“The Košice children had cross-country skis and our children had ordinary wooden skis, tied with laces...and they were able to beat them.”
Jaroslav Kozák, a former teacher and professional badminton player, was born on August 29, 1943 in a picturesque house in Betlanovce. Father Pavel Kozák, originally from Liptov, worked as a telegraph construction worker, but due to an accident he was later retrained as a postal clerk with a workplace in Hrabušice. Since Jaroslav came from four siblings, mother Mária, as single Koleščíková, was at home with the children all her life. As a postman, Pavel helped the partisan movement in Spiš. He was aware that the partisans had to live on something, and as a postman he had the opportunity to provide them with finances. He helped especially in the area of the Chočské Mountains, and many others joined later. After the end of the war, Pavel had a clear goal, and that was to ensure a better future for his four children. Therefore, in 1945, he decided to move his entire family to Košice, where especially the older ones, brother Stanko and sisters Božka and Mária, immediately gained access to quality education. In 1949, Jaro started attending elementary school. It was the premises of the current Technical University in Košice, where Ferka Urbánka Elementary School once stood. He was already involved in athletics, handball and ping pong. The next stop in 1957 was the 11th year secondary school on Šrobárová Street, which Jaroslav successfully completed with the matriculation exam. At that time, he mainly devoted himself to athletics and pole vaulting. In the 1960s, he also attended training sessions held at the Lokomotíva stadium. After successfully completing the admission procedure, he became a student of the Faculty of Education at the then Pedagogical Institute in Košice. Since the institute in Košice was later abolished, he had to finish his studies in 1965 at a similar institute in Prešov, combining chemistry with physical education. After completing his studies, Jaroslav got a job as a beginning teacher at an elementary school in Ruskov. As for the mandatory military service, the training started in Sereď and was transferred from there to Mošnov to the airport. He thus became part of the state defense unit, specifically the second air defense regiment, for ten months. After returning home, at the turn of 1966 and 1967, he got a job at a new school, in the Youth Park. He got married in 1973 and had two children. He worked as a teacher in the Youth Park until 1974. For the next four years, he became a part of the Dneperská Elementary School and in 1978 he got the position of deputy director of the Galactic Elementary School. As he grew in his position, it was necessary to become a member of the Communist Party. From 1980, he became the director of the Elementary School on Charkovská Street for twelve long years. Jaro was also an expert in military education, for which he received an award. He also won a gold medal for development in the 1960s. As part of his achievements in badminton, Jaroslav became the Master of Slovakia 20 times and once, in 1975, the Master of Czechoslovakia. The Košice team won more than 10,000 medals for its work at that time. From 1968 to 1974, Jaro was a member of the national team. Jaro managed to travel abroad for the first time thanks to badminton, namely to Budapešť in 1964. Jaro actively played badminton until the age of 55, later he was limited by health problems with the discs, but he is still considered one of the most successful Slovak badminton players. Until recently, he also participated in the International Veterans Championships, or All England Senior Badminton in England, where he won a bronze medal last year.
