2023-06-14 18:00:22
BarcelonaThis Friday will mark six decades since, on June 16, 1963, the Spanish national team played the first match in its history in Malgrat de Mar. The state team, which was trained by the Peruvian José Luis Cholo Mendez, lost against Switzerland by 31-40. Two days later, that team took revenge in Barcelona.
Mabel Martínez, Isabel Gómez de Frutos, Antònia Gimeno, Mari Cruz Hurtado de Mendoza, Teresa Pérez Villota, Montserrat Bobé, Pepa Senante, María Luisa Rosales, Angelines Gómez, Margarita Tamayo, Isabel Díez de Lastra and Luisa Puentes were the members of that first Spanish team. “It was very exciting. When they told me I was selected, I couldn’t even believe it,” recalled Pepa Senante, the captain of that first team, who died a few weeks ago.
To play in uniform, the players went together to El Corte Inglés and chose white polo shirts and tennis skirts. “There are things you forget, but I remember all the players,” explained Antònia Gimeno, one of the Catalan players on that legendary team. Another player from our house was Montserrat Bobé, who in 2015 was awarded the Catalan Basketball Historical trophy.
The students of Escola Fonlladosa were in charge of creating banners to encourage the two selections. The legendary magazine rebound he described that first game played in Catalonia as a “first step on a path that we hope and wish has no horizons”. The Time.news was written with epic. “Our women showed off a commendable Spanish fury not without technique. Three years ago, no one would have imagined a Spanish women’s team. Now, it’s time to look to the future without fear, that the successes, even if they take time, will have to come because our women do not lack quality”.
“Masculinity, a problem”
“We weren’t professionals, we played for fun. We even had to pay our bills,” explains Mari Paz Gómez. “There were very few girls who played basketball,” said Teresa Vela. Those players had to break many prejudices. “Classic masculinity was a problem, but we were able to do everything. At that time it was not normal for a girl to play basketball and even our families did not understand,” added Mabel Martínez.
In those years, women’s licenses only accounted for a little more than 6% of the total licenses for Catalan basketball, which took years to normalize. The problem is that young school-age girls could not yet compete outside of the championships organized by Frente de Juventudes, the children’s and youth organization of the Spanish Falange.
The Eurobasket is underway
The Spanish national team will make their Eurobasket debut this Thursday (20:00, Teledeporte) against the dangerous Latvia and will face the tournament with the aim of overcoming the first phase and qualifying for the pre-Olympic tournament. The combined team, which has two Catalan players (Sílvia Domínguez and Queralt Casas), does not forget the disappointment that was the sixth position in the 2021 edition, when it hosted the tournament. Isaac Fernández, coach of Barça CBS, is part of the coaching staff. In addition, Laia Palau is the team manager of the team
#genesis #broke #prejudices