Vilnius’s hobby is impressive: you won’t find many such women in Lithuania

Stubborn, persistent in goal and wants to silence skeptics not with words, but with their achievements. Now unimaginable life without “drift”, although the first acquaintance with him did not leave much impression. This is Sandra, one of the few women in Lithuania who is dedicated to this motor sport.

At first, it was difficult to even move out of place

Vilnius recalls that she first participated in a side-skating competition as a spectator about eight years ago, but then she was not impressed at all:

“There was smoke everywhere, there was an incredibly disgusting sound, I didn’t understand what was happening on or off the court. I left after the race and wanted to forget about never meeting again driftu. “

However, among his acquaintances, more and more people who are engaged in motor sports, talk about it, joke about it, watch competitions. Sandra says that she herself was naturally involved in the “spin-off” conversations anyway, eventually bragging to her friends that even a monkey could do it:

“Friends said that if, in my opinion, the monkey could driftinti, I have to try it too. I said: who is like this here? I’ll try. And I tried. It is not that easy. (laughs)

I didn’t even know how to change gears in the car because I was driving a vending machine, at first it was hard to even move out of place, I had to overcome fears, but I was hooked. I sat down for the first time and decided to sit longer. “

Sandra says it was a kind of challenge for her because she is one of those who likes to show that she can push the limits of her possibilities. And when you can’t do something at first, it motivates you even more.

Help you forget everything that happens around you.

She also remembers her first serious workouts with a friend who tried to teach her the subtleties of side skating and introduce her to the technique.

“It was very difficult for him, he was screaming, angry and laughing, and he said that he would have nothing to do to choose another sport, like cycling. He, although lost in hope, tried to install the bite on his teeth. drift the basics in my memory, ”laughs a Vilnius resident.

After a while he started training with another side skating athlete who assembled his car and was able to more easily explain to him how to do it all:

“After a year, I felt like I could get past almost all the drift tracks. I’m not saying the show is very impressive, but I can approve. I think the year is the minimum threshold to feel that you can do something. “

It is true that Sandra does not hide the fact that she spent the entire summer and fall weekends training, sacrificing sleep and sometimes apologizing for work to, for example, learn to slide sideways. However, everything was reconciled, because the desire to “skid” was and still is great.

“When you do mental work that is stressful, other people’s work depends on you, the future of the company, after work you need to relax. Everyone comes up with their own methods, I chose drift.

Every time i feel drift car, I forget everything that surrounds me, I no longer think about problems, about what happens outside the car. Mood improves, thoughts ease. It really relaxes and gives positive emotions, ”says the woman enthusiastically.

I was in the air

Sandra was not discouraged from this pleasant pastime and had a rather serious event, after which the sports car had to be scrapped. She says that “driftino” is only about five months away when she went to Latvia to train in the winter:

“The track was covered in snow and ice, I did surprisingly well. I decided that I could drive alone now, so a friend got out of the car. At first, everything went well, so I wanted to try it faster and more abruptly.

But I went off the track, I jumped into the air and completely destroyed the car. I didn’t wear a seat belt, I didn’t wear a helmet, I had surgery a week ago and I felt uncomfortable for a while after that. “

Sandra says that experience was like a lesson that safety is a top priority that cannot be overlooked.

“It just came to our knowledge then driftinti, the fear of cars did not arise, I just realized that it is necessary to take care of your safety. If you are unsure, you cannot drive at all drift on the track ”, – the lesson learned is shared by the interlocutor.

You get more than the support of those around you

Although Sandra is not only training but also participating in the competition, she says that she is not quite ready for them yet, so she does not dream of prize places yet. The goals of a woman are simpler: successfully pass the qualifying track, get points, maybe fall in the first or second stage.

“Many people told me that it was too early to participate in the competition not to be ashamed of myself, but I thought that maybe I would never reach the level where I could participate, so I went to the competition from the beginning as a training.

I did it very recently driftinuI do this for my own pleasure, so I am neither physically nor emotionally ready to win awards. Of course, it would be fun, but I really appreciate my possibilities ”, the interlocutor shares.

As there are very few girls involved in side skating in Lithuania, they do not have a separate league and participate in the competition together with the men. The competition is divided based on the athletes’ ability, but so far Sandra says that all categories are equally difficult for her for one reason or another.

Nor does he hide the fact that he receives not only support but also criticism from those around him. Here, for example, those who do not know her well appreciate her skills, even though Sandra is still involved in side skating for a relatively short time.

“They see me as a person who drives for 8 to 10 years and thinks that I don’t pay enough to compete at one level or another, to drive a car as powerful as the one I have now.

But I like to make the most of everything, to make it better and harder, so that the criticism and the skeptical attitude towards me is not very exciting. It used to be more exciting, but now I do it for myself and what others think is their problem, ”says Sandra.

Wants to fight stereotypes

However, she admits that the words of those around her unconsciously leave a certain mark, which is why the interlocutor considers the fight against stereotypes, which she still encounters very often, as one of her greatest goals.

It is true that if in the past you wanted to cry over those words or even say a few words, now you are trying to deny stereotypes with your achievements.

“The most annoying stereotype is that girls can’t drive. It pays and in some situations maybe even better than men. Also that we are afraid drift tracks. This is not true. We are not afraid of the tracks, we are not afraid of developing speed, we would just like to review the track more times to show everything we can.

We do not dive into it with our heads straight, but rather rationally assess our abilities, weather conditions, coverage and only then do we begin to do so. For others, it is like fear, although it certainly is not.

I would very much like to erase from the heads of men and even some women all skepticism about women who drive and women who drift supposedly failing on the track. I would like to show that it is the opposite, ”hopes the Vilnius woman and says that she not only wants to fight against stereotypes, but also to become the best bum in Lithuania in the future.