On 5 June the first session began in the Chardym SSU Sports and Recreation Camp. Then honoured guests came to the island – SSU rector Aleskei N. Chumachenko, vice-rectors Olga Ye. Nesterova, Igor G. Malinskii, Marina V. Alyoshina, Anton V. Golovchenko, Irina L. Novikova, and Sergei G. Semenov, Head of the Office of Priority Projects and Programmes Elena G. Yelina, Academic Secretary Irina V. Fedusenko, and Chardym veterans – Sergei N. Shtykov, Bronislav I. Borisov, Nadezhda V. Vasyagina, and Svetlana N. Serebrennikova. The guests walked around the camp and saw territory of the ski track used in the past.
The excursion was guided Senior Camp Counsellor Svetlana Trubnikova. The museum exhibit items showed the history of the camp, which started with the SSU Ski Club. The guests saw photographs, a cup which was founded in the island, and the characteristic things of any camp – a camp tent, a kettle and a bush pot, skis, bowls and spoons made of aluminium, a flag of the Thunderbird Ski Club, etc. The goal of the exhibition was to make the guests indulge into the charming island atmosphere. An SSU graduate Norair Petrosyan sang for them a touching popular song. Nearby sportsmen were doing exercises symbolising one more ‘exhibit item’. Following a new tradition the guests bent ribbons to the Chardym Bird of Happiness and made wishes.
After the excursion the opening ceremony took place, and it was devoted to the 65th anniversary camp season, as Head of the Session Zhanna V. Osyshnaya announced. The flags of Russia, the Saratov Region, and SSU were hoisted by Rector Aleksei Chumachenko, Professor of the Department of Analytical Chemistry and Chemical Ecology and a skier Sergei Shtykov, and a university graduate, one of the camp longtimers, the author of the camp anthem Sergei Tkachyov.
Then Rector Aleksei Chumachenko addressed to the campers.
‘While we were on our way here we reminisced about the time we had spent in the camp. All of us have special Chardym stories, which are connected with our old friends who also come here and new friends we get acquainted with here as well. I wish you to find loyal friends here, too,’ underlined the rector.
Besides, he hoped that the camp would always be a recreation zone for the SSU staff members and students.
The nest to speak was the best skier of the Saratov Region in the 1970-80s Sergei Shtykov. In his opinion, many members of the SSU staff and students had defended their postgraduate theses had received terminal degrees, and had become leading specialists and directors of different organisations and companies due to the fact that they had not only studied in Saratov University but had done sports as well. They had trained in the Chardym camp and had found life-long friends.
The campers applauded very loudly to honour Chief Economist of the Office of Financial Planning Lidia Serova. On 1 June she swam across the Kerch Strait (5 km) for 1 hour 23 minutes.
The guests enjoyed two singing performances of a student of the Institute of Philology and Journalism Daria Panakshina and Sergei Tkachyov.
Then the campers moved to the club where Deputy Head of the Office of Social Work Marina I. Kabanova told them about old friends of the camp. Some of them – Alexander Dines and Sergei Puskepalis – had sent videos to congratulate the campers of the anniversary. Also they had spoken about their attitude to the camp, their Chardym friends, and the unique atmosphere in the camp.
Sergei Shtykov reminisced about the history of the camp establishment. He said that in the 1950s Vyacheslav Ya. Kiselyev had chosen that territory in order to build the camp there. Besides, Sergei Shtykov showed the photos taken during the construction works of the first camp house and the camp dining-room and photographs depicting sports events and student events.
The ceremony was also attended by Bronislav Borisov who had written the book titled O, Sport! You Are Peace!, which was published when the university had celebrated its 100th anniversary. The main part of the book was dedicated to the history of the SSU camp.
