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A Biscayan club in constant growth since 2016 that is committed to equality and camaraderie… no rink to play roller hockey! The Getxo Irristan Club brings together eleven teams and more than 60% of the members are girls between the ages of 5 and 16. have achieved the Iberdrola Super Base Awardwith an injection of 50,000 euros, It is a fundamental impulse to achieve the dream of competing on your own track. We spoke with Javier Lusarretateam president, grateful to Mar, forerunner of the winning project ‘Impulse of Women’s Skating Sport’and to all the mothers and fathers who encourage their sons and daughters to skate together.
How did this project come about?
Several former roller hockey players had the illusion of setting up a club and in Getxo there was a private one that was impossible to access. We saw that it could fit in the area because there were many roller hockey players who ended up playing in schools on the outskirts. We went for it. Also, it was a time when various roller hockey projects were launched. There was, among others, Toni Sariol, well known in the world of hockey. He left Catalonia for Ponferrada and marked us all. Samaranch counted on him for the Barcelona Olympics when hockey was Olympic. In short, they were enterprising people who marked us a lot. When you start the project you are clear that you want to make the sport you like known to the rest of the boys and girls. We also have a fun sport. Everybody likes to skate. It is very fast and electric.
Since the foundation of the project until today, have you noticed favorable changes in terms of equality in sport?
Within the club, the idea arose that they should be mixed because 25 years ago it was a sport only for boys and it was said to be a very tough sport. Nothing is further from reality
Javier Lusarreta, president of the Getxo Irristan Club
Equality is marked by people, projects, and not the sports themselves. In any sport you can find different philosophies and we wanted to mark ours. We have always been clear. Let all the boys and girls who wanted to play. Until then the girls in the municipality did figure skating. They also combined it with field hockey or basketball. In this way, we could think that if they liked skating and team sports, roller hockey would be a perfect fit for them. Within the club we try to create our values: that they compete on equal terms. No differentiation by gender. Within the club, the idea arose that they should be mixed because 25 years ago it was a sport only for boys and it was said to be a very tough sport. Nothing is further from reality. The federation itself has always allowed for mixed competition up to the age of 20, which is why we have had that advantage. On a day-to-day basis you see where you want to take the project. When we started to draw up the teams, we set three parameters: equality of levels (not good and bad teams), promoting friendship on the track and that the teams be made up of boys and girls.
What do you feel when forming a project that is committed to equality?
We feel very proud because we see that what we wanted, promoting equality, has come true. People make us see how happy they are. And those who were not so happy because winning prevailed left. One can come to wonder if the project is successful or not but above all at this time you feel rewarded.
How many days do you train and how often do you play? In what conditions?
We train two days a week, generally. Some children can train three, others who make it compatible with another sport train one… We think it’s great that they combine and more so at an early age. There are many facilities in Getxo and we train mainly in frontons. We don’t have a roller hockey rink. For the matches, we turn a pediment into a track and the federation lets us play. A roller hockey rink measures 40×20 meters and the pediment where we play with the little ones measures 33×14 meters. A nearby club, Jolaseta, gives us a clue but many times they can’t or we have to wait until the last day to see if we can play there or not. Many times we have to play on the opposite court. It is very annoying and there is time invested in seeing where we play and how.
Have you asked institutions for a roller hockey rink?
The Getxo City Council supported the project. We started skating only on Sundays doing a skating school just for the family that continues to operate. Later, a school was set up during the week and later we began to compete. Now we already have eleven teams, which is a lot. We notice that the institutions support us but we believe that it is difficult for them to consolidate that we need a place to play. We have talked with them about a place where it could be done. Due to the number of children, we believe that the time has come to have a proper track. Before it didn’t have to, but now we are deserving of having it.
Are you getting closer to the dream of having a roller hockey rink thanks to this award from Iberdrola?
When I was on the other side, I didn’t know it was so complex. My congratulations to those who manage clubs altruistically
Javier Lusarreta, president of the Getxo Irristan Club
The Iberdrola award helps us a lot to have that clue. It is also a mental support, not just economic. It is a reward for effort. When I was on the other side, I didn’t know it was so complex. My congratulations to those who manage clubs altruistically. We are very close, we notice it. And I am sure that very soon we will have good news. I wish so. We have always been positive.
How do you feel about having received this recognition from Iberdrola?
We feel rewarded. It is a point of happiness after a lot of work. The day we received the email that we were finalists we did not believe it. We were all bouncing, super happy. There is a lot of effort not only to train. Tokens, entrances and exits, clues… all of this suddenly becomes a party, a joy. Substantial economic support but above all happiness. Within a super positive club with a very high atmosphere and energy, the truth is that we have taken it as a party. All these parents who bring their children to train show that they believe in the project. Mar was the one who presented it, she worked it out and explained what it consisted of. This is thanks to fathers and especially mothers.
*This content offered by IBERDROLA has been prepared by Diario AS.