Irena Vyslyšelová

“At that time, they came overnight and the next morning, they were here! Olomouc, which had a garrison, was teeming with Russian soldiers! We were straight with the kids, telling them what was going on. Later, I once met one of my former pupils, by then already a women. She told me she remembered what I had told them in the days of the occupation: ‘Girls, remember that who comes at night is an occupier and who shoots at mothers and children, like they did in Prostějov, is a killer!’ She also told me that I had added the remark that I chose to tell them this now since I may later not have the chance to do so anymore.”

“I made a good choice because I was well suited for volleyball. There were two of from Olomouc in the national team. I still keep a newspaper article that was written after the championship in Paris saying that Špelinová and Vyslyšelová were the best ones in the whole national team.”

“I and my husband, we made a good team, as he was a sports person as well. When we went out, it didn’t take long for us to be surrounded by kids. Be it in the winter or in the summer. We would organize sports activities all year round. In the winter, we organized a skiing championship and in the summer, it was all about running. We made sure that there was a playing ground there. I arranged the gym to be properly equipped. I just felt that if I was to teach these kids, I needed proper equipment in the gym and not just a mat and a Swedish box.”

“However, there came the year 1968. The whole nation felt outraged and subdued by the incursion of the Russians. We organized rallies and happenings, even planting a linden in front of the school building. I remember that in Prostějov, the Russian soldiers shot a number of women. The situation was pretty charged in Olomouc as well, as there was a garrison stationed there. We would refuse them – the Russian soldiers would come to our happenings. In those days, I made a reputation for my anti-communist and anti-Soviet opinions. That was the reason for my later reprimand. I was invited to come to the district national committee. There was an inspector, her name was Kvasnicová and she was the dominant figure there. Even before I could sit down, she started yelling at me as if I was a little girl, accusing me of betraying our ideals! She told me I had no right to teach and made the proposal I should quit teaching. This was very painful for me. I was quite battered at that time.”