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The review from local news paper -
  ''In Madona region will be explored the traditional games'' 

Yesterday began "Outdoor sports and recreation education summer school 2010", which 
will last until Thursday. The summer school is attended by academic staff from higher 
education institutions and students from Latvia and Poland. Their main task is through 
interviewing elder people, find out about the games that have ever been played in Madona 
region. 
 — Today begins our summer school. Two states - Latvia and Poland – are involved in it. 
Our goal is to prepare the questionnaires, questions to begin on Tuesday our journey in 
Madona surroundings and interview elderly people about what games they have played in 
their childhood and youth. 
The final result is going to be publishing a book, meant for physical education teachers, 
coaches, classroom teachers, and it will be issued in three languages - Latvian, Polish and 
English. We are going to record also DVD with interviews. On Thursday afternoon the 
participants will have to show previously prepared game, which they have learnt during 
this week- yesterday told Juris Grants, vice-rector of Research of the Latvian Academy of 
Sport Education (LASE). 
The project is organized by LASE, Latvian Recreation Education association in cooperation 
with Joseph Pilsudski University of Physical Education and State College of Computer 
Science and Business Administration in Lomza. At school works teaching staff both from 
Poland and Latvia, and participate students from both countries. Participating in school is 
part of study Program, and the students will receive credit points for this activity. 
 
In Latvija — for the first time 
Participants of Summer School have planned to go to Cesvaine, Kusa, hill Gaiziņkalns, etc. 
taking into consideration that some of the participants - Edgars Bernāns, Arnis Šmugais un 
Juris Grants - come from this region, they already know some families, which could be 
addressed with these questions. 
Kalvis Ciekurs, MPaed of Latvian Academy of Sport Education commented: - In other 
countries such schools are organized rather often and a lot. I have been in Czech Republic, 
where these games are very topical. They already have been collected in a thick book; 
people use them in real life – both teachers and simple inhabitants, who are interested in 
doing something. Therefore I wanted to engage in getting to know Latvian games. In 
every hamlet, every civil parish games are a lot, and they have different features. This 
time we have begun with Vidzeme, but further we could try interviewing people also in 
other districts of Latvia. This stage is sort of beginning, in which we learn, how to do 
something like that, because in Latvia we have not had similar activities before. This is 
completely new experience both for participants and teaching staff – learning games from 
local people. Moreover, these are not only games, but historical heritage, which, I guess, 
every nation should treat as important. Young people nowadays are sitting at home, 
immersed in computers, TV sets, but we in our adolescence were chasing through forests 
and fields, and these games will disappear over time if they are not shown to people.
 This is also one of the aims of Summer School - re-raise them. Having been asked why exactly 
Madona district has been chosen as place for interviewing people, Kalvis Ciekurs praised
the region as very creative: 
- There take place topical sports activities, from these surroundings come many talented 
and prominent personalities. Here we feel also people responsiveness, so there is a hope 
for good result. 

National traditions should be appreciated 
With his experience in collecting games can help associated professor Christoph Piech from 
Josef Pilsudski University of Physical Education in Poland, because in Poland he has 
travelled a lot, and talked with locals and residents in nursing homes, collecting traditional 
polish games. 
— I have written several articles about the theme. I also enjoy giving my students 
homework: talk to your grandparents, interview them at first. Thus we obtain information, 
which is even broader; we could write about our games, showing that they are similar to 
games in other countries. In Africa, for example, there exists a game with the same 
regulations as in Poland, only the equipment is different, and, of course, the title. I am 
interested in this aspect, therefore during my visit in Latvia I hope to get to know 
something new. Later on I would like to organize festival, in which these games can be 
organized. Similar experience is abroad, where in many places festival is organized in such 
a way, that participants should cycle on their bikes, and along the route there are places, 
where these games are held. It is interesting to make a remark that in Poland and Russia 
very popular was a game, which has been taken to America, where, having changed some 
of the rules, it has turned into baseball. This is only a theory, which is not confirmed, but it 
shows how interesting can be the exploration of games and their origins,- emphasized 
Christoph Piech. 
Ivars Kravalis, LASE associated professor added: - I would compare the ongoing with the 
collecting of folk songs, because games also are cultural heritage, but in this case, they 
will be collected by the group of summer school participants. Nowadays, when we live in a 
multicultural society, it is however, important to maintain individuality, one’s own values. 
Each country should appreciate its national traditions, take care about them and keep to 
them. 

New impressions 
The other summer school participants did not hide that one of the main reasons for the 
participation was a chance to see a new city, for the visitors from Poland - another country 
and culture. For example, Pavel and Monika from Poland beforehand have heard good 
news about Latvia, which raised their interest: - We had heard that Latvia is a beautiful 
country, so couldn’t miss the opportunity to look at it with our own eyes. We are not 
disappointed. We enjoyed Riga, and Madona seems to be a very beautiful city. Monika in 
Poland works with young children, trying to engage them in all kinds of activities, so new 
experience about games and sportive activities outdoors will be extremely useful for her. 
 Mētra, RTU student, in her turn, was eager to learn about other cities and get engaged in 
an activity, which is not part of daily routine. Dagnija agreed: - Summer school attracted
me with its originality, as previously nothing similar has been heard about. I am very glad 
that it is held not in Riga, but in Madona, because it has a beautiful and rich neighborhood. 
I come from Lubāna. I am a student of Latvian Academy of Sport Education, this year I will 
launch my postgraduate studies. 
It seems that already at present creative and attractive spark of Summer School yields 
results – thinks LASE pedagogue, MPaed Inta Bula-Biteniece: - at Latvian Academy of 
Sport Education I conduct study course ―Games‖, meant for physical education teachers to 
be played in the classes, but unfortunately they are very traditional. But I believe that 
students should be given a chance to list through old books, they should be advised to 
speak about the games with their grandparents, thus making learning process in the 
Academy more interesting. In Summer School very soon I was struck by an idea, what 
creative sparkle can be lit in my classes. I've asked about childhood games also my 
grandmother, but she, unfortunately, all the time had to work. Therefore I was also 
interested to go to Madona district, get to know local people, especially because I myself 
come from another part of Latvia: Kurzeme. 

Author: LAURA VOITIŅA 
Photo: OĻĢERTs SKUJA 
www.estars.lv 03.03.2011 13:39 

 
 

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