In just a few hours a new edition of the Spanish Championship by Teams of 2ª Category will begin. From the Spanish Federation They offer us their interview with Belén Álvarez, the head of a very special group: Pádel Derio Club.
Padel World Press .- He will be the only representative of the Basque Country in this important event. Squad of wide trajectory in the world of the paddle, one could almost say that its 'history' is closely linked to that of Belén Álvarez, who has been part of this block since 1988.
As happened in 2015, they will make their debut against Club Cordillera (which they won by 4-1) but, this time, the captain wants to go with caution since her team has made an important generational changeover.
In his talk with the FEP, Belén assured that she trusts in instilling in her young pupils the philosophy with which this team began its adventure.
Do you repeat team with which you reached the semifinals last year?
Well this year we have a bit of generational relief, so there will be many changes.
You played at the beginning of February the team tournament in your community. How have you seen the girls in preparation for the tournament?
It is difficult to assess it since we were mixed between the team Es Más Pádel and the Derio, being both from the same club ... So it is difficult to draw conclusions.
As you mentioned, this year you have a very young group with new additions. Do you think the team has improved compared to last year or is it still too early to tell?
I would not know what to tell you. Many times everything depends more on the Table that you have than on the equipment you have.
If we focus on the Draw, you debut against Club Cordillera, which you eliminated last year in the first round 4-1. How do you see this first confrontation?
It is a complicated team, to see how the tie develops. They have new people because of what I have been able to see.
With all the changes that the Cordillera has suffered and your generational change, do you see it as a completely different qualifying round than last year?
Yes probably. They will have joined people like tennis and it will be a very tough match. Bad for us since it benefited us that it was as similar as possible to last year's. In the end, unless you have a very strong and compensated team, the result is very uncertain. It depends a lot on the luck in the crossings and circumstances that you do not handle so much.
In recent years you have been an elevator team. This year by statistics do you have to go back to 1ª or watch the tournament conservatively?
I do not know very well what to tell you, I prefer not to say anything. In the 27 years that I have been going through teams, everything has happened to me. When we have a tournament like this, I organize it and try not to think about an objective or something similar.
What is the philosophy of the team you have been leading for so many years?
We started being friends that we all played well and we were very competitive. This circumstance has been changing over the years since, for example, this year we have many new people. But I trust to transform and instill that spirit, so to speak, to the new generations that we now have in our team. I would like the team that leaves, not the typical set that only bases its satisfaction on the results or who can sign, if not on that competitive philosophy and friendship that united us so many years ago. In the end it is more important to enjoy what you do than the results themselves, since we have been among the eight best teams in Spain for fifteen years, and the relevance is minimal. I have always been lucky to have a group of players who have followed me wherever I went, always reserving the Championship date and not having to go behind them to see if they signed up or not.
What are the most complicated decisions you have to make now that you have many additions and very young people on the team?
I've always been very careful with the bench and, thank God, I've always had people who respected the decision that they had to stay without playing.
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