Sport
The Polish media devote a vast amount of coverage to team games as diverse as basketball ( koszykowka ), handball ( handy-ballski ) and volleyball ( siatkowka ). One sport that enjoys major popularity in Poland is speedway ( zuzel ), which basically involves motorbikes repeatedly racing each other around an oval track. Most major cities boast a team and a stadium, although it's in the industrial conurbations of the southwest that the sport arouses the greatest passions. Events usually take place on Saturdays; street posters advertise times and venues. Football ( pilka nozna ) remains the only sport that commands a genuine mass following nationwide. Franz Beckenbauer described the Polish national side as "the best team in the world" in 1974's World Cup, when they were unlucky to finish only in third place. The Poles remained a major force in the world game for the next decade, with players such as Grzegorz Lato, Kazimierz Deyna and Zbigniew Boniek becoming household names. Since then it's mostly been downhill, although the national team's impressive performance in qualifying for the 2002 World Cup suggested a turn in fortunes. Despite receiving blanket coverage from the country's private TV stations, Polish league football is currently in the doldrums: few clubs are rich enough to pay the wages of top players, and the country's best talents ply their trade in Germany, Italy or elsewhere. Warsaw club Legia enjoys the biggest countrywide following, although they've been edged out of the league title in recent years by capital-city rivals Polonia, and the Krakow team Wisla. Other teams with proud historical pedigrees are the Silesian trio of GKS Katowice, Ruch Chorzow and Gornik Zabrze; and the two Lodz sides, LKS and Widzew. The season lasts from August to November, then resumes in March until June. Some of the top teams have equipped their stadia with plastic seating in order to comply with UEFA safety guidelines; elsewhere wooden benches, or uncovered concrete terraces, remain the rule. Inside, grilled sausages and beer are the order of the day. Regular league fixtures suffer from pitifully low attendance figures, not least because the emergence of a serious hooligan problem has scared many stadium-goers away. Unsurprisingly, you shouldn't have trouble buying tickets (GBP4/US$6) on the gate for most games, although you may be asked to show ID before being subjected to a spot of vigorous security frisking. For details of results and fixtures, check out the Polish Football Federation's website , .
Outdooring activities and otherBritt W says "Never give up. Keep your nevers of skill to your head. Be force. Stay safe and have fun. or email me at kwlmusic@aim.com ! Thanx!
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