Plus tri

I got the impression that she knew what she was doing.Using a combination spanner, she attached crampons to her sports shoes (fruit boots) and prepared for tomorrow’s ice-climbing competition. It turned out that the entire philosophy of the sport was in question—there are different crampons for training and competition, with each pair costing over 200 euros and the specialized fruit boots priced the same. Naturally, there are never enough of them because they are too expensive

However, what shocked me was not just the cost but also the fact that the best crampons and fruit boots are produced by a company from St. Petersburg. Throughout my life, I have rarely encountered high-quality products made in Russia. Yet, Aneta not only wears Russian shoes but also learned the basics of ice climbing in Kirov—a sizable city in the heart of Russia—under the guidance of Maria Tolokonina, one of the best ice climbers.

The continuation of her story is equally fascinating. Since ice climbing lacks wide support from state institutions, she needed to find a way to sustain herself. That’s how she ended up working at the Prague Zoo, where she primarily cares for the polar bears. Naturally, my first thought was—did she study veterinary medicine? However, her answer, although logical, still surprised me. She sacrificed her education, in which she undoubtedly would have excelled, to fully dedicate herself to ice climbing and make a living as a „tamer“ of polar bears bears.

And she succeeded. She underwent doping control three times—something I am familiar with in my field of work—and I know that only the best athletes undergo such tests. Now, everything feels like a scene from a Wim Wenders film. Bright, cheerful eyes, a combination spanner in the gentle yet strong hands of a girl hardened by ice climbing, and an incredible spirit that has yet to reach its limits.

I take comfort in the fact that she is only 26 years old, with plenty of time ahead for new achievements. I hope she continues doing what she loves and makes progress in her journey, and that people always see her as a princess—even if not always in spiked shoes.

♥

Imao se utisak da zna šta radi. Kombinovanim ključem je stavljala krampone na sportske cipele (fruit boots) i pripremala se za sutrašnje takmičenje u Lednom penjanju. Ispostavilo se da je u pitanju čitava filozofija, jedni kramponi za trening, drugi za takmičenje, cena para krampona preko 200 evra, a slično koštaju i cipele, pa ih, naravno, nema dovoljno. Međutim, nije me samo to šokiralo već i činjenica da najbolje krampone i cipele proizvodi firma iz St. Petersburga, pošto tokom života zaista nisam sreo mnogo kvalitetnih stvari koje su Rusi proizveli. Aneta ne nosi samo ruske cipele već je i osnove lednog penjanja naučila u Kirovu, ne tako malom gardu u sred Rusije, kod jedne od najboljih penjačica, Marije Tolokonine. A i nastavak priče je interesantan, pošto je želela da se posveti baš „Ice climbingu“, koji državne institucije ne podržavaju preterano, morala je da zaradi pare. Zbog toga je počela da radi u Praškom Zoo vrtu, gde je prvenstveno zadužena za polarne medvede. Za mene logično pitanje je bilo – da li je upisala veterinu. Međutim, i njen odgovor, iako logičan me je iznenadio, jer je žrtvovala školovanje u kome bi svakako bila dobra, da bi se posvetila lednom penjanju, a pare zaradila kao „ukrotiteljka“ polarnih medvede. I u tome je uspela jer je bila tri puta na doping kontroli, a pošto se time bavim, znam da tamo idu samo najbolji. I to mi sada sve izgleda kao u Wendersovim filmovima. Imamo vesele pametne oči, kombionovani ključ u nežnim rukama devojke, ipak snažnih zbog penjanja po ledu i neverovatan duh koji nije dostigao ni približno svoje granice. Teši me da ima tek 26 godina i da je pred njom vreme koje će doneti nešto novo. Želim da radi ono što voli, ali da napreduje, a da je ljudi uvek dožive kao princezu, možda ne baš uvek u cipelama sa kramponima.