The day after winning the double – Couples and Four and a Half – of the female hand ball, Enara Gaminde (Laukiz, 2007) was happy … but calm. “She has already assimilated what she has achieved at the age of 18 and is satisfied with the level she has offered this season, but she knows that she still has a lot to improve from both a physical and technical point of view.”
– He signed an almost perfect final.
– I was very comfortable with the serve and that was the key. If you hurt with the first hit with the next one, you have the option to do whatever you want and that’s how it was.
– Have you already assimilated that she is the best pelota player of the season?
– The results are there. I am happy with the level offered and it has been a good year, but that doesn’t mean anything. The next one will have to continue the same, without relaxations.
– He has won 13 txapelas, including the Parejas and Cuatro y Medio, and has options to add two more before the end of the year.
– 13 in 16 finals is something very difficult to achieve. I have the final of the Diario Vasco tournament left, on the 27th, and the Zaldibar lazar, on the 31st, both against Laia Salsamendi. Let’s see if I can finish well. Otherwise I will also be very happy with what I achieved.
– Have they been a surprise?
– It is the result of the work done. In recent months I have prepared a lot for the Nations League and that has helped me for the Four and a Half of the Emakume Master Cup circuit.
– Since when have you been part of it?
– In the elite from 2022.
– Of all the tournaments you have won, which one do you prefer?
– Four are the ones I value the most. The Couples, because it was very hard and disputed, the limited one, because it was the first one I won, and the two Nations League titles because I defended Euskadi and getting the gold was a pride and an honor.
– One day after the Bizkaia championship ended, discrimination against women was reported from the Spanish Pelota Federation. Did you feel that way?
– There was a certain mess in the International because things were decided at the last minute. There was no regulation in hand for women and a consensus could not be reached, which made it unofficial. It was a shame because we are here to compete and we showed it. Although many nations still do not have representation, there are some, so things can be done better for the future.
– Do you know if they will attend the World Cup in Argentina next year?
– The latest news is that it will be played only in the Cuatro y Medio, but the regulations have not yet been made and that is not in our hands. We will do our best to see if it is possible.
– Who have been your references?
– When I was little it was boys because they were the ones I saw on television. Aimar Olaizola has been very loved at home. And as a defender I have always liked Zabaleta. When I was 10 years old, the first was Olatz Arrizabalaga and then Amaia Aldai appeared. They’re my friends now too, so it’s something special.
Greater visibility
– Now it’s your turn to be. Does it entail a responsibility?
– It is, because you have to transmit good values to those who come behind. But I take it easy.
– What is the ball for you?
– A way of living. I have been practicing it since I was four years old and it is a very important part of my life. I have put in many hours on the frontons and training.
– The titles are not going to change it.
– I have won them, but that doesn’t make me anyone special. I am the usual Enara Gaminde. I always try to have my feet on the ground. My parents have helped me a lot with that since I was little.
– In his family they are dedicated to sokatira. How did it end up in the pediments?
– My father did dedicate himself to it for many years, but my brother started playing ball and in Laukiz there was not much more on offer than those two sports. I started behind my brother. He then opted for sokatira and I have the ball in my blood.
– Do you recognize her on the street?
– Laukiz is a small town and we all know each other, but not outside of here at the moment. Better this way to be calm.
– Did you ever think you would reach so high?
– I have always wanted to be the best, like anyone who plays. I have achieved it and now I hope to continue the same.
– The most difficult thing is not to get there but to stay.
– I can’t relax, I have to keep working because I have a lot to improve both from a physical and technical point of view.
– This year he has played close to 70 games.
– We play the Master Cup circuit and private tournaments. It is true that we have a calendar full of matches, but it is a way for the female hand to have greater visibility.
– Haven’t they gotten enough yet?
– Every year it gets more and more and the show we offer is bigger, but we have to continue.
– Do you think that one day you will be able to make a living from ball?
– That is what we want to achieve, achieve professionalism. But for that we still have to improve many things. In the future, if we maintain this progression, I think there will be options.
– Meanwhile, continue studying.
– A degree in Sports Activity Sciences and another in Teaching.
