Klitschkos pay a visit to students at St. George School in New York (12/29/02)

Klitschkos pay a visit to students at St. George School in New York

by Andrew Nynka

NEW YORK - After disappointing several hundred students and faculty with a no-show at St. George's Ukrainian Catholic School on December 9, world champion heavyweight boxers Vitalii and Volodymyr Klitschko spent over an hour in the school auditorium signing autographs two days later. The applause and commotion of nearly 260 students and staff assembled there seemed to say the brothers had been forgiven for their earlier absence. But the patience and charm they showed also seemed to win many hearts that day.

While Kyiv Mayor Oleksander Omelchenko met with students and faculty from the school on December 9, much of the auditorium that day seemed focused on the whereabouts of 6-foot-8-inch Vitalii and 6-foot-6-inch Volodymyr.

It was later learned that on the afternoon of December 9 the Klitschko brothers made an appearance in Brighton Beach, N.Y., with New York Daily News columnist Bill Gallo at a luncheon to launch the 76th Annual Daily News Golden Gloves boxing tournament and thus were not able to make an appearance at the Ukrainian school.

Yurij Dobriansky, 14, was at St. George's on December 9 with oversized red boxing gloves on both of his hands, ready to show his support for the Klitschko brothers. He said he left that day disappointed but believing there must have been a good reason for the Klitschkos' absence.

When the Klitschko brothers fulfilled their pledge and walked into the school auditorium on December 11, the place seemed to erupt into an excited frenzy. The brothers, who addressed the crowd in English and Ukrainian, noted the importance of education, culture and heritage in a person's life and, Vitalii said, judging by what he saw from the students, "a place like St. George's works to instill those qualities here."

When the brothers stepped down from the stage to greet their fans and sign autographs, two young children presented them with flowers. The brothers simultaneously accepted the flowers, gave the children a hug and spontaneously lifted the two youngsters into their arms.

While signing autographs, the brothers - each surrounded like the center of a solar system filled with children circling and gravitating towards two large stars - seemed genuinely happy that they came to the school, although somewhat surprised to receive such a warm and energetic reception.

In the end, the Klitschko brothers said their experience at the school made them aware of a strong and vibrant Ukrainian community in New York. Yurij Dobriansky, on the other hand, did not come with his gloves the second time around but seemed pleased with the event. "Yeah, I'd say the Klitschkos made up for it," he said.

| Home Page |