The story of the Neftyanik sports complex should begin with these words from the refinery's anthem, because its most important value – continuity – transcends even its many sports achievements. Neftyanik will celebrate its 45th anniversary October 5th, 2020.

Much has been written about history, and to learn more about the life of the sports complex and the focuses of its staff today, we asked Mikhail Makarov, Director of Neftyanik.

A state-of-the art facility that is also 45 years old

“I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all of my dear colleagues and all of our retired veterans on the coming anniversary of our wonderful sports complex. Congratulations to all sports aficionados who train here and to all sports fans! Also, congratulations the citizens of Kirishi on 45 years of having the opportunity to keep fit, find friends, meet like-minded people, and celebrate sports achievements with us!

Today, Neftyanik is the only facility in Kirishi that covers all kinds of sports and fitness activities, from recreational gymnastics to elite sports. There is no other place with such an advanced infrastructure of swimming pools, arenas and gyms, and with such state-of-the-art equipment. It is one of the best sports facilities not only in Kirishi and the region, but also in Russia.

The pools of the water sports center meet all modern training requirements, as well as international standards for hosting water sports competitions. For example, recently, before we hosted the first ever LEN European Women’s U-15 Water Polo Championship, the video screen and timekeeping system were replaced to meet the new requirements.

Our main building, which happens to be 45 years old, has been completely renovated. Its arenas and gyms conform with safety regulations. Modern equipment is used for practice, and we give special attention to maintaining it in good and tidy condition until the next upgrade. When planning equipment upgrades, we study world trends and give consideration to ergonomics, reliability, and longevity, since we have a huge number of people coming to train and work out every day.”

People's trust is the best recommendation

“As of September 1, 2019, all subscription groups and sports sections are full. We’re coming into our anniversary training year with a full set of athletes and gym-goers, including 1276 children. The fact that people go to Neftyanik and bring their children to our sports sections is the best recommendation we could ever earn.

In addition to coaching, we are proud of all the work that is hidden from the visitors' view but is absolutely essential to the operation of a modern sports facility and to meeting the needs of the public. This includes constantly monitoring the ventilation system and water quality in the swimming pools, maintaining cleanliness in all areas, and a great many other components of the KINEF the success of the sports complex. The trust we have gained from sports fans of all ages is the result of the whole team's professionalism.”

Under the banner of KINEF and Surgutneftegas

“Organizationally, we are a department within the KINEF refinery designated Shop No. 26, we have 143 staff members. This number includes the coaches and instructors for twenty sports (73 employees), the janitorial services section, the technical maintenance section, the medical center, and the general shop personnel. Almost 50 percent of the employees have a higher education, and 60 percent have been working for LLC “KINEF” for more than 10 years.

It is very important that with the approval of the parent company Surgutneftegas, LLC “KINEF” is maintaining and developing this beautiful, multifunctional and modern sports facility not only for use by refinery employees, but also for enabling everyone in Kirishi to engage in fitness and sports activities. I, for one, am proud to be part of this.

Throughout the 45 years the complex has existed, we haven't lost a single sports section. All of them are still open and active in competitions. The KINEF Surgutneftegas women’s water polo team remains our crown jewel – our best elite athletes.

Since we function as a shop within a large modern refinery, we achieve better results in all areas of our activity by constantly communicating with various other refinery departments. We are enjoying the stability this position brings, our activities are getting strong support, and we are seeing a clear way forward, which gives us confidence in our future.”

Philosophy of continuity

“Many of today's coaches at the sports complex once trained here as children or teenagers. I myself am a protégé of Vyacheslav Yudin, the honored Russian swimming coach. This was the place of training for famous water polo coach Valery Kuznetsov and water polo head coach Aleksandr Naritsa in the early days of their sports career. Our powerlifting coach Maya Morushenko also trained in the water polo section. The head coach of the Assol tourist club Aleksandr Golle was trained by the club's honored head coach Vladimir Gusak.

Today, young children are trained by two swimming masters – Elena Grinevich and Irina Matveeva – who were also Vyacheslav Yudin's trainees. Vadim Gulyaev and Andrey Levinskiy, two athletes I once coached, now work here as water polo coaches. And the list goes on – these are only a few of the many people whose lives are closely intertwined with the history of Neftyanik, the people who came to know it inside out as children and are now maintaining and expanding its activities as accomplished professionals.

We are seeing potential in the new generation growing up in the sports complex today. I hope that today's youngsters will join our team in a few years and continue the traditions of Kirishi sports, and their trainees will bring even more glory to Neftyanik, Kirishi and our refinery.”

From passion to tradition

Another significant part of Neftyanik's work is organizing sports activities at the refinery. Physical culture and sports supervisor Lyudmila Shishich has shared insights on the subject.

“Any sports events, especially the ones open to amateurs, require a lot of organizational work,” Lyudmila says. “And of course, the entire team of the sports complex helps me with these: they provide technical support, timekeeping, they prepare the tracks – and they do all this work with passion. And it's very good that we have a Director who cares about us and thinks about our challenges and concerns. The new Director gas gone through all the stages of professional growth – from sports complex trainee to its leader – and he had good teachers.

I also benefitted from our philosophy of continuity: I was taught amateur sports event organization by good professionals who also happen to be good people, passionate about sports and willing to kindle that passion in others. My teachers were Vladimir Gusak, Vladimir Lubenin, Lyubov Ryzhkova, Svetlana Khlebodarova, and Olga Voronina. To me, they are still an example of how organized I should be, how responsibly I should treat my work and with other people, how important it is to be kind and sensitive. The fact that the Refinery Games have become so popular today is in no small part due to the enormous contribution of the veterans of the sports complex.”

The team is like a big family

“The atmosphere in the team is friendly, even more so than in the production shops of the refinery, since we don't have as many people as they do,” labor union representatives Vitta Smirnova and Maya Morushenko told us. “That means we can see and hear everyone more often and help one another as best we can.

Most of the employees at the sports complex are athletes, and we have a very strong culture of mutual assistance. Especially when it comes to organizing the Refinery Games: when help is needed, no one will say: ‘that's not my responsibility’ – we can always count on each other. Even long retired veterans remain an integral part of the team and of everything that gives the sports complex its special flare. They still come here to work out, to swim, and to offer us free help organizing the of the Refinery Games competitions. They never refuse any request. And we always remember them, as well as all the sports complex employees; we always congratulate them on their anniversaries.

It has become a good tradition among the staff to organize our own festive evenings, for which we prepare carefully: we always try to do something creative. A few years ago, we wrote a poem about the sports complex and set it to a well-known melody. This new song has caught on, and now we sing it at every Neftianik anniversary. We also have friendly games between colleagues. Every New Year, we congratulate the children of the shop's employees. We have a lot of traditions here. They bring extra joy and meaning to everyday life and help us get along better.”

Our strength is in unity

1

Our friendship has a name – it's Neftyanik.

It's given birth to many rising stars.

Together, our strength is oceanic.

Soon, all the cups and medals will be ours.

We set our students on the path to glory,

We lead the finest athletes to world fame

Each one comes back to tell an epic story –

A chapter for the annals of the game.

Chorus

We need no other place to thrive,

For ever greater heights we strive,

Neftyanik is our only passion –

Our love for it will always be alive!

We need no other place to thrive,

For ever greater heights we strive,

Neftyanik is our only passion –

Our love for it will always be alive!

2

Our friendship never fades, years notwithstanding,

We keep our treasured truth, a wealth untold:

Our greatest value lies in understanding

That helping friends means more than winning gold.

A time will come to tally all the winnings,

To give accounts of every hard-won day,

And realize we had the best beginnings

At our sports complex – and once more we'll say:

Chorus

Olesya ABAKOVA

Photo by Vladimir LYASHENKO,

Stanislav LEVSHIN