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15 Jul 2014

«The most important in life - is to have a dream and set yourself clear goals»

The students of «Sports Industry Management» RMA business school program have attended the «Himki» basketball center, where they've received a field lecture given to them by the head coach of the aforementioned basketball club, and Olympic champion Rimas Kurtinaitis.  Particularly, he told students about the early stage in the developing of his sports carrier.

«I was noticed as a player fairly early. At 18 I was already a member of the USSR youth team, played in the world cup in Brazil. But then I had an unusually difficult period in my life: at the time I was going to physical education school in Kaunas, and my studies didn't go particularly well, since I was spending too much time enjoying life instead, and then I was suddenly faced with expulsion, which in my case meant that I automatically had to go to the Army. And that is how I ended up in Riga in the sports company of the armed forces. I was a regular private: I ate the same average food, slept in barracks, marched on the parade-ground, done my fair amount of cleaning service shifts, including cleaning the toilets. We have certainly had the so called infamous"grandfather's rules", which I'm sure most of you have heard about? Some people couldn't handle so much stress, we did have cases of homicides and suicides.

And it was precisely year 1980, the Olympics…  And I vividly remember, one day, right after I've finished cleaning the toilets, I looked at the TV and saw our basketball team playing against another team I forget which one exactly. But I personally knew about half of the lads on our team, so my heart felt really heavy that moment. I remember I thought to myself: «Here is where they are. And instead I'm here. Why is it?» It was then I've sworn to myself, that sooner or later I will also be there… there was simply no other way for me. And as some of you probably know that I was able keep that promise, and did make it all the way out there. Most importantly, it happened because I truly dreamed of it, and secondly, of course, because I've made serious effort to plow my way ahead through the obstacles.

And this is what I consider most important in life. Know how to dream, set your goals, and pursue them with devotion», -- said Rimas Kurtinaitis.

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