National Competition Youth and Mountains

On Saturday, 12 January 2013, the 24th National Competition Youth and Mountains for

primary school students took place at OŠ Vransko – Tabor. The team Nepredvidljivi from Braslovče (OŠ Braslovče, PD Braslovče) demonstrated the most knowledge and

convincingly won. The jubilee 25th Youth and Mountains competition will thus take place next year in Braslovče in the Savinja Valley.

At Vransko, 25 out of 26 best groups

of young mountaineers from all over Slovenia competed in this National Youth and Mountains Competition, those who performed best at the regional competitions on 10 November 2012.

The Youth and Mountains competition is always organized under the auspices of the Youth Commission of the Alpine Association of Slovenia (PZS), co-organizers

of the final, i.e., national competition being the mountaineering club and primary school from where last year's

winners come, this time for the first time PD Vransko and OŠ Vransko – Tabor. Further co-organizers were the Institute for Sport of the Republic of Slovenia Planica and

the Alpine Association of Slovenia.

After the cultural programme, in which students of OŠ Vransko – Tabor, their choir and former student on

the accordion Alen Premk participated, the enthusiastic youth were welcomed on behalf of the organizers by the president of PD Vransko Anton Sitar,

president of the Youth Commission of PZS Matej Ogorevc and principal of OŠ Vransko – Tabor Majda Pikl; successful

competition, relaxed socializing and safe steps in the future were also wished to them by the mayor of the Municipality of Vransko Franc

Sušnik, head of Interest Programmes Uroš Vidmajer and Brigita Čeh, coordinator of the Youth and Mountains competition, who also

read the competition rules to the participants.

Full of knowledge and challenges, the enthusiastic young competitors could hardly wait to start writing the long-awaited tests,

on which they would show the knowledge they had acquired on mountaineering hikes and through single- and multi-year work in mountaineering

circles. The National Youth and Mountains Competition was this time dedicated to the 100th anniversary of organized mountain

rescue in Slovenia, which the Mountain Rescue Association of Slovenia and the Alpine Association of Slovenia celebrated

together in 2012. About the 100th anniversary spoke mountain rescuers Dušan Polajnar and Ljubo Hansel, all competitors with

mentors also watched the excellent film Call from the Mountains in the social part.

The top 9 teams qualified for the final part of the competition. For the title of national champions, members of the following

teams competed: Radgončani (PD Gornja Radgona), Nepredvidljivi (OŠ Braslovče, PD Dobrovlje Braslovče), Mulci spod Vremščice

(OŠ Košana, PD Postojna), Štrki (PD Matica Murska Sobota), Bohinjski gamsi (OŠ dr. Janeza Mencingerja Bohinjska

Bistrica, PD Srednja vas v Bohinju), Planinoholiki (PD Vipava), Gorske deklice (OŠ Orehek Kranj, PD Kranj), Divji arli

(OŠ Žiri, PD Žiri) and Planinske muhe (OŠ Idrija, PD Idrija). The final was really tense, young mountaineers (from 6th to 9th grade of primary school)

had to demonstrate a lot of mountaineering knowledge, including practical, which however did not cause problems to anyone. The winners went

to Braslovče, where next year the 25th national Youth and Mountains competition will take place.

Second place was taken by the team Planinske muhe (OŠ Idrija, PD Idrija) with mentor Marija Bončina, third by the team

Radgončani from PD Gornja Radgona with mentor Anita Mlinarič.

The winners received participation in a mountaineering camp organized by the Youth Commission of PZS for first place, all

top teams trophies and medals, others practical prizes.

The winners Valentina Drešček, Lucija Semprimožnik, Miha Kragl, Klemen Jernejc and their mentor Irena

Kumer could not hide their joy, about the competition at Vransko they said: "We are very happy and

surprised by our success, otherwise we think we deserve it, as we worked hard all year, studied, prepared

for this challenge. We do not regret the hours we spent with the diligent mentor."



During the breaks in the final, they also announced the best in the art competition and the winners of the prize question about

the hidden guests, who this time were two, namely alpinists, spouses Andrej and Marija Štremfelj, who as the first

married couple successfully climbed to the top of Everest. In a short conversation, among other things, they said that they go to the mountains

because of their beauty, praised the work of mentors and the diligence of young mountaineers and advised them to use the knowledge they acquire in this way when they go to the mountains. "We wish you to continue happily going to

the mountains, because after a strenuous ascent always comes the reward – a beautiful view." In the art competition, 2nd prize went to

Štrki from Murska Sobota, 1st to Nevenka Dovžan from Tržič.

As a farewell for the teams' return to their home places, PZS president Bojan Rotovnik wished everyone together in the jubilee year on the

120th anniversary of organized mountaineering in Slovenia that young

mountaineers transfer their rich competitive experiences and knowledge into real life, at the same time congratulating all who reached the national competition, especially

the winners. He thanked the diligent mentors who pass on their rich experiences and knowledge to the young

generation.

President of the Mountaineering Club Vransko Anton Sitar summed up the impressions of this national

competition as follows: "I am happy about the crowd of young mountaineers, because of which there is no worry for mountaineering. Our club has been working for 43 years.

In this time we have done a lot for the development of mountaineering, today's event is the crown of success that we did not expect. We pay

a lot of attention to youth, for which special thanks go to the mentors at school and the school management, which supports our work

all these years. This competition will be recorded in the chronicle of the mountaineering club, because it will confirm that we

worked correctly. I wish you leave Vransko with pleasant impressions and as winners all, and return sometime and walk

the well-marked mountaineering trails to the hut on Čreta and elsewhere. Good luck to all on mountaineering paths and safe steps."

The school principal Majda Pikl said: "Our team fulfilled their long-term dreams and won first

place last year, so today we are all together in this beautiful hall at Vransko, where love for

nature brought you ... For all the help in organizing the event, I thank the Municipality of Vransko, Mountaineering Club Vransko,

Firefighters' Association Vransko, Alpine Association of Slovenia and all sponsors who contributed to the competition going so

well."

The coordinator of the Youth and Mountains competition Brigita Čeh was also very satisfied with the course of the competition,

as everything went smoothly, the youth showed exceptionally a lot of mountaineering knowledge that they will be able to use

in practice. She praised the organizers – the school and the mountaineering club from Vransko, who cooperated excellently

in the organization. Of course, she already invited everyone to the regional competitions: "Big thanks to all participants, to all

competitors: See you in the autumn at the regional competitions and in 2014 at the 25th national Youth and Mountains competition in BRASLOVČE."

The hosts, OŠ Vransko – Tabor and PD Vransko, together with numerous volunteers, performed excellently. For the youth and

their mentors, they prepared a truly pleasant and very sociable day, not just an excellently organized national

competition. Such a day is not easily forgotten, the competitors agreed.