The Anglo-German Business Academy hasn't even been with us for a year yet, but it already has many skilled participants. Students involved in the DofE at this school include Sandra Steinbrecher and Dora Vargova, who interviewed classmate Jan Ruprich as part of their level performance. What does Jan do as part of his activities? And what findings have his DofE activities led him to? Read on! Thank you to both ladies and Jan for the inspiring interview!
Why did you decide to join the DofE?
To tell you the truth, I don't really know the reason why I joined this program. But I guess it was to win an international award that is under the patronage of Prince Philip - husband of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain.
What activities did you choose in the three areas of talent, volunteering and sport?
I chose genealogy (in talent), soccer (in sports) and tutoring (in volunteering).
What goals do you have in these areas?
My first goal, which I have been working on for some time, is to compile a comprehensive family family tree. My family is what matters most to me - it simply comes first. In the activity of soccer, I have chosen to complete my C license soccer training so that I can continue to coach my prep team. I chose tutoring specifically because I enjoy explaining things to someone and helping my classmates and friends to achieve better academic results. Very often they are unnecessarily underestimated and ,,pull down their pants when the ford is still far away''.
Do you play football or just train?
That's a question for me! I only play soccer recreationally, at school tournaments or small-sided tournaments, or in practice if there are an odd number of us. So de facto I'm just training, I probably won't be a professional footballer anymore, at most a player of some "forest" competition.
How old did you start training?
That is a very interesting question. I was introduced to football by my brother, who is still actively playing football. I couldn't play it because of health complications in my childhood, so I used to go to my brother Vilém's games to watch. Gradually I got to know people who were connected with football in Jaroměřice. Suddenly there was a new world in front of me. I started training in November 2015, when I was in the 7th grade of primary school, when I was 14 years old. I started as a 2nd assistant coach in the pre-season and finished as a 1st assistant that same season. By the 2016-2017 season, I had already jumped in as head coach and we were runners-up in our competition. I also served as team manager and A-men custodian for one year. After that, unfortunately, came saying goodbye to elementary school and choosing a high school. I chose the Anglo-German Business Academy and had to leave my little charges behind. The first year I coached the younger preparatory team of FK Slavoj Vyšehrad as an assistant. Soon after, I met Mrs. Haniakova, the head coach of the girls, at Strahov, who brought me to women's football at AC Sparta Prague, for which I would like to thank her very much! Since October 2018 I have been coaching Sparta's senior girls' team. However, I have a long way to go to improve my coaching skills and football theory.
How did you come up with the idea of doing genealogy?
My family means everything to me. I am also interested in my ancestors, of whom I am proud. True, there are a few people I'm not so proud of. I am interested in world history and the history of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic. My interest in family history is also related to this - in fact, every important historical event has touched my family in some way - for example, the expulsion of the Germans, World War II, the Prague Spring of 1968, the victorious February 1948, and so on.
What materials do we need to "explore"?
I get my materials from the stories of my relatives - just as F. L. Čelakovský collected folklore, I collect family history. I browse through the digitized digital research rooms of various Czech and German archives. If they are not yet accessible or digitized, I go to the necessary archive myself (with the help of my parents or brother). Thanks to my ongoing studies in Prague, I had the opportunity to visit the Security Forces Archive, where I found records kept by the StB on who cooperated with them. I found there, for example, that one of my ancestors was a deputy Czechoslovak ambassador in Rome and refused to return after the February communist coup. The StB began to keep a meticulous file on him, which ended up being about 10 kilograms long. So I've been going around to the state district archives, the National Archives in Prague, regional offices, town registries, and so on.
How are you doing?
First, I find the person I'm researching and find out as much as I can about them from a close source (parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles). Once I have gathered as much information as possible about the person, I visit the archive of my choice and search for more and more information.
We hear you're a descendant of Masaryk? How did that happen?
I had known that my ancestor was the first president of Czechoslovakia, Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, for a long time, but when I was involved in the DofE and the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of independent Czechoslovakia, I went public with it. It was known in my close family, of course. I found a family tree on the internet and a short chronicle of T.G.M.'s ancestors and family by Professor Ladislav Hosák, who only confirmed it. Actually, Masaryk's maternal grandmother (his mother was half German) was Kateřina Ruprich during her maiden name... well, all the Ruprichs who are in the Czech Republic, but also in the world, are related and we know each other.
Sandra Maria Steinbrecher
Dora Vargova
