Slag. Marek Cieślak is 70 years old: don’t write about my birthday, I will catch it

Marek Cieślak, coach of the team and Włókniarz, a man in a swimming cap, a fan of speedway and cycling, a breeder of Russian terriers and the owner of a talking parrot. “You must remind me that I am so old,” he blurted out when he heard about this publication.

WP SportoweFakty / Łukasz Trzeszczkowski / Marek Cieślak

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A few months ago Marek Cieślak told us that although his 70th birthday was approaching, he did not feel that he was so old. – I’m healthy, my body is trained. I’m good for my age, I train and rest a lot. I have the same energy as a young man. The old man usually sits at home, and he is lazy. That’s why I move so much. I make 14,000 kilometers a year on a bicycle.

He grew up on the Woolman’s misfortunes

He became a speedway rider, although he knew how dangerous this sport was. He grew up close to the stadium, although it would be better to write that he grew up on the misfortunes of Włókniarz Częstochowa players. He saw his family going through the tragedy of Marian Kaznowski, who lost his leg through slag and struggled with his disability all his life. Later, he prayed with relatives for the health of Stefan Kwoczała, who had an accident during the Golden Helmet competition and lay unconscious for many days. The death of Bronisław Idzikowski left a big mark on him. His funeral went down in the history of Częstochowa, crowds appeared on it.

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– There was no other entertainment then, dangerous sport was the subject of most discussions. We considered speedway riders superhuman, they were respected. They finally took the risky game. They died, lost their legs. They were like mountaineers conquering mountain peaks, where the next ones followed their friends’ corpses. When Idzikowski died I was 11 years old. Before mass, I went to the chapel with my grandfather. Nobody was there, only a casket with Bronek’s body. His head was bandaged, a bruise on his cheek. I stood and looked at it – recalls Cieślak.

He lost friends, but kept going

When he was at school, he experienced another great tragedy, the death of Marek Czerny. – Dad brought him to the workshop, told him to follow my example. We met, he was a witness at my wedding. He died at the age of 21. It was the Silver Helmet competition in Rzeszów. The weather was terrible, but he was the one player who wanted to go. And he went. In the first run, he opened the gate in the parking lot. He hit her head. A month he fought for his life, but he failed – the trainer tells us.

A friend died, but Cieślak saw no reason to put the motorcycle away. – I even asked myself if I had a conscience. In the end, however, I understood that the nature of a speedway rider is different from that of a normal person. When I rode, when I left the house I looked at every corner, because I didn’t know if I would come back here. However, I didn’t want to live differently. I was addicted to this adrenaline, risk and emotion. I was some kind of compulsive gambler – he summed up his competitive career.

In a shower cap, born

During his speedway career, he had a broken backbone twice, broken shoulders, ribs and knees. However, death met his eyes four years ago, when he fell off the ladder during housework. He fell from a height of 4 meters onto a steel plate with screws. His left side was quite compact, his body was black. However, nothing broke. He couldn’t cough for a few days and had trouble breathing, but it passed.

The coach, however, is said to be born in a shower cap, not because he came out unscathed from a severe fall, but because of the successes he had with club teams and in national team. Cieślak usually could find a common language with the stars. He listened to them. Multimedia player Jason Crump talked about him: the best coach in the world. Greg Hancock was also staring at him, he wasn’t listening to anyone like Cieślak. “I will teach my parrot to speak: wake up Greg,” the American coach scared when he was late for an important meeting. Hancock was never late after that.

Anecdotes spilling like a sleeve

Cieślak is a walking mine of anecdotes. And he can laugh at himself. He used to tell how he was fooled by a fraudster who claimed to be his brother-in-law Wojciech Żabiałowicz, the legend of Toruń’s speedway. – He called me, Wojciech Żabiałowicz introduced himself and although I did not recognize him by the voice, I agreed to his offer to accept his brother-in-law in the house, who, as a result of a series of adverse events and the death of loved ones, needs money. I lent him $ 300. A few days later it turned out that the brother-in-law visited several other famous people and also extorted money from them – laughs Cieślak.

Has stories for every occasion. When the staff worked hard with Klaudia Tasz, a ski mountaineering champion, he told about what had happened to him at a grouping of staff in Samotnia, a shelter on the route from Karpacz to Śnieżka. – I was the youngest, so my friends sent me on Saturday for booze. I got a backpack, money and I was on my way. I was going down with Leszek March who had to go home. I was walking back alone. I got a penknife from Leszek. As if the wolves attacked you, although you will have something in your hand – he said and left me alone. I wandered for a long time in the snow when I fell into the shelter, I was white as a bear. Colleagues were very happy to see me because it was a dark night and they already thought that something had happened to me.

At that group, Cieślak gained the nickname “Iron Leg” because he did 100 squats on his right leg. Doctor Misiak, who was with the staff at the time, said that Cieślak would stop doing squats because he didn’t want to count them anymore.

In love with dogs up to his ears

The trainer has been dealing with his wife for years breeding Russian Terriers, he goes to exhibitions with them, his pets are champions. The breed he breeds was created in the Soviet Union during Stalin’s time. These dogs were watching prisoners in the labor camps. They also guard the trainer Cieślak, and he feels safe with them, although as one terrier jumped on him at one time (the terriers can’t see because they have covered their eyes), he almost bruised his knees. It ended up pulling the ligament.

Cieślak has said more than once that he works in speedway because he has to feed his dogs. He usually has several at home. One weighs between 50 and 60 kilograms. “It would be hard to keep them retired,” he admits, but he can’t live without them. – It’s easier to get along with them than with people. The dog will not cheat on you, he will eat your shoes at the most – notes Cieślak somewhat jokingly.

He rides a bicycle for 50,000

He has been a factory rider of Trek’s salon for some time. He comes to the workshop there, they take measurements from it with the use of lasers and make him a bike that is adapted to its dimensions. Every time he gets a miracle. He tests them for several months, and then there is a change, he gets a new model. Trek became interested in Cieślak, because someone read there that the coach of the team loves cycling in the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland. Everyone knows him there.

Cieślak is seriously considering starting in the amateur world championships. He has an older colleague who won titles, he would love to follow in his footsteps. He often goes on bicycle rides with his competitors from Włókniarz. Although he is a lot older than them, he usually stays with them. He’s only had trouble lately with Jason Doyl. It was sultry, stuffy, in this weather the Australian felt great, and Cieślak was breathless. Doyle had to wait for him once or twice. However, this is no shame.

BIO CIEŚLAKA BRAND

He was born on June 27, 1950 in Milanówek. As a speedway rider his entire career (1968-86) associated with Włókniarz Częstochowa. He competed for two years in the English White City Rebels (1977-78). As a player he won 7 DMP medals. In 1975 he won the title of vice-champion of Poland in IMP. He lost the fight for gold after a play-off run with Edward Jancarz. Cieślak’s training career is 14 DMP medals (including 4 gold) with Włókniarz, Unia Tarnów, Sparta Wrocław and Falubaz Zielona Góra. To this must be added 13 medals with representation (11 in the DPŚ, 2 in SoN). Cieślak is the most successful Polish trainer.

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