26th National Competition Youth and Mountains

Victory for Tržič team at the 26th national Youth and Mountains competition in Idrija

On Saturday, January 10, 2015, Idrija hosted the 26th national

Youth and Mountains competition, the most established mountaineering competition for young people

from knowledge, skills and experiences from all areas and forms of mountaineering

activities. In the oldest Slovenian mining town, the Gorski petelini from Tržič celebrated victory,

closely followed by the teams Krompirjev hribovc from Šenčur and Ščinkovci from Domžale.

In Idrija, at the 26th national Youth and Mountains competition, which was jointly organized by

the Youth Commission of the Alpine Association of Slovenia (MK PZS), Mountaineering Association (PD) and Primary School (OŠ)

Idrija and the Institute for Sports RS Planica, 27 teams from all over Slovenia competed. They had already shown a lot of mountaineering knowledge

at the regional competitions in November 2014 in Kanal, Šoštanj and Cerklje ob Krki, which were attended by

more than 200 participants.

Youth and Mountains, which is both a knowledge competition and a sports competition, as mountaineering equally combines both elements,

is intended for primary school students from 6th to 9th grade, and next year we may

look forward to a similar challenge for high school students as well. One of the most important competitions for

popularizing mountaineering and respectful attitude towards nature is also an opportunity for socializing and

getting to know young mountaineers from all over Slovenia.

The youthfully harmonious cultural program was co-created by Idrija primary and secondary school students and members of the Youth Section (MO) PD

Idrija with mountaineering songs, dance and jokes for relaxation

before the competition. Curious young mountaineers were addressed by the principal of OŠ Idrija Ivica Vončina, president of PD Idrija

Nace Breitenberger, mayor of the Municipality of Idrija Bojan Sever, vice-president of PZS Roman Ponebšek and

president of the Inter-Association Committee PD Posočje Gregor Rupnik, and in miner style they wished them Good luck!

also the head of the Youth Commission PZS Barbara Bajcer, head of MO PD Idrija Katarina

Bončina and competition coordinator Brigita Čeh.

The four-member primary school teams started the competition in the morning with tests of mountaineering knowledge, which the

youth acquired in mountaineering clubs and through their (multi-year) involvement in mountaineering. Due to

extremely even results at the top, eight of the best

teams qualified for the final part of the national competition this year, where in the form of a quiz they answered nationally appropriately demanding questions from

the Mountaineering School and additional material about Idrija, and they also had to demonstrate practical knowledge of orientation

and first aid. The authors of the questions, which sought useful mountaineering knowledge, were Izabel Vadnal and

Roman Ponebšek, both instructors of mountaineering education at PZS.

Competing for the title of national champions were members of the following teams: Idrski jegliči (OŠ Idrija, PD Idrija),

Nepredvidljivi (OŠ Braslovče, PD Dobrovlje - Braslovče), Štrki (PD Matica Murska Sobota), Gorski

petelini (OŠ Tržič, PD Tržič), Upkače (OŠ Puconci, PD Matica Murska Sobota), G.U.M.A. (OŠ Janka

Kersnika Brdo, PD Domžale), Krompirjev hribovc (OŠ Šenčur, PD Kranj) and Ščinkovci (PD Domžale).

The tense final challenge crowned the Gorske peteline from Tržič as new national champions, where they will

host the 27th national Youth and Mountains competition next year. A close battle ensued for second and third

place; immediately behind the winners was the Krompirjev hribovc team from Šenčur, and third place went to

Ščinkovci from Domžale. The locals and last year's winners Idrski jegliči took fourth place, fifth G.U.M.A. from Domžale, sixth Nepredvidljivi from Braslovče, and seventh and eighth places went to

Prekmurje – to Štrki and Upkače.

The winners Daša Černilec, Ema Soklič, Matej Rozman and Marko Zupan and their mentors Asja

Štucin and Gorazd Černilec did not hide their joy at the first Tržič victory, as Tržič residents have been participating in the competition

for five years already. "We are extremely happy, we can't even comprehend that we won. It's impossible to

describe how much the victory means to us, which was really unexpected for us. We won for the first time, as the same

team we competed last year too. We dedicated a lot of time to preparations, we met every

Monday. The mentors prepared questions for us, each prepared for their topics, but we learned

together – that was the reason for success," the mountaineering excellently skilled primary school students enthusiastically said right after the results were announced. The top three teams, adorned with trophies and medals, received as a reward

participation in a camp at the Mountaineering Educational Center Bavšica organized by MK PZS, and all

competition participants were delighted by certificates and practical prizes.

A special experience for the competitors and companions was the guided tour of the town and the Idrija mercury mine

and meeting the surprise guest Marjeta Keršič Svetel. Once a legendary author and

host of the show Mountains and People, today a dedicated nature conservationist, in a conversation with host

Blaž Lesnik she emphasized that children are born explorers, mountains a wonderful world for exploration, so

they must be taken to the mountains to experience them with all senses, love them and maintain respect and

a healthy relationship with fear, because mountains can also be dangerous. Above all beautiful, captured also in Idrija lace,

as the connection between mountains and lace was most creatively depicted in the art competition by Tržič's

Gorske zmajevke, local Idrski jegliči and Smrdljivi gojzarji from Črnuče.

Official results of the 26th national Youth and Mountains competition

PLACE TEAM NAME PRIMARY SCHOOL MOUNTAINEERING ASSOCIATION POINTS

1. Gorski petelini Tržič Tržič 10/71.5

2. Krompirjev hribovc Šenčur Kranj 9/70

3. Ščinkovci Domžale 9/70

4. Idrski jegliči Idrija Idrija 8/79

5. G.U.M.A. Janka Kersnika Brdo Domžale 7/70.5

6. Nepredvidljivi Braslovče Dobrovlje - Braslovče 6/78

7. Štrki Matica Murska Sobota 5/77

8. Upkače Puconci Matica Murska Sobota 5/71

9. Loka Črnomelj Črnomelj 67.5

10. Pingvini Slivnica pri Celju Slivnica pri Celju 66

11. Gamsi Griže Zabukovica 64.5

12. Gorske zmajevke Tržič Tržič 63

13. Gorski svizci Vransko - Tabor Vransko 63

14. Slivniški svizci junior Slivnica pri Celju Slivnica pri Celju 62.5

15. Bose koze Trzin Onger Trzin 60.5

16. Kvedrovci

dr. Janeza Mencingerja

Bohinjska Bistrica

Bohinjska Bistrica in

Srednja vas

60.5

17. Smrdljivi gojzarji n. h. Maksa Pečarja Črnuče Črnuče 60

18. Zviti svizci Rače Fram 60

19. Slamnati možgani Janka Kersnika Brdo Domžale 59.5

20. Zviti planinci Podnanos 57

21. Snežniški medvedi Pivka Postojna 54.5

22. Tatinske kavke Litija Litija 54

23. Jezerniki Lovrenc na Pohorju Lovrenc na Pohorju 54

24. Goričke krave Puconci Matica Murska Sobota 51.5

25. Rožice Semič 48

26. Vesele küre Puconci Matica Murska Sobota 47

27. Planinski mafijozoti Kanal Valentin Stanič Kanal 46

* In the above table are the results of the 26th national Youth and Mountains competition. For the first eight teams that qualified for the final part, the first number represents the points in the final quiz, the second the points

from the initial written part.