Introducing-Vipren Cadiz

Last time we introduced a Dutch team Camelot Tilburg. In the next session we will present a women team from Spain. This team is from unique city in the world, because Cadiz is the only city in which was held European and World beach handball championship. We will present an interview with Vipren Cadiz. We have the pleasure to talk with one of the Vipren players- miss Cristina García de Lago

 

  • For introduction, tell us something about your team.

Our team is a friendship-based team. We`re a group of friends that love this sport and play it just to have fun. We think that’s our secret to win.

  • Is this the first time that you will play on Masters tour? If yes,what do you expect? (of organization,other teams….)

Sure. It’s our first time, and we’re really exited about that. About our expectations… We’d like to see good and spectacular beach handball, a professional organization, make some european friends and, certainly, have fun.

  • You are representing your state on this tournament,so are there any strong sponsors or media to help the team to promote you(some sport magazines or tv?) Is beach handball a popular sport in your state?

No, not really. Our sponsor is a medium company of our province that provides us with the team clothes, food costs and some money for petrol. Anyhow, we’re trying to get an agreement with this sponsor for finance us this championship. It would be a mess if we couldn’t take part of this for money.

Beach handball is not very popular in our state for people that don’t practise indoor handball, but luckily, it’s a really promoted sport from our town hall. They know the attraction and magnetism that beach handball produces on people which see it for the first time, considering the spectacular beachs we have here too, in Cádiz, Andalusia, Spain.

  • How long do you exist as a team,when did you start to play and what was the beggining like?Was it difficult to create a beach handball club?

The actual team, with the actual players, exists from 2 years ago, but each one of us is playing beach handball since 8 years ago. In the beggining was really hard to “ignite“ as a team, but with a couple of tournaments we started to work really fine. Together. Now, we’re not able to play without one of us in the court. We are really joined.

  • Where do you have trainings? How many courts are per city? Do you use maybe indoor courts during winter?

It can seem a little pretentious, but we don’t train. We’re all students and when the good wheather comes to train, we´re studying hard for tests time in our universities, so we start to play without training and when the tournaments have begun.

Our courts is our beachs. Cádiz has 120 kilometres of white sands beachs, so we have these natural courts during all year long.

  • Do you,as a team, play only beach handball or do you play also indoor handball and just play together during the summer?

We play, as Viprén Cádiz, only beach handball. On the other hand, each one of us play indoor handball in her own team. For example, Laura and Noe plays in Málaga city, and Cris, Andrea and me plays in Cádiz city.

  • How is the championship organised in your state? How many tournaments do you have?

We have a national tour called ASEBAP. It’s played all around in cities of Spain, but in Andalusia, a state of Spain where we play the most, we have more than 20 tournaments. Last summer, the world championship tournament was celebrated in our city, Cádiz, where the women spanish team was proclaimed world subchampion. Our companions Noe and Inma were in that team!.

  • How many tours do you play per year, do you often play in other countries in Europe or maybe on other continents?

We play around 12-14 tournaments, but all in Spain. We have no powerful sponsor to play in others countries.

  • Are there any players in your team that play for the national team?

Yes, luckily, we have two international girls. Noelia Fornell “Noe“ and Inma Navarro “Manca“. They are two of the best players around the world in their positions. Noe support the Spanish Woman Team since 2001, and Inma is a talented left-handed, so we are a “twice-gifted“ team.

  • How do you plan to prepare the team for Masters tour? Do you train every day during the season?

We train in our respectives indoor teams, but we don’t really train for beach handball. Our indoor teams prepare us to indoor, so it help us to keep on physically. When summer comes, we try to remember our 360o and flys “weapons“ in the first tournament we play. After the first match, we’re ready to confront the beach handball magic.

  • What are your goals on Masters tour? Just to play and have fun or to win one of the medals?

We think play to have fun and play to win are taken by the hand. If you play and fight having fun, and enjoying what you’re doing because you’re doing it your best, win is just a consequence. So, if our goal is to have fun, of course our goal is try to win too.

  • Do you have any information of other teams on Masters?

Sincerely, we haven’t. All we know is european beach handball level is awesome, so we’ll have to fight pretty hard.

  • How do you see the progress of beach handball in future?

Beach handball future is brilliant now, more than never. The new generations of players are giving the quickness and showiness that beach handball was lacking all these passed years. We think that sponsors and national federations must support hard and seriously this sport now to see it growing as the big sport it is.

  • How do you see the differences between indoor and beach handball?

They are two different sports, totally. Beach handball base its play on the showiness and the creativity. People who see beach handball, want to see spectacular plays and shoots. Instead of that, indoor handball fights, especially, about get the victory (and we love indoor handball too).

  • Do you have some program of creating young beach players,or everyone just plays indoor and for fun beach? Do you think that it is necessary to develop beach handball as independent sport,not so connected to indoor handball and players?

We have some kind of. When we locate in our indoor club some new young girl that is interesed on beach handball and she has skills for it and want to develop it, we receive her in our beach team. For example, our holder player Andrea Sánchez, is a impressive 360o-making, and she’s just 17 years old.

  • Do you have any information about croatian beach handball? (teams,results…?)

Not really. All we know it’s you have a really good national teams, and that you’re woman and men actual world champions.