INTERVISTA A TOKO SHENGELIA: i ragazzi di Radio Attiva mostrano il lato umano del giocatore
Il sottoscritto e tutta Eurodevotion sono lieti di fare da portavoce ad una bellissima iniziativa di Radio Attiva, che ha permesso a dei giovani ragazzi e ragazze di intervistare Toko Shengelia, uno dei leader della Virtus Bologna.
Radio Attiva è una radio scolastica completamente gestita da studenti di età compresa tra i 10 e i 14 anni dell'Istituto Comprensivo di Monte San Pietro (BO) e propone approfondimenti e interviste su tantissimi temi, dalla storia, alla letteratura, fino, appunto, allo sport. A coordinare il tutto la Professoressa Rosa Maria Caffio, curatrice della radio.
IL MESSAGGIO CHE HA CONVINTO TOKO SHENGELIA
Questo il messaggio inviato dalla Professoressa Caffio direttamente a Toko Shengelia, che è stato felice di accettare:
Spesso paragoniamo la scuola ad una palestra dove noi insegnanti cerchiamo di preparare i ragazzi al grande gioco che sarà la vita. Le partite che giochiamo sono fatte di numeri, parole, formule, definizioni; ci sono regole da rispettare come in qualsiasi sport!
Non è facile convincere gli alunni che il sacrificio e l’impegno profuso in questi anni sarà un investimento per il futuro.
Ci occorrono esempi, testimonianze che convincano i ragazzi del valore di una rinuncia, del valore dello studio.
Si sta perdendo il significato dell’attesa e della preparazione.
Ci occorrono esempi positivi che dimostrino che ogni traguardo è il risultato di un allenamento faticoso e prolungato.
Nella nostra scuola proponiamo da tempo attività coinvolgenti attraverso laboratori di making, cinema e radio. Vogliamo che i nostri alunni siano aperti a quanto avviene fuori dal contesto scolastico.
Nella diretta radio proponiamo approfondimenti ed interviste su temi di attualità e cronaca.
Per questo saremmo davvero lieti di poter proporre ai nostri ragazzi un incontro-intervista con lei!
Vorremmo che i ragazzi intervistassero il giocatore, esempio di fair play, il compagno che insieme agli altri costruisce le azioni di gioco, il campione che con determinazione e sacrificio ha raggiunto importanti traguardi, l’esempio che dimostri che in ogni ruolo si giochi, nello sport e nella vita, i valori e l’impegno sono determinanti!
“Non sono mai stato un leader che dà consigli, ma uno che dà l’esempio.” თორნიკე შენგელია (Tornik'e Shengelia)
L'INTERVISTA
A: Giorgio, B: Eva, C: Mario, D: Zoe
Giorgio: Buongiorno a tutti! E’ il 14 febbraio e siete all’ascolto di Radio Attiva, contaminazione positiva. La radio dell'Istituto Comprensivo di Monte San Pietro!
Mario: Noi siamo degli alunni della 2^A e prima di cominciare vogliamo fare uno speciale ringraziamento alla società della Virtus Pallacanestro Bologna che oggi ci ospita in questa bellissima sala stampa.
Zoe: Per noi è una grande esperienza formativa.
Eva: Facciamo un ringraziamento speciale a Jacopo Torriglia, marketing manager della Virtus Bologna, che ci ha seguito finora e ovviamente ringraziamo Tornik’e Shengelia per averci dedicato il suo tempo.
Mario: Today something really wonderful is happening, he accepted our invite, from Georgia with his 2.06 meters...
Giorgio: Player of Valencia basket, And in NBA with the Brooklyn Nets, the Chicago Bulls, the Baskonia Basket, CSKA Moscow and, obviously, Virtus Bologna...
Zoe: With a Master degree in sports manàgement and legal skills, victories in the Spanish Championship, in the Eurocup, in the Italian SuperCup and in the Supercoppa VTB...
Eva: here with us, one of the most wanted and best basketball players in Europe, and one of the strongest players in Virtus, number 21...
Giorgio: Tornik’e Shengelia
Eva: Hi Mr Shengelia, can we call you Toko?
Toko: Toko of course yes
Mario: Hello Toko, how are you?
Toko: I’m great, thank you I'm really happy and excited to be here with you guys and thanks for this amazing introduction, thank you guys.
Zoe: We are very excited, We studied your professional story and we prepared these questions for you
Giorgio: So, let’s start with some questions: Are you happy for this interview? Is this your first interview with some guys of our age?
Toko: Yes, this is my first time and yes I am very happy and I was looking forward to it very much and I am really excited to be here with you guys!
Eva: Toko, when did your passion for basketball start? And which was your favorite club, when you were a child?
Toko: My passion started, ever since I remember because I come from a basketball family, my father, my mother used to play basketball, both of them, and ever since I remember when I was very young I had a basketball in my hands, so I fell in love with
this sport from a very young age. My favorite club was Chicago Bulls.
Zoe: Who are your three favorite basketball players and why?
Toko: My favorite basketball players are Michael Jordan, Manu Ginobili, Hakeem Olajuwon and why, it’s because I think they all share one thing which is this mentality, the competitors mentality that they always fight on the court and they are very
aggressive, defensively and offensively. Their talents, for me it’s amazing what they can do on the court and I’m also really happy I’m playing in a club where Manu Ginobili used to play, I played in a club where Michale Jordan played, and… I don’t know, maybe one day I’ll meet Hakeem Olajuwon also!
Mario: How much effort does it take to become a champion?
Toko: It takes a lot of work, you know, sometimes sport is not fair, because even if you work more than everybody, sometimes you still cannot be champion no? But what it does, it makes you stronger mentally and it also depends on what you're gonna do
next, if you lose you can say ok, I did everything and there is nothing I can do and give up or find the way somehow to correct even the little mistakes that you did this time, to correct it next time and try not to do them the next time
Eva: If you think back to when you were playing in the NBA how do you feel?
Toko: My time in the NBA was very tricky because there were times I was feeling great and there were times I was feeling sad. Great because, to be in the NBA was my dream, but since I was not playing a lot, you know, I was a little bit sad and like I said, it is not always fair, everything. I was doing everything and I could to practice a lot and to be better and to try to get the playing time, but it didn’t happen, and I tried to find another way to make my career and this
is why I came to Europe.
Zoe: How did you manage to graduate with a Master last summer, even if you were very busy with your sport?
Toko: Yes, it was very difficult to be honest, not easy I would say, but it’s all about time management, because if you really want it, you have to find the way. There were times, I don’t want to lie, I felt really tired and I wanted to give up and say OK, I cannot
do this, maybe next year or another time, but one thing changed my mind because also with me many other Euroleague players were trying to study this, and to get to the Master. One of the guys I met during a game, I asked him how is it going? and do
you like it and this… he told me that he dropped out, he gave up, he quitted… When I heard this I didn’t want to be this guy, you know, like to say that I quitted and didn’t finish what I started, so it gave me extra motivation to finish and to find the way to
study even with this busy schedule.
Giorgio: What’s fair play in your experience? Sometimes it’s difficult to stay calm during very important games…
Toko: It is difficult to stay calm, this is a great question but I believe it comes with the experience, when you play many years this sport, you know, you learn how to handle yourself, how to stay in control but I would say it comes from the mind and this is
something very underestimated because many players, young players, they try to get better physically and on their skills, but not many players know how important is to be stronger mentally, this is something you need to learn also, not only in sport but
wherever you guys choose to be.
Mario: Let’s talk a bit about your life
Eva:When you travel somewhere for a match and you stay there for long, do you miss your family?
Toko: Very much, Very much. I miss my family but this is the sacrifice that we know, that we have to make and our families also know this. Kids don’t necessarily understand this because they’re still young, but my wife tries to explain this is how it goes, but in my free time I really try to make up for this missing time with the children and spend time with them.
Zoe: What do you miss of your country, Georgia?
Toko: Everything, everything. Air, smell, the energy, the people, the family, friends, everything. I miss everything and every time I get the chance, mostly in the summertime, then I go there and I’m very happy.
Giorgio: Do you have any hobbies?
Toko: I like to read if I find some interesting books, I like to read and I really like watching good TV shows as well, since you know, we travel a lot and we spend much time in the bus or in the airplane, where I cannot read because even if it is very little
noisy, I have to be in my room when I read, so this time I use to either sleep or watch good TV shows
Mario: What do you like about living in Italy, and what do you don’t like so much?
Toko: I like many things, I like the people, they’re very friendly, happy people and I like food, you guys have an amazing food, and culture you know, like ever since I came here, everywhere you go there is some history and every little city or big city, it is
amazing how much culture you have so, you knowm these are the things that I really like in Italy
Eva:What’s your favourite food?
Toko: My favorite food, it always used to be lasagna and now I like tortellini alla panna but I know from Bologna is a soup one but I prefer alla panna and I like it so much.
Zoe: What was your favorite subject when you were at school?
Toko: My favorite subject was Mathematics, and History
Giorgio: How does it feel to be that tall? What are the pros and cons of being so tall?
Toko: Alright I think it takes you genetics to be this tall also maybe stretching could help… I don’t know about pros…pros obviously for the basketball. It helps you to be taller and cons of course like in the transport, like an airplane, in a car. This
needs bigger place which sometimes is not there also place in a hotel sometimes is short …these are the things, nothing serious
Eva: Do you think sport can become a tool for PEACE between people?
Toko:This is a very great question. I would like it to be the case, I would like it to be not only sports, but also the many people who dedicate themselves to have big careers, in… I don’t know dancing or in other and other many things, I think those
people could be a bridge between two countries but unfortunately not many times the cases are these and also it’s really difficult for people to understand this and I understand why it’s so difficult for people but It should be a case but unfortunately it is not, I would say like this.
Giorgio:Can you send a message for the kids of our generation?
Toko:Just, have fun, but at the same time, learn something everyday, everyday you have to learn something, before go to sleep you have to be able to say that today I learned something else, but always have fun. Even with learning, even with practicing or something, find what you love and make sure that when you are doing this, you are doing this because you love it and not because you have to do this, and I think that’s where the success comes from.
Zoe: One last question from our teachers: As a father, what’s the role of the school, especially in this age group?
Toko: You know this is a very good question, a very complex question.,School is very important and I will tell you why …. because after a certain age the kids spend maybe more time when they are awake at school than at home, and this is where they
develop the most, their brains, their habits, their personalities and I think that what teachers can do is, like I said, to put the joy in the kids that when they wake up they need to love to go to school and not to be like “no, it’s monday I don’t want to go to school”. No, one of the very important things that I need to address and I want to address is… you know, many times the bullying are happening in the school and this could be very very dangerous for young kids and for their mental part, you know. And I think the teachers should be aware every second that if there is something, even a slight potential that someone is bullying someone or someone is bullied by other people that they need to address in a way it’s not like ah… I think teachers should be very good psychologists of this as well in this matter, they need to be very delicate with the bully also and with the person that gets bullied you know, because it’s dangerous for both. I think if they can manage this, the kids are gonna learn, kids are there to learn and the only thing they make sure of is that they enjoy the process.
Mario: We think that the time for our interview is over but we would like to tell you that we think you are a good giant with a loud and deep voice and your heart is so gentle and kind.
Tutti: Thank you so much for this interview!!
UN PLAUSO A QUESTA INIZIATIVA
Ricordandovi che potete trovare l'intervista in formato video sul canale YouTube ufficiale di Radio Attiva, ci preme sottolineare come queste iniziative siano fondamentali per estendere il numero di appassionati della palla a spicchi e, nel caso dei ragazzi più giovani, fornire loro un vero e proprio esempio a cui ispirarsi per le sfide che un'età così giovane può comportare, ogni giorno.
L'augurio è quello di vedere sempre più giovani avvicinarsi alla pallacanestro e allo sport in generale, per togliere quella ormai retrograda concezione che sport e studio non possano andare di pari passo dopo un certo punto, e Toko Shengelia ne è l'esempio.
Ancora complimenti alla Professoressa Caffio e a tutti i giovani partecipanti!
alcune immagini dell'incontro:
