The project of the School of Basketball Los Tigre started in 2015. Three years later, this sporting endeavor of a few became something more massive. Not only in regards to the players but also from the managerial point of view. The idea grew so much, as well as fast and well, that in 2018 the Municipality distinguished Orange, via the Riogalleguense Basketball League, as Revelation Club of the season. The School happened to have all the categories. From both branches. His place of practice and play was the gymnasium of School No. 55. Los Tigres came to participate in two competitions at the same time. He was part of the local league and that of the center of our province as well. He also did it successfully in both competitions. He also participated, in those last years, in the domestic elimination of the Evita National Games.
Everything good they had built collapsed overnight. The pandemic on the one hand and the lack of support, on the other, ended up demolishing what was built. With what they could not, it was with the desire and the sense of belonging. All that, and more also, that was vital in this beginning to resurface.
Los Tigres is, little by little, coming back. Now with the Maxi as flag bearers. These were the first to return to training and now also to compete in the Riogalleguense Basketball League. About this, and other things, he spoke exclusively with South Time the captain of the team, Fátima Liendro.
-A couple of weeks ago they played their first game this season, since 2019 they did not play officially, how did they experience that round?
Playing like Los Tigres again, with our jerseys was very significant, more than anything emotionally. We are a group of women 30 years and up that we practice this sport because for many it means our ground wire, as it should happen to other girls on other teams. Most of us started practicing basketball for two or three years and others of us played from formative categories. Being able to meet again on the court, as a team and as rivals with the other clubs, I think it surpassed the competition since the pandemic not only took away loved ones, in many cases, but also the possibility of continuing with the league, with training. , with social encounters that strengthen any human group. We couldn’t win against San Miguel, but we gave a very good battle to a team that in past tournaments beat us by much more difference than in recent games. And that minor difference is what encourages us to continue training hard to continue improving, because as a team we realize that the results, beyond the board, are positive for us.
-Now, continuing with the competition, they played again and also got their first victory in the contest. What feelings did you have when you were able to win and do it so fast in the tournament?
As I said before, winning against clubs like Boxing are the positive results that we envision as a team. Before starting to play the Official LI.Ba.R Tournament, the Patagonia club organized a triangular match in which we also participated. In this one we did well. We managed to reach the final precisely against Boxing and we were able to win a game that was very close from minute one. The difference then was minimal, of one point. Going back to face now, officially, generated us some anxiety and nervousness because we knew it was going to be a different game. A meeting to fight all the time for the win. Thanks to the effort, the concentration and especially the attitude, we were able to win and it was a nice difference. This is something that our coach Nicolás (Sanabria) always remarks on us. I mean, the issue of the attitude that we have to always have on the court.
-That the victory was against Boxing Club, a strong team and always a candidate for the title, did it have a special flavor?
Winning leaves us with a special flavor, whatever the club. Winning is more than a reason to celebrate at Los Tigres. It is our incentive to continue growing. To realize that “we can”, that in the face of all the obstacles that may arise, we can move forward, we can continue to put on our shirts and do our best on the field. Going back to racing, after such a long time we were all very excited. And yes, beat a club like Boxing, we are proud as a team, since it is a club that has very good players and they know each other very well on the pitch.
-In the Preparation Tournament they could not be and for this they merged with the Union girls, how did that possibility come about? How are they doing?
At the beginning of 2021, when they began to enable the gyms, I have to mention my partner Daniela Meandri, since it was she who moved to find a place and times for a group of women, regardless of shirts, to get together to do What we like. There were many “no” that we received at the beginning as Los Tigres. So we couldn’t waste this opportunity, we started with three or four. From an emotional point of view, many of us needed to meet again, to touch the orange, since the pandemic was, and continues to be, a very complex event. At first, we needed to find girls to fill the quota since we were not the only group looking for a place. We started inviting more people through social media. Today we are a group of more than 15 women training, with ages ranging from 16 to 55. When the Preparation Tournament started, we did not have all the shirts and this made it difficult to present ourselves as Los Tigres. Daniela had the Union sets and that’s how we decided to play with that name. In some games we also wear Santa Cruz Police clothing. It was because they kindly loaned it to us. Today we have a purple and green team symbolizing the female presence in this sport.
-You were invited to a tournament in El Calafate and you are going to travel this weekend to participate in it. What are your expectations?
I was able to travel three weeks ago to El Calafate and meet the Maxi team. I was able to share a training session with them and they have a very good level of play. At that time they had already told me about this idea of having a tournament since due to the pandemic and protocol they could not present their team in Li.Ba.R .. It took me by surprise because we talked about more distant dates, but welcome this tournament now. They are very enthusiastic and eager to compete with other teams, since they are the only ones in El Calafate, they usually play friendly matches with just a men’s team. It’s our first trip as Los Tigres, as a team. We are very happy and, obviously, that we are going to leave everything on the court, even our hearts as some of my teammates always say. To raise money, we did a bond sale. We had a good response, from our families and also from the Patagonia and Boca men’s team, who are the ones who train after our schedule and with whom we often share the odd little game. We are very grateful to all those who helped us, since with what we collected we managed to cover the costs of lodging and fuel. Also joining as reinforcement is Valeria Batallan, a player from Patagonia, another club that has been growing by leaps and bounds, since the girls do not appear in this tournament. We think about having a good time, about being able to share a nice meeting with the other teams, to see each other again on the field with players from Piedra Buena, for example, who also had a very hard year to play again.
-Finally, what is the objective that you set yourself in what is your return to the official activity of local basketball?
The main objective we have as a team is never to stagnate. Continue to grow. We have new additions and we continue to invite all those girls and women who want to join Los Tigres. Something that many new girls who joined before the pandemic began is that they found a group with good vibes, with a lot of humility and camaraderie. I feel happy with the group that we are forming today and with great expectations that people will continue to join. We also have four or five players under the age of 30 but we have not yet been able to form a First team. Maybe for the next tournament we can specify this as well.
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