The Argentine Beach Handball team held a five-day training camp at CeNARD in early November 2021 with the goal of consolidating the group before the upcoming Central-South Tournament, which will be held in Chile in January. Juan Ormazabal, a goalkeeper who is currently training in Rosario, was one of the attendees.
Beach Handball has exploded in popularity among Argentinians since the 2018 Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires. “It is a sport with a lot of show, maybe that’s why it reached people in those Olympic Games. Seeing the 360s and alley oops for the public was spectacular, plus it helped that the women’s and men’s teams won medals in that tournament,” Ormazabal said.
Juan’s goal now is to be on par with the country’s best beach handball players. “In Rosario, as far as beach handball is concerned, I train twice a week, for two hours. It’s hard to adapt a little to the change of game because I always practiced indoors, but training with the best you get the hang of it and learn.”
Of the training camp at the CeNARD, Ormazabal said: “We were almost 35 people including the coaching staff headed by Sebastian Ferraro. The objective was to get to know each other and to get the necessary training to arrive in good shape for the Centro Sur tournament that will take place in January 2022, in which Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay will also take part. Then in March, the South American [Championships] will take place, which is the one that gives you the chance to get to the World Championship and the World Games.”
Both the men’s and women’s beach handball youth teams also participated in the intensive training at CeNARD. Their main objective is currently the South American Games, which will be held from April 28 to May 8 next year in Rosario. The National Technical Coordinator, Leticia Brunati is optimistic about their chances of finishing with a medal.
Brunati highlighted the importance of the intensive training sessions for both teams, which consisted of a double shift on the sand, plus another in the gym every day.
