Spare and strike!

The crash of knocked-down pins became a leitmotif of the fifth annual "Kaliningrad Seafarer" bowling tournament. The Kaliningrad Regional Organization of the Seafarers' Union of Russia arranged it for its members and social partners. Three teams of cadets from the Kaliningrad Marine Fishing College, a joint team of the Kaliningrad Regional Organization of the Seafarers' Union of Russia and the Kaliningrad Port Authority, a strategic alliance between the Baltic Fishing Fleet State Academy and Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement, and a team from the STAFF Marine agency, which was the tournament favorite, squared off on the bowling lanes.

The teams fought hard for several hours and hit a lot of spares and strikes throughout the evening. The KMFC team showed effective teamwork, the combined crew of BFFSA and Bernhard Schulte was best remembered for its creative tactics and tenacity. As for the individual competition, the representative of the Kaliningrad Port State Control was unrivaled. The tournament's main trophy predictably went to the most experienced and well-coordinated team—the personnel from STAFF Marine bowled like world champions that evening. "The organization was great, and the competitors were tough, so we're very pleased with our win—we're thrilled!" the team members shared their impressions. 

The KRO SUR Chair, Lyudmila Izmalkova, said that the bowling competition not only built team spirit but also gave the participants a chance to meet each other and talk informally. Actually, this was the main goal of the tournament.

For cadets, searching for shipboard training can be extremely stressful. They worry, don't know where to start, and are just afraid to call potential employers," she explained. "That's why the union facilitates establishing such informal contact between young seafarers and companies. The main objective is to help the young people understand that employers are real people and that looking for shipboard training isn't as scary as it sounds. 

In this sense, she continued, bowling is a perfect sport because it allows the youths to literally relax while playing and feel comfortable approaching representatives of shipping and crewing agencies with questions. As a result, several cadets received offers for shipboard training from STAFF Marine, a company that works with Russian and international shipping companies, right during the tournament. 

The KRO SUR plans to expand the tournament and invite even more employers to participate.