The one thing she won’t miss from her life as a roller hockey player is bus rides (“they suck”). But Natasha Lee (Malaysia, July 13, 1988), acknowledges that it will be difficult for her to leave the competition and the Telecable wardrobe behind. She leaves, yes, at the top, leading a team that has made history on the court, winning the four titles at stake this season. “I don’t know if it will repeat itself,” admits Lee, who believes that the entity is at the right time to make the leap if it has enough support. But for that, she specifies, it is necessary to have a pavilion where more people can fit. “They are clipping our wings”, clarifies the player, with Physiotherapy studies, that she prefers to enjoy a few weeks of all the successes before thinking about her future work.
– Have you already digested the new success?
–Not yet, we are like in the clouds, we are not aware of everything we have achieved. But we are very happy and that’s fine, we have to celebrate a lot because what we have done is historic.
–It may seem overwhelming to have won four titles, but the semifinals and the league final have been very close.
–All the games against the Palau are different, but always intense and difficult. In the end, when you face the same rival so many times, you have to make different approaches, and the one we won at home has nothing to do with yesterday’s (because of Friday’s). In this game we did not go with the approach of going one on one, it was up to them to take the initiative, and we thought that we could defend well and break the counter.
–When did you see clearly that they were going to win the League as well?
I don’t think at any time. Well, with two seconds left (laughs). The truth is that the team reached the very fair end physically but with very high morale. Winning the titles like we did makes you have a good head, and that was what helped us shoot yesterday, for example.
–You cannot withdraw from above. Do you regret making that decision, even a little?
-(Series). In the end the decision is made with serenity. You always regret it because you never want to quit, but what was clear to me was that I wanted to end up in good shape, in top shape, after having a really bad time last year. I broke the crusader and was out for four months.
–What has been the secret of this team to win everything that has been put before them?
It’s a job from a couple of years ago. Last year we reached all the finals and we lacked the icing on the cake, and it was also very hard to lose the European Cup at home, but it strengthened us for this year. With my injury, Angy’s… they were left with five players and it was very difficult. This year we had everyone recovered and we are a very competitive team.
–For a team used to winning, there were years of relative drought, and now titles are suddenly raining down…
–This is sport, but it is true that people were very spoiled. It’s very difficult to reach a final, but last year it seemed suspenseful despite reaching all the finals and this year is enrollment, and it’s not like that either. The truth is that all the finals went well for us, we arrived well, and that helps. We have just done something historic that I don’t know if it will happen again.
–Do you remember your beginnings in the world of skating?
–I started as an extracurricular and then I went through different phases. First she was a kid who played what she liked, like her friends. Then came a phase in which I took it as if it were my job, and now a third phase like the one in recent years, in which I dedicated myself semi-professionally. I have always played and enjoyed hockey, from the time I was a kid until now. I enjoy it every day, but I respect it as a professional. I can’t separate myself from hockey, it’s my passion.
-Then, you are going to miss the adrenaline of the competition.
–Yes, sure, I’ve liked competition all my life, and not only in hockey, but also in general. I will also miss the locker room.
-What are you going to do now? Will you continue to be linked to hockey?
-Don’t know. For now we are going to celebrate, this must be celebrated well. We finally have time to celebrate everything, which we didn’t have time because we linked one competition with another. Let it be a good farewell, and then to think about the future. I hope it’s close to sports, hockey and Gijón, that’s what I’d like the most, what happens is that I have to think that I have to make a living from something. I’m trained as a physiotherapist, let’s see what happens.
–After more than 20 years at the club, no one better than you to talk about the evolution that the Solimar has undergone.
–It has grown a lot, in the number of people, in the growth of players… At the beginning it was a family, all the mothers helped, they were the ones who managed the trips, the parents paid for it. Now it’s bigger, it’s starting to have a little more structure. Now it is a sports club, but what makes it different is that we did not break with the original philosophy, that all people enjoy themselves. It’s not just where you are, but what you feel. Everyone who comes to the club gets hooked on that, it’s what sets us apart.
–Where does the future of this sports club with a family spirit lie?
–Let’s hope that a real reference club will become. We have a certain relevance because we won, but the club has to pay for a lot of things and its room for growth is limited. At an institutional level it is clear that it needs to have a suitable pavilion in order to grow well. The club is very involved in the neighborhood but we cannot campaign for members because we have nowhere to put people. They are clipping our wings.
2023-06-11 02:15:00
#historic #dont #repeated #celebrate
