Sport and the community

Football is one of the oldest sports in Rakytovce, with its origins dating back to the 1930s. The first permanent pitch was on the meadow where blocks of flats nos. 21 and 27 stand today. The boys didn’t play with a football – a pile of tied-up paper and old rags was enough for them, whilst felled trees or even just stones served as goals.

“We used to play wherever we could, with the sort of balls and kit that today’s spoilt footballers would turn their noses up at. And yet we played; we trained from dawn till dusk, and nobody paid us a penny for the matches…”

The turning point came on 30 December 1985, when a friendly match was played between Rakytovce and Vlkanová (4–2). Following this success, the local players called for the establishment of their own club. On 1 July 1986, the sports club TJ STS Rakytovce was founded with 125 founding members. Rudolf Gízel became the first chairman. The club’s colours were red, and its emblem featured a red crayfish holding a football – hence the nickname ‘raky’.

The first match was played on 16 August 1987 in the Third Division against Slovan Jakub (1–1). Vladimír Dian scored the club’s first goal in an organised competition. In the 1988/89 season, the club won the award for the fairest team in the district.

In the 1990/91 season, Rakytovce secured promotion to the Second Division. The weekly newspaper *Priekopník* wrote: “Rakytovce remained unbeaten and dropped only two points. This team is packed with experienced players, as well as lively youngsters.”

In the 1992/93 season, the club was renamed ŠK Kvasna Rakytovce, as almost the entire core of the team consisted of players from Kvasna. Ondrej Kvasna recalls: “It was sometimes really quite comical; I even remember that whilst the line-up was being read out, one of the fans shouted: ‘But this isn’t Rakytovce, it’s Kvasnovce!’”

In the 1997/98 season, under the name FK Rakytovce 85, the team went on an incredible run of 12 consecutive wins and were promoted to the Fifth Division. The successful season was crowned by the construction of the club’s own ground, which was officially opened on 15 July 1998. The opening match was against Spartak Trnava.

After progressing through the Fourth and Third Leagues, Rakytovce finished in second place in the 2006/07 season – ranking 57th out of 2,415 clubs in Slovakia. In the 2008/09 season, they went through the Third Division without a single defeat (21 wins, 7 draws, a goal difference of 67:14). They were promoted to the Second Division twice (in 2007 and 2009).

The origins of skiing date back to the period shortly after the Second World War. As the young people had no skis to hand, they made their own ‘dúšky’ – boards cut from an oak barrel, to which straps were nailed and their boots secured. Skiing ability was assessed by the skier setting off directly from Kečka and skiing all the way down to Slobodníková’s garden without falling – a stretch of about 600 metres.

Ice hockey began to take root around the same time. Skating and ice hockey were played on natural frozen surfaces – flooded and frozen meadows measuring 200 x 80 metres. The first hockey sticks were made from wood found in the mountains. The battles on the ice were tough and relentless. Three men from Rakytovce were particularly dedicated to the sport: Ondrej Kvasna, Ján Kvasna and Vladimír Gálus. Ondrej Kvasna even managed to play for the Dukla Olomouc ice hockey team.

The conditions were not exactly ideal when sport first began to develop in Rakytovce. The hard-working people of Rakytovce, many of whom were mainly engaged in mining and agriculture, had little desire for physical activity. Consequently, the beginnings of what are now widely practised sports are associated more with the lives of young people, who had more free time.

The first recorded sporting activity was tobogganing – references to this date from 1947 to 1949. Young people used to toboggan down the roads on all-wooden toboggans designed for two or three people. Schoolchildren from Rakytovce competed against boys from Badín on the route from ‘Slivkovcov’ to Donovalovcov.

The first football pitch at Kvasnovské lúky. The team representing Rakytovce was made up of students, with Ján Kvasna, Július Riečan and Milan Bánovský among the best players.

Jozef Kvasna, who stands over 200 cm tall, played for Červená hviezda Banská Bystrica – both at junior and youth level. He was selected for matches in England and West Germany, but was ultimately unable to take part due to illness.

The first table was bought in the 1960s. People used to play in the old hall at the local council offices all evening, on Saturdays and Sundays. Tournaments against Badín and Kremnička.

From 1950 onwards, Ján Kvasna excelled in middle-distance running, whilst Vladimír Gálus excelled in long-distance running. In 1951, three residents of Rakytovce were awarded the Tyrš Fitness Badge.

The children started out in the fire reservoir (1946), whilst the more experienced swimmers swam in the Hron River at spots known as Vrbina and Barholaz. Andrej and Ján Kulhány took up competitive swimming.

Ján Malachovský flew gliders and hang gliders and tried his hand at skydiving. Dušan Petrík is a private pilot licensed to fly the Cessna 152, 172 and 182.

Two-time IFBB World Champion in fitness (2003, 2004 – Santa Susanna, Spain). 2003 Overall World Champion. Three-time European Champion. In 2006, she was world champion in two disciplines – aerobics and athletic WFF. She was awarded the Mayor’s Prize and the title of honorary citizen of Banská Bystrica (2007).