According to stereotyped ideas, the basketball girl should be tall and charming. But Tatiana Dernova is a destructive of stereotypes. Playing coach, silver medalist of the VIII All-Ukrainian Summer Student Games of 2007, the bronze medalist of the 2008 Cup of Ukraine, and the playmaker of the highest league team of the MBC “Seagull” has a regular average height and not at all a stout physique. Instead, it has an iron character, extraordinary efficiency and a great well-being
“I was born and lived in Zhytomyr, and after the eleventh grade I went to arrive in Berdyansk to receive a pedagogical education. I since childhood really wanted to take part in a professional basketball league, championships of Ukraine, and in Zhytomyr it was not. All the girls who were attending me at a sports school had to go to play other sports clubs, speak for other cities. I met the same fate, which is not enough to expect ”
“In grade 11, like many children, I did not know who I want to become, what to choose a profession. There were many options in my head, full of confusion. But I realized that I wanted a profession that would help the community, it was beneficial. And almost at the end of my schooling, my trainer Georgiy Dmitrievich (edited by Honored Coach of Ukraine, Georgy Dmitrievich Demb) offered to go to Berdyansk, to study at a pedagogical university and play for a professional women’s team of the highest league of MBC “Seagull”. Actually, this was the embodiment of my old dream. The only thing that embarrassed me is a teacher. I got mad to be a teacher, because I have a mother teacher and all the relatives on her line – teachers. I know that it is (Laughs). I remember thinking for a very long time, interrogating my girlfriends and classmates, whether they see me as a teacher. But in response, they received only positive guidance. My parents also did not want to let me go, but this is my life and my choice. So I im then and said: “I will go to Berdyansk anyway. With you or without you ”
“I began to engage in sports at the age of 8 – I came with my girlfriend for a company. She did not go to classes for the first time and told me that it was very interesting. Literally after the first lessons, I realized that I am in my environment, since I was always a very active child, and here I could use all my energy right away. In my childhood I attended various sports sections, various clubs, but finally stopped at basketball and music. At the music school went to educate the perseverance. By the way, she graduated perfectly with the accordion class, and also studied the guitar and piano. In a nonsense there was no time: engaged in self-development ”
“I was brought to school in childhood once: on the first of September in the first class. And on the second day, I realized that everything else I have to do myself. And I have to go to school, because I am independent and myself responsible for my actions. The school gave me a lot of knowledge, which I still use. Therefore, it was easy for me to study at a university after the 27th school, which I graduated with a medal. And by the way, I did not have any tutors. It is now themselves lying to study – hire tutors. Honestly, I do not understand it. From childhood it is necessary to lay the very way. Diligence, knowledge, aspiration – the person himself does. It’s a shame that they are now trying to solve the problem. If the family does not have money, then the child from such a family usually works and achieves results themselves. And if the parents pay money, the child is “pathetic”, is placed at ease at all. And this does not lead to anything good ”
“From children’s basketball, I immediately got into a higher league. When I arrived in Berdyansk, it seemed to me that I was in a special force: I have never had such loads, I can not even compare with anything I could not. It was very difficult, but there was a plus for it. I always tried to be successful, since my childhood I had a golden rule: “Reason + labor = success”. Each workout was only in favor and made me more determined, and this is part of the victory. Difficulties are trained by our spirit, make spiritual adults more ”
“Everyone thinks it is important to have a high growth in basketball. In fact, much more important than what you do on the site, what benefit you bring to the team. Usually “small” players are quite productive”
“When he returned to Zhytomyr, I got to work as a trainer. Hryhorii Dmitrovych proposed to create a higher league in Zhytomyr: many promising girls grow up, and there is no future for basketball development. To act independently at that time was not enough experience. It’s good that Georgy Dmitrievich answered me: “If you want, do it. I will help! “And I decided that I would bring up my girls to come along with them to the site of the long-awaited basketball championship, introducing the city of Zhytomyr. The idea was realized after seven years: now I’m playing a coach. And the highlight of my team is an experienced gamer, graduates of the Youth School №1 of different years ”
“In order to achieve the high goals, you can invite a team of experienced players. Of course, provided the funds are available. We would go to the finals and fought there for the championship. But in this there is a minus: I will be forced to plant my nursery on a bench and I can not give them anything, because they will play stronger. And I want my girls to realize themselves, to show their capabilities and achieve high results ”
“The team spirit is when you give yourself completely to the common good. This is the highest degree of mutual understanding – being a single entity. But to achieve this, you need to be taught all 100%, work a lot, trust each other for all 100% ”
“We are a friendly team. Often we can chat, talk, go to the meeting, we live there with the whole team. Everything is manifest! ”
“Leadership, competition is extremely important. This is the path to success. If there is no leadership and competition, the team will not grow. The player must show himself where it is required of him. The team will be effective only if each player will increase his skill, to strive today to be better than he was yesterday. And these girls have to prove not me, but myself ”
“My husband is a choreographer, and he very much supports me. He also works with dedication, so he understands everything ”
“My son is busy: attends the sports section of swimming and sings in the” Strumochok “choral studio. He once asked me: “Well, why do I go somewhere? He’s the guys doing nothing, they’re good. ” And I explain that if you do not want to spread your talent, it’s time to spend for nothing, then you have to deal with some kind of business. Says: “No, I do not want to spread the talent.” Although sometimes regrettable, he says that after training on swimming, his hands and feet are sore. And I explain that something is good: muscles, muscles, spine are strengthened ”
“In the summer, I was called by Larysa Shabanova (editor-in-chief of the department for conducting competitions of the Basketball Federation of Ukraine) and invited me to participate with my girls in the Ukrainian championship. I first fired, and then realized that I had no money for that. Then he turned to Hryhorii Borisovich Zasik, head of the Zhytomyr Regional Basketball Federation, and promised to help. He turned to the city council, the regional council. They were given good things, they said they would support. Then we formalized the documents and created the club “Calypso”. They searched for the name to be at the same time powerful and feminine, and chose the name of the goddess. All my girls are goddesses! They are all different, but all with a highlight, with a character, with a rod »
“My girls are all capable. When the season ends, we play hockey, rugby, football, volleyball – we play all the team games”
“I, as a trainer, have to treat my girls like mom. Then the dedication will be greater. My job is to help girls discover the potential. Somehow I was asked at one seminar: “Why did you choose a coach?” And I replied that I like to work with children, to change them. Many of my girls need love, communication. No one has a father, somebody’s mother. I am relatives, we are all one family”
“We have a different age team. There are girls a little older, but we do not feel the age difference here: we have a common motivation, we love this game. In what age you were not when you are on the site, it’s always young. Kurilio Tatiana, Sirotkin Svetlana, Anna Safinska and Yandulska Alla Borisovna help me, support the motivation of girls. And for this I am very grateful to them ”
“If you are not a fan of your business, do not give it to the end, you will not achieve high results. Especially if you are a teacher. We were asked at the training: “What do your students say at your funeral?” I was sitting and wondering how terrible it was. Everyone wondered, but the answers did not succeed. I thought for a long time about this and came to the conclusion that there is no need to say anything. What is important is what I left for my pupils. If I left the knowledge, the skills that a child can use in life, then I was not in vain. It’s important not what you say, but what you do ”
“These children are my inspiration. They are my first pupils, I grew up with them as a coach, they were realized with them. I want girls to have a sense of patriotism, prestige to play for their hometown so that they understand: to develop our city, to represent it – it is honorable and important. And my girls understand this because basketball is not just a game for us. It’s life!”
Translated by Aliona Matushevich