«Кинотеатр там был и клуб. Рядом площадка была. У нас волейбола не было, в городки играли – «в рюхи» называлось. И взрослые приходили, каждый со своей битой. А фигуры не ставили: в ряд наложат, и там другая партия наложат, и вот сбивают. Даже с работы придут – и тоже играли в биты. А потом уже волейбол-то появился. Я из сапог мяч сшил. Сапоги кирзовые, не кирзовые – из коровьих. Они бахилы назывались. Язычок есть – так сапоги, а без язычка – бахилы назывались»

“There used to be a cinema and a club, and a sports ground nearby. We did not play volleyball back then yet, but we played gorodki – it was called ‘ryukhi’. All grown-ups brought their own bats. The skittles were not arranged in any figures, just placed in a row, and then in another row, and people threw the bat to knock them out. People came to play even after work. And then volleyball came along. I made a ball out of my boots. Maybe they were made of kirza [artificial leather – T.Zh.], or maybe they were made of cow leather. They were called ‘bakhili’. If boots had a tongue, they were called boots, and if they didn’t have a tongue, they were called ‘bakhili’”

«В городки-то, в рюхи, у клуба и взрослые, дети – все играли. Аж до ямы выбивают, штук 20, наверное»

“Everybody played gorodki (we called it ‘ryukhi’) – both grown-ups and kids, at the club, we all did. If the skittles were before the pit, one could knock out up to 20 skittles”