Gundars Vetra: the right man
Real men choose ice-hockey, you say? They do basketball too. Friends love them, opponents respect. And they have charisma. Perm now acquired one more of such men: Gundars Vetra came to work as an assistant coach of Ural Great. He is a great athlete and a real man.
Date of birth: 22.05.1967 (Ventspils, Latvia)
Height: 195 cm
Weight: 100 kg
Achievements: silver medalist at World Championship (1990), champion of Europe (1989), participant of Olympic Games (1992), champion of Russian Superleague (1996, 1998, 2000), NEBL champion (2000)
Players career: SKA (Sverdlovsk), VEF (Riga), Minnesota Timberwolves (NBA), Adaji, Broceni (Riga), CSKA (Moscow), Galatasarai (Turkey), Fabriano (Italy).
Coaching career: Barons (Riga, Latvia), Ural Great (Perm). Coach of the Year in Latvian League according to eurobasket.com.
As a young boy Gundars Vetra dreamt of becoming a bus driver. It is very probable that he could be a very good bus driver and his passengers would trust him unconditionally because he is a true disciplinarian. Driving his own car he strictly follows traffic rules and always fastens his safety belt (as per the rules in Latvia). And he opens car doors for women (as per his upbringing). If adults would receive a medal for success and good behaviour, Gundars would have definitely be the number one candidate to receive it. It is impossible to find anything negative about him even in the global web. Both internet and real people witness: Vetra is a good player, true friend and devoted husband and father.
Gundars Vetra:
People really speak so about me? Its funny. There is nothing bad said and written about me? Ill have to deal with that (laughs).
The image of a positive hero was created step by step of his career and private life. Vetra first went for sports at the age of 11. In about 25 years from then he worked as a basketball player in different countries and became a head of his own family. Now he is a husband, father, coach and a student of an extension department. To receive a diploma he needs to study sports theory.
Do you feel that the young generation acknowledges your former achievements, your NBA experience?
— As I first meet a new team I feel that. But as time goes everybody starts expecting you to be their coach. Neither one even famous player is worth something as a coach if he doesnt develop his coaching skills. As a player I did all I was able for on the court. Now I am interested in sharing my experience, opening young talents, think of the game tactics. I love to teach and thats I dont live in my home town of Riga but work in different cities.
Latvian citizen came to Perm been invited by the head coach of Ural Great Sharon Drucker. Gundars says, that Drucker watched him long time before and followed his steps on the map. Vetra arrived to Perm in August.
I always liked Perm. As I was with CSKA we visited this city often. I remember time when Sergey Kushchenko started foundation of a basketball club here. I would say, we helped him in that: at that time Ural Great played in Division B and wasnt such a good team as now. For a Christmas tournament of 1998-99 our coach said that instead of Madrid we should go to Perm. We were supposed to play vs. Real Madrid and suddenly Ural Great came on stage! We somehow influenced that basketball became so popular sports in Perm. We received such a warm welcome, I dont remember same attitude anywhere else. Everything was organized on the highest level, fans met us very warm. Since then I like coming to Perm. In a year from that Christmas tournament Ural Great played in Superleague and the team started its ascension.
Vetra says that there are no geographical borders for the game, basketball is the same everywhere. But he doesnt deny specifics of national basketball.
I havent been in the Russian basketball for 4 years and cannot notice all national peculiarities. After the end of the season I will answer your question. As I see now Russian basketball now attracts big money. And foreigners who did not want to sign contracts with Russian clubs before now are here.
Vetra is going study the specifics of Russian basketball for one season minimum. Most difficult for him will be far from his family. When he played in CSKA, the road from home to work took him 1 hour flight Riga-Moscow. It wont be so easy to fly between Perm and Riga but he believes he will have a chance to see his family.
At home 5 women are waiting for me. A dog whos living outside our house, a cat whos fighting the dog. And if seriously my wife Argita and two daughters. It happens so that I cannot be with my family all the time and I dont want to make them change places each time I change club. Its better that they stay in our home Latvia.
Having to live alone Gundars loves goof food. As he says, to eat for him doesnt mean to still hunger. Food must be tasty. The coach is a perfect cook. Having spent two years in Italy he learnt Italian cuisine, his friends taught him, and now he can do any dish with pasta.
As his job requires, Vetra travels a lot. But his favourite place is Riga, he says. He cannot travel with his family often, cannot take them to a ski resort for Christmas its time for tournaments. His best memories are about yacht trip on Greek islands. I think there is sailor inside of me. I am probably doing not what I have to do all my life, jokes the world champion.
How do you recreate?
— Even the way I spend my rest should serve as an example for those whom I coach (smiles).
The right man admits he loves to read newspapers, watch TV and cook.
I am not good about house work. I can change a light bulb but I doubt I could fix a socket. My father and brother did that very well and I didnt have to deal with that. And as we built our house in Riga I escaped at the most important moment. I had to leave my wife on the most difficult, final stage of construction.
His house is a spacious one-floor cottage. It has a lot of surrounding territory for basketball court (as Gundars wanted) and for flower-beds (as his wife wanted). We supplement each other in every aspect of our life including upbringing children, Gundars says. We have two daughters: Ruta (10 years old) and Laura (15). Both play basketball under their fathers guidance.
You know, people sometimes joke, How such parents could have so good children? I am pleased to hear that. But I dont believe this joke, bad families cannot have good children.
Are you a father-coach or coach-father?
Yes, sometimes my wife tells me to stop, I am not at work when I am at home. I cannot forget that I am a coach.
How were you brought up?
My coach once said that you have to praise the player but sometimes you have to bring him into the mire too. Thats how I was brought up (smiles).
Imagine, you write a book Vetras methods of upbringing children. What advise you would give the parents?
I prefer everything to be strict. Discipline. When my children were younger they didnt realize that their father is leaving them for a long time, they asked to bring them something. The older they grow, the more difficult to part with them.
Does your family has a tradition to welcome their father and husband from a long absence? Perhaps, barbeque
No, not barbeque (laughs). As my friends come to my house we always have those endless barbeques. As the summer ends, we cant hear about barbeques any more.
Talking about his family and friends, Vetra will never say too much. He puts limits, neither one journalist in Latvia could get into my private life and we would never let photo session at our house. I dont want to make my family public. You will never see cheap sensations from me. Gundars is very open but he says, that it is only him who knows all truth about himself. The author of this article still doubted the ideality of our hero:
What guilt you know about yourself: perhaps, fine for overspeeding or parking in the wrong place or you forget to lid the toothpaste?
No, I even hate when other people do such things. Let me think what I did wrong recently I cant remember anything, can you believe? Well yesterday I was tuning my TV I watched erotic channel for a few minutes. What else I notice beautiful women. It is a guilt? (smiles)
Its not a guilt but more a positive moment. It seems that you are too positive. Are you severe upon other people?
I do not notice the furniture, I dont have a favourite décor style. I can visit you and not remember what you were wearing. I will not remember colours of the room we were in, but I will notice if it was clean. Comfort is the most important thing for me. And cleanness of the place. I need everything to be on its place. As we shared the room with Sergey Panov I remember that after the game he used to come to our room, take off his clothes and forget it everywhere. I tried to make him keep order.
Dont you think he may feel offended by such of your memories?
I can tell you something that he does not: Genius dont notice particulars. And Panov is a genius.
Besides, Gundars Vetra doesnt always notice particulars too. He says, clothing is not important for him. Having changed game uniforms for business suit he does not make its brand a cult:
When I buy a suit I try to rumple the trousers. If it wrinkles, I dont buy the suit. It doesnt mean I dont know the brands. I even know that strips are fashionable now. But I do not buy clothes looking at brands, I choose the things that fit me. My wife gives me her advise about my clothes too. During the game it is not important what I or the other coach is wearing. My task is to win the other team and I dont notice the suits that other coaches wear.
Vetra is sure that the philosophy of game reflects life. As the person drives his car and behaves on the court Gundars judges about his character, basketball reveals everything: if I cannot rely on a person in the team, I cannot trust him in life. He thinks his favourite words Every man is the architect of his own fortunes are common. But he believes in these words. And he proved with his own life that all he has in sports and family he achieved with his own hard work.
