Bing Bing Vergara was born in China 18 years ago but, since he was eleven months old, his family and his house are in Zaragoza. Victor and Asun adopted her when he was just a baby and, they tell how, at just 14 months old when he was already beginning to walk, he wanted to jump into any pool, no matter how full it was or if it was big or small.
“She liked the water a lot and she had this worrying tendency, so we immediately signed her up for swimming,” says her father. “As a result of that, everything came shot.” And by “everything” she means that until a few years ago, Bing Bing competed in chess, triathlon and rugby at the same time.
After swimming he tried soccer and from there he went on to triathlona sport that he spent several years practicing while standing out in almost all the competitions in which he participated. She was champion of Aragon in this discipline with the Stadium Casablanca and also regional champion in chess, a sport that for a time she combined with the triathlon. But rugby soon crossed his life and, although he spent a year practicing all three things simultaneously, he finally opted for the latter sport.
Bing Bing Vergara: “I will always be grateful to all the people who have been involved in my training since I was little at the Fénix”
“I remember that once he had competition from all three disciplines on the same day: he played team chess in the morning, then he participated in a triathlon event and then he went to the second part of a Phoenix rugby match, since both events They were held at the velodrome. That’s when we saw that it was impossible to continue with the three things at the same time,” says Víctor.
Since Bing Bing took up rugby six years ago, he has continued to improve and achieve success. He began to play in the school of the Fénix Club de Rugby in the 2015/2016 season, going through the sub-12, 14 and 16 teams. From the beginning, the Zaragoza club’s coaches realized that she had that which makes a player stand out, that which gives the possibility to reach the top international competition. “She was a fast learner, you just had to convince her that what you told her was going to make her improve so that she would automatically process it in her head”they assure from the club, where they praise his tenacity, perseverance, leadership and constant improvement.
Some values that have made Bing Bing has established herself as the first Aragonese trained in a Community club who manages to be international and get on the podium. She did it this summer, when she was called up to the national under-18 rugby team VII (Seven) to play the European Championship in which they were runners-up. This is to date her greatest sporting success.
An achievement that would not have been possible, she says, without the support of the club where she was born and grew up as a rugby player. “I will always be grateful to all the people who have been involved in my training since I was little at the Fénix. Directors, coaches, teammates and parents have seen me evolve year after year and all of them are partly to blame for me being where I am. today”, assures this young promise.
Passion for rugby and its values
Last season (2021/2022) marks a before and after in Bing Bing’s sports career. The Aragonese took a step forward and fichó por el Lons Section Paloise Women’s Rugby to play with the cadet team. The club is in the French town of Pau and its first team competes in Elite 1. “Leaving home was very hard at first. It’s a very big change in the rhythm of life, customs, a new institute… And you leave a lot of people behind dear. But after a while you end up adapting. Ultimately, you do it because you want to and because you are looking for a goal, “explains Bing Bing, who considers herself lucky to have found her place in rugby.
“I like to go little by little so for now I want to finish my studies in France and be able to debut with the senior national team, either in XV or VII rugby”
For her, rugby is more than a sport. “It is a very important part of my life and I dedicate a large part of my day to day to it, along with my studies. I felt identified with the values it represents from the first training I did,” she says. She admits that she is a very active person who cannot spend too much time at home and has found his escape route in rugby. “It helps me a lot to disconnect and, above all, I really enjoy training and playing.” His routine is demanding, with training from Monday to Friday and matches practically every weekend. At the same time, he is studying at a French institute which would be equivalent to 2nd year of Baccalaureate in Spain.
When it comes to the future, Bing Bing is cautious in his expectations. “I like to go little by little so for now I want to finish my studies in France and be able to debut with the senior national team, either in XV or VII rugby,” he explains. A challenge that almost became a reality just a few weeks ago, when the coach of Las Leonas (as the absolute women’s Spanish team is known), Juan González Morocco, summoned the Zaragoza to the preparatory concentration of the match that was going to be played against Scotland on September 11 in Edinburgh. The meeting, which would have been the culmination of an outstanding season for Bing Bing, was not finally held due to the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Although his rugby career has only just begun, the young promise looks back to remember what it has taken him to get to where he is. “I have sacrificed many things and it has cost me a lot of effort. I have had to say no to being with friends to go to training, I have invested many hours of work that are not seen and I have had to organize my time very well to be able to combine studies with training”, he summarizes.
“Being the first international Aragonese is a pride and I hope that soon there will be more cases like mine
An effort that, without a doubt, has been worthwhile and has positioned the athlete in the elite of rugby. “Being the first international Aragonese is a pride and I hope that soon there will be more cases like mine.” Cases in which an active child with great concerns about sport finds in his family the support and accompaniment necessary to continue progressing and to have opportunities. It is the perfect combination that has been given andn the house of the Vergara, whose little son, Miguel, is also doing his first steps in rugby with the Fénix.
Not content with having gone through swimming, triathlon, soccer, chess and rugby, Bing Bing does not close doors to anything. “I would like to try all possible sports throughout my life and maybe I’ll find out if I’m good at all of them,” he concludes, laughing.
