Cherries, football and positive energy
For a good cause: president Borut Pahor, cyclist Jan Polanc and roller skater Lucija Mlinarič, who is battling a serious illness again, as well as many other participants.
Brda Municipality, Brda Institute for Tourism, Culture, Youth and Sport, Sparrow of Hope Foundation, Brda Football Club, Goriška Brda Ballet Club and Dobrovo Primary School
have organised the traditional
6. A CHARITY GATHERING WITH CHERRIES AND A FOOTBALL
After the gathering of the participants in front of Villa Vipolže, where they were welcomed by the Brda Wind Orchestra, members of the Brda Twirling Majorette Society, the Queen of Cherries Ana Bucik and the Queen of Ribs Katja Erzetič, as well as the young dancers of the ADC Dance Centre, the action moved to the football field.
First, the youngest members of the Bric football club presented themselves, and then the teams in which famous active and former athletes, the heroes of One Noble Story, God’s envoys, winemakers and pupils of the Dobrovo Primary School headed by the headmistress Vesna Filej joined forces. The school has also decided to make a campaign for pupils to consciously give up a treat (ice cream, sweets) and instead contribute to the Sparrow of Hope Foundation or the department for disabled youth in Stara Gora.
As last year, the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Borut Pahor, attended the cordial gathering. But this time he surprised everyone by not being a goalkeeper as usual, but a great striker. To complete the performance, he scored the last goal of the game, after a selfless pass from Fr Bogdan Knavs. The latter is a regular guest at charity events where the ball is in the court. This time he was joined by a Carinthian priest, Marjan Ploh, who is currently serving near Klagenfurt. For the first time, the guest of the Vipolže gathering was the Slovenian hero of the recently completed 100. Giro Jan Polanc. The winner of the Etna stage also presented President Pahor with the winner’s blue T-shirt signed by his resounding success. President Borut Pahor, who was among the first to congratulate Jan after his heroic escape and victory, stressed that he would donate the jersey to charity. Andrej Hauptman, the national cycling team’s selector, hinted that after this year’s World Championships he will no longer be the only Slovenian with a medal from the biggest competition. Hauptman won bronze in the road race at the 2001 World Championships in Lisbon.
The increasingly successful alpine skier also got on well with the football Štefan Hadalin, long-time national volleyball player Jasmin Čuturič, former national football player Matej Mavrič Rožič, former chess player Aljoša Grosar, the Vice President of the National Assembly Matjaž Nemec and, of course, some members of the Slovenian national wine team, which is the best in Europe and will host the championship in Slovenia next year, with Danilo Steyer at the helm. The selectors are Mitja Kristančič, a local player who coached his home club for several seasons, and Adrian Fegic, a footballer who scored two goals for Real Rijeka more than 30 years ago.
Of course, the heroes of One Noble Story were not without their heroes: the innkeeper Marko (Franko Korošec) and the taxi driver Ibro (Ranko Babić) were the centre of attention among young and old alike. Interestingly, on the way to Goriška Brda Ranko had technical problems with his vehicle and was “rescued” and brought to Vipolže in time by Pater Bogdan Knavs. Marko and Ibro were also challenged to a bowling match (bowling is the first sport of Štorija) with the first and still the only mayor of Brda, France Mužič, and the director of the Brda Institute for Tourism, Culture, Youth and Sport, Tina Novak Samec. At the end, the hosts were smiling a lot more, but they had already announced a rematch with a strengthened team led by Bert from Štorija.
The main heroine of the event was certainly the most successful Slovenian roller skater and ambassador of the Sparrow of Hope Foundation, Lucija Mlinarič. She is battling a serious illness again, but she spread incredible determination and positive energy and will among the participants.
At the end of the event in Villa Vipolže, three pupils from the Dobrovo Primary School sang: Tina Drnovšček /Who Still Believes/ and sisters Tinkara and Neja Prinčič /Zalina’s Song/ . The organisers and the Sparrow of Hope Foundation thanked the participants with written awards and some British delicacies.
