Bitten into the sand - official launch of the 2019/20 season

On Saturday evening, 31 August, the official launch of the 2019/20 season took place on the market square in Kielce. The PGE VIVE Kielce team played a showcase game of beach handball for the fans, and then the players talked to the fans, posed for photos and gave autographs. The inauguration of the season started at 18:30 and lasted until sunset.

– My toes hurt, terribly! – laughs Arek Moryto – I didn't expect it, because I played in the goal so I didn't run much, but I think they hurt from biting into the sand!

The sun is just setting, the market square in Kielce is full of people who came to see the inauguration of the 2019/20 season. The PGE VIVE team is not planning to move on to play on sand as yet but taking advantage of the opportunity that the Beach Sports Festival is taking place in Kielce, Talant Dujshebaev’s boys went to the Old Town to officially greet the fans after the first league match with Stal Mielec. This time, instead of a presentation, they decided to play a showcase game of beach handball.

The competition was fierce, although most of the players had never tried playing handball on the sand before.

- I only played beach handball a few times, back in the days of SMS Gdańsk, to sample some variety after the season – admits Arek.

Arek Moryto plays in the Yellow team, and his teammates are Blaz Janc, Arciom Karalok, Doruk Pehlivan, Branko Vujovic, Mateusz Kornecki, Krzysztof Lijewski and Uladzislau Kulesh. Vlad and Blaz are so good on the sand that it seems as if they were playing beach handball every year in between seasons. Time and time again Vlad shows off his spin shots, which are worth two points in beach handball.

On the other side of the pitch there is the Blue team, comprising the Spanish colony - Alex and Dani Dujshebaev, Julen Aginagalde and Angel Fernandez, along with Andreas Wolff, Romaric Guillo, Mariusz Jurkiewicz and Igor Karacić.

- Julen, show us your spin shot! - ... colleagues are teasing the pivot.

There are no 360 degree turns, but fans can't complain about the low level. Although the PGE VIVE Kielce players have just played a league match, on the sand they present a really high level of play and a lot of commitment.

– Although we tried to save some energy, we got tired and sweaty! – admits Arek after the match - the fans came in large numbers and I think they are satisfied, they could see us in a little different role. Besides, we are normal people and it's great that fans can talk to us on such occasions, because unfortunately there's no time for that in the arena, we have to play and be fully focused on the match.

The first set, played in handball, ended with a slight victory for the Blue team, 17:16. In the second one the players of PGE VIVE decided to face each other in football, and the team sealed their dominance of the day, beating the Yellows 4:2. The last goal was spectacularly scored by Julen Aginagalde, who was long applauded by his colleagues.

After the showcase match, the fans crowded into the sandy pitch and engaged in conversations with the players, collecting autographs and taking photos together. The first day of the 2019/20 season ended in a warm, family atmosphere in a climatic setting of the Kielce Old Town at sunset.

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This article was translated by FATIX. If you are looking for professional translation services, check them up at www.fatix.eu