Central American Volleyball Beach Championship games at the Marion Jones Stadium

The Central American Volleyball Beach Championship games got underway today. It is the second time that Belize is hosting the games that are being played at the Marion Jones stadium where sand has been added to the court to give it the beach effect.  All Central American countries except for Panama are taking part. On opening day, let’s say it was not a good day for the Jewel, since the local male and female athletes lost to both Salvador and Guatemala. News Five’s Andrea Polanco reports.

Andrea Polanco, Reporting

Under the sweltering sun, our neighboring Central American friends came out with their A game. In the opening match, the experience of the Salvadoran girls proved enough to seal the game against our young but talented Rebecca Rath and Emma Hoare, who say nerves affected their game:

Rebecca Rath, Team Belize

Rebecca Rath

“Well we played El Salvador one, that’s their first team. That’s the best team. You know what I think we were a bit nervous because you know it’s our first tournament. I think we did fairly well; we messed up on some of our passes and our serves but I don’t think they were that hard of a team to beat, I think it’s just because we were nervous it got in our heads. They’re a very good defense team; they are very good at their passing and their setting so yea that worked for them.”

Andrea Polanco

“Is this the first time you’re competing in a tournament of this magnitude?”

Emma Hoare, Team Belize

“Yes it’s my first beach tournament and I was a bit nervous at first but in the second set I shook off my shakiness.”

Andrea Polanco

“So do you think it’s the experience of these girls that caused them to triumph to today?”

Emma Hoare

Emma Hoare

“Yes, it was the experience. Because they practice, they actually they pay them to come out and play and we just do this as wah hobby because we love the sport and everything so.”

In their opener, the boys of Belize also fell short to the Guatemalans, twelve to twenty one and ten to twenty one in their first and second sets respectively; again experience got the upper hand in that game:

Juan Marin, Team Belize

“We started out a little bit slow, we started with the slowness they ended up beating us in the first set. With the hype that they had they end up prevailing in the first set. In the second set that we did, we did a good come back however they played a much quicker game than we are used to. And on top they are the team that are out in the field as much as the international tournament goes and we usually stay here so they a much better experience than we do.”

Andrea Polanco

Tico Requena

“So you believe the experience of the Guatemalan Team is what prevailed today?”

Tico Requena, Team Belize

“Uhmm definitely, the Guatemalan team have coaches they travel abroad, they play inna many different leagues NORSECA and all deh ting suh deh face wah whole wide variety of different players so deh got experience deh deh miles ova we inna dat deh sense. I mean we just have to play ketch up and hustle lee bit more mek we fuh try stay pahn dah level.”

While our local players fell short, their competitors recognized both their talents and their short comings:

Diana de Leiva

Diana de Leiva, El Salvador

“I think that they have to practice a little more, they have a future they will become a good a very good players.”

Andrea Polanco

“What is your experience like? How long have you been playing volleyball?”

Diana de Leiva

“I play since I was twelve years so I think that I have a little of experience. Maybe professional I think that I started in two thousand one so I think that we are trying to do the best in this championship.”

Andrea Polanco

“So what do you think made you guys prevailed this morning? What caused that win?”

Diana de Leiva

“In the first set we take advantage to the server, we use the wind to do good serves so I think that was the strong skill that we have.”

Erick Garrido

Erick Garrido, Guatemala

“Belize is a really good team but we had a couple like before the tournament we train like three four months before and we are ready for the tournament.”

Andrea Polanco

So do you think it’s your experience that caused you guys to win that match morning?

Erick Garrido

“Yes because the facility in Guatemala is very different from here, we have other teams to practice and it’s different.”

And it is experience combined with technical support, that the Belizean athletes doesn’t have:

Allan Sharp

Allan Sharp, President, Belize Volleyball Association

“It’s two things, technical and exposure. Talent, we have more talent than the Central America, most Central American Countries but they have programs which is part of our idea for this having and hosting this in Belize. To show the Belize public, and government and corporate that if we invest more in sports not only in volleyball I’m talking all sports, that a lot more can be done because we have the talent; but we need exposure and then we need to have programs, proper programs in schools, proper coaches that know what they are doing to develop. These teams play many times over per year; they play maybe ten, twelve, fifteen weekends per year. We play maybe two at best you know so exposure is big and also technical development.”

Juan Marin

“At home we did a couple of training but like how they say, they have coaches, they have everything. We don’t really have those things, we have ourselves only. We do our best to prepare but in the end we need a lot more practice to play catch up with them.”

Juan Marin

But the Belize Teams will not go down without fight, as they remain positive going into rest of their games:

Juan Marin

“We learn from the ones that we lose and we must hustle up. We must do a lot better to find our hype quicker because once you have a hype you stay into the game so like that  you can actually push more than you normally do.”

Andrea Polanco

“You guys looking for a win?”

Tico Requena

“Great, that’s the plan we should have a better game. We had a bad game just now suh can’t get worse than that so it just gotta get betta.”

Andrea Polanco

“So any final comments that you guys want to leave with us?”

Rebecca Rath

“I just want you to note that our next games we wah fight and we wah play hardest and we ah come out and we ah win.”

Andrea Polanco

“We can expect some good ball later?”

Emma Hoare

“Yes, oh yes all my nervousness. And come out tomorrow make sure you guys come out tomorrow and watch us play again.”

Andrea Polanco

“What are your expectations over the next two days?”

Allan Sharp

“Well this is home; they’re not used to this heat, they’re suffering in this hear, they suffering with the humidity. The breeze, they’re not used to playing with this much wind as well so it kinda evens out whatever technical aspects they have and I think at home once the fans come out and boost our players, I think that will be the difference I think that we can really do well.”

Reporting for News Five, I am Andrea Polanco.

The games will conclude on Sunday.