This year, the Ukrainian Sports and Educational Society “Chornomorska Sich” is holding its 55th Sports School. These are truly unique sporting events of the Ukrainian diaspora in the United States. Moreover, the USVT “Chornomorska Sich” is a phenomenal sports, educational, social, and cultural organization of Ukrainians in the diaspora. I will simply mention the year “Chornomorska Sich” was founded—and you will understand everything. It is 1924! Yes, exactly, the year 1924. That means this year marks 102 years of continuous, fruitful work in the fields of sports, education, culture, social life, economics, and the national development of the Ukrainian community in the United States.
In 2026, the USVT “Chornomorska Sich” is organizing the jubilee 55th Sports School for Ukrainian youth. This is the result of the tremendous selfless effort of many thousands of supporters of Ukrainian sport in the United States, Canada, Ukraine, and other countries around the world. Such a phenomenon as the Sports School deserves our attention. First and foremost, we must return to its origins—to the birth and realization of the idea and to the first steps of its development.
The Beginning of the Sports School
An answer as to what the prerequisites for founding the Sports School were is given to us by Omelian Tvardovskyi, editor and sports referent of the Ukrainian Sports and Educational Society “Chornomorska Sich.” Here is what he says: “Our very name, the Ukrainian Sports and Educational Society ‘Ch. Sich,’ obliges us to carry out not only sports work, but also educational work, which is very closely connected with it. The upbringing of a new, comprehensively developed person is one of the necessary and decisive conditions for the successful development of an organized Ukrainian society. In carrying out this task, an important role belongs to physical culture and sport. They not only significantly influence the individual personality, but also various aspects of group activity and human relationships… When to these facts we add the importance of the spiritual upbringing of Ukrainian youth in the free world, we clearly see how great the need was to organize the 1st Ukrainian Sports School in the USA.” Truly, this was an important and urgent need not only in those years, but also today. All the more now, it is relevant for uniting Ukrainian youth during the time of the full-scale war. It is precisely thanks to the key combination of physical education, sport, Olympic traditions, culture, education, and language that an educational result is achieved and the potential of the unity of Ukrainians throughout the world is revealed.
Another factor behind the founding of the Sports School is highlighted by the head of the Ukrainian Sports and Educational Society “Chornomorska Sich,” Myron Stebelskyi. In order to understand more precisely and clearly the genesis of and need for the founding of the Sports School, one must first determine the condition of the sports movement in the United States in those years and, in particular, among the Ukrainian diaspora. Therefore, Myron Stebelskyi emphasized the following: “Until the arrival of the new emigration, sports life in the areas of settlement and activity of the earlier Ukrainian settlers was sporadic and was manifested mainly in the cultivation of baseball, basketball, and rounders. Only after the arrival of a large number of young people and sports activists from Europe after the Second World War did the revival of sports life begin. A number of our sports centers emerged, and the Ukrainian Sports Central of America and Canada was founded… It seemed that the bright future of the sports and national upbringing of Ukrainian youth was on the right path. But, unfortunately, things did not turn out as desired. After years of rapid development came decline; at first individual sports units ceased to exist, and later entire sports centers… seeing that the above-mentioned crisis would sooner or later affect our Society as well, the board decided to organize its own Sports School.”
Thus, it turns out that among the many reasons for founding the Sports School, two main ones can be distinguished: first, the combination of sport and education turned it into a holistic pedagogical process for Ukrainian youth. Here the idea of physical, spiritual, and intellectual upbringing was reinforced. That is, it was about the formation of a harmoniously developed personality; second, the crisis of the sports movement among Ukrainians in the United States.
Having clarified the prerequisites, we should analyze the first steps in implementing what was then a modern idea. Here, the recollections and testimonies of the direct organizers help us. For example, Omelian Tvardovskyi states the following: “The idea of creating our Sports School came to me in 1968, when I had the opportunity to visit the American youth camp ‘All-American Soccer Camp,’ which was managed then and is still run by the well-known Ukrainian coach Yevhen Chyzhovych together with his brother Volodymyr and Dr. L. Lutsenko. Observing organized Ukrainian sports life, I saw good opportunities for creating a sports and educational training program for our youth as well… Together with like-minded M. Stebelskyi and with the support of the late I. Oryniak and Y. Chyzhovych, at the beginning of 1969 the board unanimously decided to create its own Sports School.” As we can see, Ukrainians had already implemented a similar project for American youth. It is clear that the time had come to organize something similar for Ukrainian youth in the United States as well.
More details about the beginnings of the Sports School are provided by Myron Stebelskyi. Here is what he recalled: “Seeing the urgent need to educate a rising generation in sport, and seeing the success of American sports schools, a group of enthusiasts—members of the Society: O. Tvardovskyi, M. Stebelskyi, I. Oryniak, Eng. B. Haiduchok, Y. Chyzhovych, Msgr. I. Hamuliak, V. Matyiash, and others, with the outstanding help and support of the Ukrainian Workers Union and the then manager of the Verkhovyna resort, Dr. R. Rychko, conceived in 1970 the idea of organizing a ‘Football School.’” It becomes clear that, in practice, everything actually began with a school of football training and education. At that time, this field was also far more popular among American youth. Youth football camps were also supported by municipal and federal authorities, which, of course, gave greater optimism for further development. It is worth noting here that the Ukrainian football activists—the Chyzhovych brothers—were also among the first founders and experts.
Дійсно, футбольна школа від початку потім була трансформована у Спортову школу. Про цей процес ми довідуємося зі спогадів Мирона Стебельського: «Літом 1970 р. постала перша українська Футбольна Школа УСТ «Ч. Січ», яка тривала один тиждень… До Школи зголосилися, в першу чергу, юнаки Т-ва, як рівнож юнаки поблизьких стейтів, разом 25 учасників. Загальне керівництво і вишкіл перебрав Є. Чижович. Бачучи зацікавлення учасників іншими спортивними дисциплінами, Управа Спортової Школи на 1971 р. включає до програми, крім копаного м’яча, відбиванку й приймає нову назву: «Перша Українська Спортова школа УСТ «Ч. Січ» для юначок і юнаків у віці від 12 до 18 років життя».
Indeed, the Football School was later transformed from the outset into a Sports School. We learn about this process from the recollections of Myron Stebelskyi: “In the summer of 1970, the first Ukrainian Football School of the UST ‘Ch. Sich’ was established, and it lasted one week… Those who enrolled in the School were, first of all, the Society’s boys, as well as boys from nearby states, for a total of 25 participants. The overall leadership and training were taken over by Y. Chyzhovych. Seeing the participants’ interest in other sports disciplines, the Board of the Sports School for 1971 included, in addition to soccer, volleyball in the program and adopted a new name: The First Ukrainian Sports School of the UST ‘Ch. Sich’ for girls and boys between the ages of 12 and 18.” From this, we may conclude that today’s 55th Sports School of the USVT “Chornomorska Sich” traces its beginning to 1971. Therefore, we also have another pleasant anniversary—55 years of its holding. Symbolic, is it not? The 55th Sports School in the 55th year of its existence! At the same time, this cannot diminish all the steps that were taken before that. After all, all of this is our history.
We can observe the gradual development of the Sports School through several important factors: first, the increase in the number of participants; second, the expansion of the program and the inclusion of new sports popular among youth; third, the involvement of the best specialists, above all Ukrainians, from various sports. About this, the Ukrainian press in the United States wrote the following: “The overall leadership and soccer training are headed by Y. Chyzhovych, while volleyball is conducted by Eng. B. Haiduchok—both with the assistance of well-known instructors. The well-known sports figure from Chicago, Myron Dakhnivskyi, also volunteered to help… In 1972, in addition to the already existing disciplines, tennis, swimming, and track and field were added to the School’s program. Seeing the School’s growth and the need to change (expand) its leadership, the Society’s Board established the following order: at the head of the School stands the Leader, who is responsible for the School as a whole; the Director is responsible for training; the Chief Counselor is responsible for supervision, order, and cleanliness; and a nurse is responsible for medical care.” Thus, with each passing year, the Sports School improved both organizationally and methodologically. A complete structure of organization, implementation, management, and quality assurance of the School was built, involving professionals and experts in their fields.
Marking its first modest anniversary—5 years—the Sports School had already achieved considerable success and recognition from the community: “Throughout the five years of its existence, the Sports School fulfilled the task assigned to it. For its activity, it received recognition from the Sports Central (USCAK), as well as general recognition from Ukrainian civic society and the Ukrainian free press (‘Shliakh Peremohy,’ ‘Yunak,’ ‘Narodna Volia,’ ‘Svoboda,’ ‘Ameryka’).”
Graduates of the Sports School, after completing it, continued to work selflessly for the development of Ukrainian sport in the United States. Everyone who attended the school later went on to become instructors, leaders, mentors, coaches, and successful athletes as well. For example, Yaro Dakhnivskyi and Bohdan Nedilskyi. I was fortunate to interview them.
Yaro Dakhnivskyi earned distinction in soccer and handball in the United States. He played for the national handball team of the country and, in particular, took part in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, USA. Bohdan Nedilskyi was a successful soccer player both in the United States and in Ukraine. He was the first American foreign player in Ukrainian football. Bohdan came to play for the Ukrainian club Karpaty (Lviv) back when our country was still occupied by the USSR.
If the Sports School achieved such success in five years, then just imagine how much has already been accomplished in more than fifty years. Of course, those decades were different. There were successes and disappointments, joy and sorrow, but above all—there was movement. That is, there was a desire to work and to overcome any challenges. This path is truly great and deserves attention, respect, and remembrance through the years.
Memories of Participants and Instructors
Thousands of positive reviews have come from every participant from the United States and Canada. And this is not fiction, but reality. It is also worth noting that participants and instructors from Ukraine joined the Sports School as well. Their memories of the school are truly very valuable and emotional.
Artem Skulskyi from Kyiv, a repeated participant in the Sports School, wrote the following in his letter: “For the 8th year now, I have been coming to the Sports School of ‘Chornomorska Sich.’ Each time I meet up with ‘old’ friends and get to know new ones. Soyuzivka and the camp of Ch. Sich have become like home to me. At the camp, I have the opportunity to do sports… In general, sport has opened up new possibilities in me; I have come to believe in my own strength… At the camp, we learned Ukrainian songs and poems, and I tell my friends in Kyiv about it.” Artem also added in his letter that his usual passion is sculpture, and he dreams of becoming a professional artist. But sport does not stand in his way, and he combines the two harmoniously at the Sports School.
Yurii Kolb from Uzhhorod, who repeatedly served as an instructor at the Sports School, recalled the following: “The Sports School of ‘Ch. Sich’ has an excellent base at the Verkhovyna resort. The scenery of the resort reminds me of the Carpathians. The daily sports schedule is very intensive. The children have the opportunity to do sports three times a day and, what is interesting for all-around development, besides their favorite sport they can improve their skills in a second sport. The choice is between soccer, tennis, volleyball, and swimming. I think such a camp is excellent preparation both for strong health and for studying in the new school year.”
Andrii Kordiiak, an instructor from Lviv, spoke about the Sports School in the following way: “Both the sports-educational programs and the everyday life of the participants—all this is the result of the devoted work of the wise and kind founders and caretakers of the ‘S.S.’ over many years. I will say frankly—the way this work is carried out can be a good example for many similar centers.”
These are only a few examples of feedback about the Sports School. In truth, there is much more. This year’s 55th Sports School of the USVT “Chornomorska Sich” will uphold the traditions of past years and add modern, interesting ideas for the further development of Ukrainian youth in the United States.
Author: Oleksii Lyakh-Porodko
