A master class on management and self-discovery was given today to students of the Volga Region University of Physical Culture, Sports and Tourism by Maria Kiseleva herself, a Russian synchronized swimmer, three-time Olympic champion, three-time world champion, nine-time European champion, Honored Master of Sports, TV presenter and actress. A unique, friendly and timely meeting for tomorrow’s specialists with the country’s outstanding athlete took place today as part of management week. The meeting was attended by the rector of the university, Doctor of Economic Sciences Rafis Burganov, and vice-rector for academic affairs and digital transformation Adelia Pavlova.
The guest thanked the rector of the university for the opportunity to share her experience and with incredible warmth told the students very important and necessary things.
"I understand perfectly well that you are at an age when you have your whole life ahead of you... You are making plans and it is very important at this moment not to make a mistake with the direction you will take. It is important that the knowledge that you acquire here has the possibility of being implemented in concrete actions. It is extremely important to do what you love, to develop there, without which you cannot live. So that your work in the future will be your favourite business. Then none of your mornings will start with the thought "What can I think of to avoid going to work". Then you will run there, because work will be a way of life for you. For this, of course, you need experience, education, desire, constant work on yourself, and training," said the Russian synchronised sportswoman.
At the meeting, Maria Kiseleva shared her life experience: she told about her sporting path, what she faced, upon completion of her sports career and how she came to create a large-scale project "Theatre on Water", shared specific management tools.
"Theatre on Water is a dream of my life, which embodied everything I've been doing - my experience and knowledge came in handy. Here is sport, which has been in my life since I was 10 years old; here is creativity. It's a combination of sport with culture.
The purpose of this story was one and very specific: in 2004, my synchronised swimming partner Olga Brusnikina and I finished our sporting careers, and we had a deep inner conviction and desire to express our gratitude to all those people who had led us along this sporting path. To say "thank you" to our fans who supported us for many years. We decided to gather all our friends - the strongest synchronised women in the world and in the country to show our sport without borders, thus giving thanks.
The event that we held that year turned out to be so interesting and in demand, so unusual, that it was included in the country's event plan as an annual event. And this year it is exactly 20 years that we have been holding the show," the world champion shared.
She told how any idea can grow into the pride of the country.
"The career of an athlete is rolled up quite quickly. It is not always possible to find yourself after the end of your sporting career, to choose the vector you will follow. For me, for example, it was one of the most difficult moments - to decide what I would do next and what kind of education I should get. The difficulty was that an athlete is a driven person. And a coach is a leading person. It does not mean that the athlete does not think about anything, does not make any decisions himself. It means that all the strategy, all the plans are planned for you by the coaching staff. And when everything is over, you decide where you want to go - the world opens up and the decision depends only on you.
These projects give you opportunities to find yourself, to find your direction, to find a new life after sport. The world never stands still. You should always look for opportunities, how to further develop and promote your business", - emphasised Maria Kiseleva.
The participants of the meeting were able to ask any questions to the guest of the university. For example, to the question "What qualities should a person possess to be able to launch such projects?", the Olympic champion answered:
“Of course, there must be education, understanding and experience in this field, inner core, self-discipline and management skills. Well, you need to be confident in what you are doing. There is no other way. You need to develop in the direction in which you understand. Each of you has some thoughts, some plans, some interests that attract you. You just need to take the first step. You will gain your own experience, build on the experience that has already been formed before you, take new technologies that today appear like mushrooms after rain, combine all this and steer in a completely new direction. In years to come, it will become an example for others, a source of pride for you, for your city, for your country. And everything always starts with a small thought in your head, a great desire and the path you are following!”, world champion Maria Kiseleva motivated the students of one of the country’s leading sports universities.
