2,203 young girls want to “Become a Queen”

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, April 7, 2024 - The National Women’s Volleyball Team Project, by the Dominican Volleyball Federation, welcomed a record number of 2,203 girls and young women at the Volleyball Pavilion, who came from the 31 provinces of the country accompanied by their parents with the desire to become “A Queen of the Caribbean" in the not-so-distant future.

Immediately, Mr. Cristóbal Marte Hoffiz, president of the Project, and Milagros Cabral, general director, announced they will grant 500 scholarships that will significantly impact an equal number of families.

“This is something incredible, we are happy with the support of the Dominican people, that’s why we will hand out 500 scholarships, those from the provinces only need to have family in Santo Domingo to host them, then we will pay for their school, school supplies, uniforms, transportation, allowances, shoes, backpacks,” Marte and Cabral rejoiced. “Studies and sports go side by side,” they added.

They thanked sponsors such as Malta Morena, GBC pharmacies, Gatorade, and the Economic Cafeterias, who made their important contributions to make this third edition of “I want to be a Queen” a reality.

They pointed out that, with this human resource, they aim to obtain talents for the upcoming Olympic cycles, which will continue to strengthen the generational relay that women’s volleyball has always showcased for decades.

They explained that Espaillat province (Moca) sent the highest number of young girls to the Olympic Center, something that filled them with emotion and satisfaction.

From the early hours of Saturday, the Volleyball Pavilion became a “human anthill” with the arrival of girls and young women from Santo Domingo and many provinces of the country, who came full of hopes and dreams of seeing their Caribbean Queen dreams come true.

The coaching staff of the national teams, as well as several players from the Queens of the Caribbean, began working in segmented form with all the young women, identifying ages, sizes, and athletic abilities.

“Now with that database, we will make a preselection of those athletes to call them for training and to monitor the others,” said Milagros Cabral, who couldn’t hide her satisfaction and joy at seeing the volleyball pavilion filled with girls seeking to make their dreams come true.

At the event, the president of the Dominican Olympic Committee, Garibaldi Bautista, congratulated the National Team project for reaching its third “I want to be a Queen” call and urged them not to give up, as this will help keep volleyball in the national and international spotlight.

Girls and young women returned to their homes in the afternoon after the activity.