moment such activities are rare, or … non-existent. For example: between my home town Constanta and the Bulgarian border towns Varna, Dobrich, or between Bucharest and Ruse, Veliko Tarnovo or Sumen, I don’t have any knowledge about any bilateral swimming competition, despite the small distance between those cities. By comparison, lot of swim clubs from the north-west of Romania (Transylvania) often organizes multilateral competition with clubs in Hungary. Sometimes Serbia take part too in competitions organized in Romania, especially in the city of Resita. But this is not enough. Balkan swimming needs more.

 

 

– The question touches one of my personal regrets. I attended as a representative of Romania in a few sessions of the Balkan countries. So I know why slowly, but surely, was dropped the organization of the seniors’ Balkan Games: the very busy seniors’ calendar and the high costs of organizing the competition. I don’t agree such a point of view. And I have lot of reasons to say that. Unfortunately I don’t have enough space here to explain myself. But the main reason is clear: competition is the best way of training. The cheapest and effective way to participate in competitions is in the neighboring countries. And that’s BALKAN! In addition, the Balkan countries already have relatively high value in the world of swimming, but not so large that is not incentive for participants to compete. So, it is my belief that the reintroduction of Balkan Games for seniors would be a good measure that would help the development and promotion of swimming in the Balkans.

 

 

– Definitely YES! I have already answered to that question, above. Starting from the national swimming federations and continuing with the local sports governing body organizations and the swimming clubs. The only thing needed is the will and the desire. All that in the interest of swimming promotion. It’s up to us, swimming technicians or athletes, to convince local authorities of the need for such cooperation.

 

– Now, at the beginning of a new competition year 2013, the first thing that comes to my mind is the wish of: Много успехи през 2013 г., Καλή επιτυχία για το 2013, 2013 Yılında başarılar, Срећно у 2013, Mult succes in 2013! Much more success in 2013, than ever!