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“The biggest difference between Latvia and the US is infrastructure, then human resources – both the number of workers involved in the industry and the opportunities for athlete selection and scouting – and, finally, the quality of coaches’ work, although we also have professional and capable coaches,” said Aldis Trukšāns, Deputy Director and coach of the Jelgava Specialized Swimming School (JSPS), after his visit to Carmel, USA, Jelgava’s sister city.
A. Trukšāns and Veronika Gorškova, representatives of JSPS, spent almost two weeks in Carmel to familiarize themselves with the swimming training program and learn how the training process is organized there. They visited Carmel High School, a swimming club, and Indiana University, where they observed training methods and processes. “Overall, the impression is positive because everything in the US is developed and at a very high level. However, I noticed a different mentality and attitude toward the process. The attitude is automatic – everyone (both athletes and coaches) knows what to do, and that creates a sense of calm, as the whole process seems to unfold on its own, at a high level of organization and professionalism. Coaches simply supervise the athletes and give small recommendations, acting professionally. In Latvia, I think, due to the high workload of coaches, there is not enough time to pay attention to each athlete’s individual growth. The Carmel swimming coaches also shared their training outlines, making it easier for us to delve deeper into the training process, and they gave us the opportunity to participate in their organized meetings,” says A. Trukšāns. He also observed that in the US, there is a more pronounced sports pyramid: a school where children train, a sports club that lays the foundation for professional sports, and a university where everything happens at the highest level. “For example, the Carmel Swim Club girls’ team has been the high school champions for 38 consecutive times,” A. Trukšāns adds.
The Jelgava representatives also took the opportunity to explore sports infrastructure – the NCAA Sports Museum, an NBA basketball game between the Indiana Pacers and the Atlanta Hawks, and several stadiums. The deputy director of JSPS concluded that in America, sports infrastructure is highly developed, and many different sports are represented, thus providing almost every interested person with the opportunity to participate in sports, with professional sports dominating over recreational sports.
It should be noted that this exchange program is one of the initiatives of the collaboration between Jelgava and Carmel, developed by the Honorary Consul of Latvia in Indiana and the President of the Carmel Sister City Committee, Andris Bērziņš. Carmel has hosted exchange visits by municipal police officers, medical staff, and Jelgava artists and cultural groups.
Carmel is a city in the state of Indiana with more than 100,000 residents. In 2022, it became Jelgava’s thirteenth sister city and the first sister city in the United States.
