Barcelona“We got together and threw ourselves into the pool. Since there was no private professional alpine skiing team in our house, we created it,” says Núria Pau proudly. A group of skiers have done what not so long ago seemed very difficult in Catalonia: to create the FastHolaluz, the first private women’s alpine skiing team in Catalonia, with the support of La Molina Sports Club and brands such as Holaluz, the main sponsor of a team that aspires to make what is normal in much of Europe a reality; that a group of women can reach the elite of alpine skiing.
The team’s goal is clear: to become a benchmark in a growing sport, providing benchmarks for the new generations and facilitating the preparation of skiers like Núria, who aspires to qualify for the Winter Olympics. ‘this February in China. “This team is the dream of all of us. Having references is very important to dream that you too can get far,” the Ribes de Freser skier told ARA. In a season marked by the celebration of the Winter Olympics in Beijing (February 4 to 20), the FastHolaluz symbolizes a revolution. Pau, the most experienced skier in the group, will compete in the World Cup and European Cup circuit. The other skiers will compete in the FIS circuit or, in the case of the youth, in the corresponding junior championships. These are Jara Beso, Lisa Vallcorba, Georgina Tarragó and Maria Relat, the Andorran Clàudia García, the French Clara Pijolet, the Galician Inés Sanmartín and the Aragonese Celia Abad. All the skiers have made sacrifices to get here. And now they are in charge of a technical team made up of Xavier Salarich, Sofía Gandarias and Pelayo Abad, coaches coordinated by Cristian Masdeu, the technical director.
“Núria Pau had had a great season, but she was without an official structure of the Spanish Federation due to age criteria. Despite being the best skier, she did not have a support structure. So the idea arose to be able to start the “Team. And other names of athletes and coaches were added who were willing to take this forward,” explains Cristian Masdeu. “The best thing about this project is the energy. Thinking positive. The idea is to help Núria on her way to the Games and create a structure for these other skiers who previously had to compete outside. We want to create a team that The skiers must have trained at other clubs before, but FastHolaluz will serve as a motivation to show that it is possible to have teams like the ones in other places. “We have been together for a few months and we have received the support of the FCEH and RFEDI, as well as the financial support of many brands, such as Holaluz and Rodi Motor Services. We are very happy,” added the Molina coach. The main sponsor is this company dedicated to the marketing of 100% renewable electricity and gas, in fact. “It fits with the values we want to uphold,” says Núria.
Traveling alone through Europe
“Skiing can be practiced in many countries, so to compete you have to go up and down. Last year, for example, because I was not in the national team I had two options: join a private team or go “I was alone. And I did that. I left Ribes with my car to move to Italy. And I was moving up and down, driving to Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Austria … I was accompanied by Laura.” Jardí –a Catalan skier and trainer who lives in Italy–, who helped me with my training sessions “, explains Núria, recalling a season in which, despite the lack of support, she has achieved great results. So many, that he now dreams of being in China this February listening to the Olympic anthem. Núria Pau is one of those athletes who, in order to pursue her dreams, has made a lot of sacrifices. In the first years of his career, for example, the residents of Ribes came to seek financial help with social media campaigns. With the birth of FastHolaluz, everything changes. “Now I will never go alone. We are 9 girls and 3 coaches. I will always be accompanied by a coach, while the others will stay with the rest of the team at the base,” explains Núria. The base camp will be in the Val di Fassa in Italy, an area of the Alps with great facilities and good connections. “It’s an ideal place because it’s close to Slovenia, Switzerland … with many tracks,” adds Masdeu. “This team is made up of women who have decided to overcome adversity in order to make their way. When you don’t have a structure to help you, when you don’t have the facilities of other countries, it would be easy to give up. They have seen it differently.” , he adds, recalling how this idea had been talked about for a long time at the Club de La Molina. “All the pieces have been agreed upon at the right time to make the project a reality,” he explains.
“The birth of the team is a very good sign. We are not pioneers on a global scale, but starting a project like this at home costs a lot. We are happy with how it goes. We have the first sponsors. But part of the cost of the team our families still take care of it, above all “, admits Pau. Now everyone agrees that this team has exemplified its “spirit of overcoming.” “We are girls who are not here by chance. We want to make a living to compete, to improve. Some of the skiers were abroad, with private teams in the United States, France or Italy. We have left other projects for I am strongly committed to a project where the support of my club, La Molina, has been key “, adds Núria Pau.
One of FastHolaluz’s first challenges will be to see if Núria gets the ticket to go to next year’s Winter Games. “The lists will close in mid-January. I know I have the level, I can get it. I’m still missing a result, but I’m the first in the ranking of Spain and I know I can do it,” says the skier. born in the Pyrenees. In fact, he supports the candidacy to bring a Winter Games to the Pyrenees for the first time: “I see it very well. It would serve to place us on the map, not to be just a country of sun and summer, to see the The tradition we have here is that betting on sport is always worthwhile, it is a school of values and excellence “. “If the project respects the rules of not doing major works that are not necessary, limiting itself to improving what we already have to facilitate the practice of the sport, it would be a step forward. It coincides with a good job of training in recent years , to professionalize this sport. At the last World Championships in Cortina d’Ampezzo the results were very good “, sums up Masdeu. Now, the team is confident that Núria Pau will be an Olympian in a few months, and that a new batch of women will arrive behind her, ready to live on what they are passionate about, the snow.
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