The 30th World Winter Universiade takes place in Lake Placid, United States of America, from 12th to 22nd of January, with the participation of 25 athletes from 10 Latvian universities, including 1 student from the BA School of Business and Finance. Kaspars Ziemins is a 3rd-year student of the Business Process Management (distance learning) program at the BA School of Business and Finance, who is competing in the 30th World Winter Universiade as a forward for the Latvian student ice hockey team.
“I come from a family of three brothers where I’m the younger brother. Both brothers are trained in ice hockey, then I was inspired too and so I trained in ice skating from a young age, but at 8 I started training with the kids team, which I also see as the beginning of my strides. Speaking of the Universiade in Lake Placid, I can say it came together for a few reasons. First, in 2020, after graduating from secondary school in Iecava, I started studying at BA School of Business and Finance, and there was a Universiade happening in early 2023. I was invited, agreed and played for the Latvian student ice hockey team”, Kaspars says.
Photo by Maddie Crooke/FISU Games
The official opening of the Universiade was on January 12th at the Lake Placid Olympic Center, with Governor Kate Hochul welcoming 1,443 student-athletes from more than 540 universities and 46 countries.
Kaspars reveals: “It was my first experience in a Universiade, including a worldwide tournament involving teams from different countries around the world. Like the little Winter Olympics, just for students. I had very well impressions, starting with a thoughtful opening ceremony at the Lake place Olympic Center, continuing with five hockey games against good teams. Lake Placid island is in New York State, so after the race we also had the opportunity to see New York City itself, which was impressive.”
Photo: from personal archive
“The World Winter Universiade is the most prominent and important international student winter sports tournament, which after a two-season hiatus has been so eagerly awaited by student-athletes all over the world! Although the preparation for this competition was full of challenges both at the level of Latvia and FISU – International Student Sports Federation, the level of competition promises to be very high and the Latvian team is also motivated to show high sportsmanship and fully compete in the world competition.
The World Universiade program also includes various cultural and educational events, which will significantly enrich the experience of athletes and coaches, provide vivid impressions and new opportunities for international cooperation,” before the event said Agita Abele, President of the University of Latvia Sports Union (LASE).
To question “How do you manage to combine studies with hockey?”, Kaspars replies:
“I can’t say it would be very difficult to combine hockey with studies. After graduating from secondary school, I knew I would continue to go to university as well, of course my day-to-day required me to study in correspondence format and I was happy to take that opportunity. I’m a 3rd year student right now and can say I’m successfully dealing with the jobs I have, the studies allow me a bit of a rest from the athlete’s day-to-day, which takes a lot of attention. I don’t work during the hockey season because I turn all my attention to hockey and training. I believe this is my priority in everyday life right now. It can be combined with proper timing, willpower and motivation. Although sports, health and physical strength are a major part of an athlete’s life, I believe that studying is a way of improving ourselves psychologically and successfully continuing the education process.”
LAT team prepares for shootout during Men’s Ice Hockey CZE vs LAT at the 2023 FISU World University Games on January 15, 2023 in Potsdam, New York. (Photo by Maddie Crooke/FISU Games)
‘The Universiade takes place every two years. The next one is in early 2025 in Italy. Everyday, I am part of the Zemgale Hockey Club, which plays in the Latvian Championship or Optibet Hockey League and also in the Finnish Mestis League. I spend my daily routines directly in the composition of Zemgale, whose games can be followed by sports media,” Kaspars shares.
Photo: from personal archive