Pływanie (English)
Z Historia Wisły
History
The swimming section of TS Wisła in Krakow was founded in 1927, and as it was written in the jubilee book issued on the occasion of the club's 30th anniversary: "it had a short life." The first appearance was by one of its swimmers, Morbitzer, in a swimming competition at the YMCA pool in Krakow. This took place on May 1st, and the swimmer finished 4th in the 100m backstroke race. The first time Wisła's athletes competed in the swimming championships of Krakow was in 1931, but despite relatively good results, they didn't achieve any point-scoring positions. Besides Morbitzer, notable swimmers from Wisła in the following years included Połuchtowicz, Żelazny, Bielak, and Tokarz.
Financial difficulties related to securing available spots in Krakow's pools did not make it easy for the club to develop this section, and, with no prospects for a more successful development of the section, the management decided to temporarily suspend its activities in this sport branch in Krakow in 1932.
The swimming section of Wisła, however, was revitalized in a different location, specifically in Zakopane, or more precisely in Jaszczurówka, where on July 15, 1934, the opening ceremony of the new centre took place, along with the first swimming competition in Zakopane. Apart from the SNPTT and Sokoł sports clubs, the new section of Wisła also took part in this event, and its athletes achieved a series of noteworthy results. From that point on, Wisła's athletes participated in subsequent events that were held annually in Jaszczurówka with the support of the Krakow Swimming Association. The progress of the swimmers in Zakopane became increasingly evident with each passing year.
Nevertheless, it's worth adding that in the late 1920s and early 1930s, young Wisła swimmers were not without reason regarded as "excellent material for top-notch athletes with proper training" and "promising prospects for the future."
It's also important to clarify another claim that Wisła's athletes didn't score in the Krakow Championships because on July 13, 1930, during the championship event, Andrzej Morbitzer secured the second place in the 100m backstroke, and Wisła's 4x50m freestyle relay also scored third place.
The fact remains that, from 1934 onwards, Wisła's swimming traditions were continued by the swimming section of Zakopane's Wisła, and the true star turned out to be the outstanding skier Ludwik Gabryś, who excelled in the 100m breaststroke. In September 1934, he even won the title of the Podhale Champion in the 50m backstroke.
The reactivation and revitalization of the Krakow section took place in 1937. This was significantly influenced by several outstanding athletes joining Wisła from the disbanded YMCA section. It's no wonder that Wisła's athletes won several championship titles in the Regional Championships in July. Notable athletes in this context include Świstunia, Grzywiński, and Lasoniówna.
The brightest star at that time was the experienced and highly decorated swimmer Włodek, who, in March 1938, won the first and only gold medal for Wisła's swimming in the interwar period at the Winter Championships of Poland. This took place in Łódź on March 6th in the 300m individual medley... (to be continued).
Press Relations Gazeta Krakowska. 1986, No. 34 (February 10) No. 11525
Father and "Dictator"
Already in February 1945, Józef Gryglewski and Andrzej Morbitzer reactivated Wisła's swimming section. Fifteen-year-old Włodzimierz Kękuś, along with his older brother, joined the YMCA pool, where the Wisła team practiced. At the time, he didn't yet know that his entire life would be connected to Wisła's sports, first as an athlete and for 33 years, as a coach. During this time, thousands of Krakow's residents learned to swim under his guidance, and 692 of them obtained their athletic licenses.
W. Kękuś's proteges won a total of 316 medals at the Polish Championships.
"The gold medal my protege won for Wisła is the one I remember the most," says Coach Kękuś. In 1965, during the Winter Polish Championships in Krakow, Kazimierz Sikora stood on the highest podium in the 100m backstroke with a time of 1.05.2. This success pleased me even morem because during my competitive career, I excelled in the backstroke. However, those were completely different times in swimming. In 1949, when I was the Polish vice champion, I achieved a time of 1.14.8 in this distance. How quickly time passes in swimming."
Our hero is always diligent in his work and demands a lot, but he enjoys the general sympathy of his proteges. During training, he can require maximum effort from an athlete, and at such times, athletes often call him the "dictator." But more often, they refer to him as the father of the section, expressing their entire affection for this amiable man.
"If you want to achieve something in sports, you can't afford to take it easy. However, swimming has become a rather specific discipline, as it's essentially working with children. You can't just demand things from them; children need special care. That's why in my work, I emphasize the contact with parents. Only mutual understanding between the coach and parents can lead to success."
Włodzimierz Kękuś has trained many outstanding swimmers.
Names like Paweł Dyrek, Piotr Chmielewski, Piotr Dłucik, Andrzej Cupiał, and Renata Gurgul were well-known to swimming enthusiasts. Dłucik participated in the Olympics in Munich, Dyrek competed at the World Championships in Belgrade with Dłucik, and Chmielewski was a true star of Polish swimming in the early 1970s. Today, the old guard has thinned out. Coach Kękuś and his successor-in-training, Wiesław Bodzonia, are searching for talents among the youngest. Already, the younger brother of Coach Bodzonia, Piotrek, is doing well. Agnieszka Dzikiewicz and Konrad Gałka have joined the Polish junior team.
"33 years of work is a lot, and I increasingly think that it will be time to step down. However, before passing the torch to my successor, I would like to train another well-known athlete. Maybe it will be Agnieszka, maybe Konrad. In the last Polish Championships in Rzeszów, both of them showed their talent. The most important thing is that working with Wisła has always been satisfying for me. My achievements were appreciated both in the Polish Swimming Association; I was a national team coach and at the club. Among other things, on Wisła's recommendation, I was awarded the Golden Cross of Merit and the Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta."
(JK)
