Under-17 Boys Pan American Cup, A New Challenge
COLIMA, Mexico, June 16, 2024.- The first Under-17 Boys Pan American
Cup presents a new challenge for seven national teams, which will
compete at the Colima Multifunctional Auditorium from June 17 to 22.
Coaches spoke about the start of the competition and outlined their
objectives for this event, which is part of the qualification system for
the U17 NORCECA Continental Championship in 2025 and the age-group FIVB
World Championship in 2026.
Dan Ota, Head Coach of Canada: “The
players were playing with their respective club teams, so our team did
not have an opportunity to train for this tournament. This is our first
time together with these athletes. It’s great for athletes to give them
an opportunity to experience international competition at this age. I
think that developing an understanding of international games at a
younger age is a very helpful experience to help them later in their
careers. Our team has a lot of great athletes, but we will have to come
together very quickly to develop our team spirit and cohesion, and
hopefully we will start to play better as the week goes on. I know it
will be a very difficult tournament because many other excellent teams
are here, so every game will be difficult for us”.
Walter Jenkins, Head Coach of Costa Rica: “We
have been working on this process for almost two years. Since the
beginning, there have been some interesting changes, such as the
physical growth of our players. In the past year, they have grown, and
now the team’s average height is 1.85 meters. At this international
level of competition, height is important because our opponents are
generally tall. We competed in Poza Rica last year, and we have three
new players joining us now. Like everyone here, we come with the hope of
reaching the top; we want to work hard to achieve a podium finish”.
Frank Almendariz Dávalos, Team Manager of Cuba: “This
group has been together since September. They attended the qualifier for
the U17 World Championship qualifier here in Mexico and secured one of
the spots. The team has stayed together in preparation for competing in
the World Championship in August in Bulgaria. We are here to compete and
to give them more game experience so they can gain more exposure. Of the
12 players who went to Poza Rica last year, we have brought 10. We want
the players to enjoy the tournament, to put into practice everything we
have worked on with them, and also to achieve a good result that will
provide a positive psychological environment for the World
Championship.”
Edvin Obed López, Head Coach of Guatemala: “We
come well-organized. The parents supported us to conduct training camps
in various provinces of Guatemala. The team consists of athletes from
the national champion and runner-up teams, along with some
reinforcements from other teams. We aim to perform well and represent
Guatemala as it should be represented; if we can reach the podium, it
will be a great achievement. Six players were part of the U17 team that
competed in Poza Rica.”
Denis Omar Rivera, Head Coach of Mexico: “We've
been here in Colima for two weeks, training in double sessions, and
we're about to complete 15 days in preparation for the event. Our goal
is to reach the final again, as we did in the U17 NORCECA Championship.
We have added three new athletes to the team: one from here in Colima,
one from Sinaloa, and another from Baja California”.
Benito Escorcia, Assistant Coach of Nicaragua: “In
Nicaragua, we are always preparing new talents to be part of our
national teams. This competition wasn't initially in our yearly
schedule, but it is a great development opportunity. Like all the teams
here, we aim to win every match, though it will be challenging given the
high level of play from other teams. We will gain valuable experience,
and our players will get a firsthand look at international volleyball”.
Carlos De Sevilla, Head Coach of Puerto Rico: “This
tournament serves as preparation for this year's World Championship, for
which we qualified last year in Poza Rica. We have a preliminary squad
of 18 players who have rotated in and out of different tournaments. The
Federation decided well that this team (plus one U19 player) would
participate in the NORCECA U19 tournament recently held in Puerto Rico.
We have been gaining experience. We are familiar with several teams
here; we know their strengths and weaknesses. We haven't faced Canada
before. The challenge is to identify the key players of each team and
fight until the end”. |