With the trip to Poland just around the corner, the UV handball team is finalising its preparation for the European Championship. "In this final stretch we practise mainly tactical situations, defensive work and group attack", but the homework is already done and now "it's time to enjoy the unique moment they are going to live", explain the UV handball coaches.
"We are aware that there is a big physical difference in terms of size, weight and height with the European teams, but we are going to give our best, we are going to compete at 100%, we have to know how to play with the pace of the match, be able to control the strengths of the opposing team so that they are not superior and be able to manage our weaknesses" explains Sagrario Santana, the coach of the women's handball team at the Universitat de València.
"This championship is going to be tough and difficult but we will try to do our best. It's very complicated, but we have to fight for it because you never know, anything can happen, we have to have attitude, desire and, if in the end we don't get the victory, then just enjoy the experience, but we have to show that we're giving everything on the pitch," said María Cervera. Maria is the captain of the UV women's handball team and one of the most experienced players. This year she has finished her undergraduate degree in Law and Criminology and therefore it will be her last time playing for the university team.
The Lodz games are held at a time in the academic calendar when athletes have finished their academic year and can focus 100% on competition, but during the academic year, combining a university career with a sporting career is a great effort for players at this level: "For me it has been difficult, because it was my last course and I had practices in the morning and classes in the afternoon, training with the university team at midday, and at night, from 20 h. to 22 h. I trained in my club, in Balonmano Burjassot" recalls the captain of the women's team. "It has been a great effort, but the Universitat de València has made it very easy for me to combine everything," says María Cervera.
For the captain of the handball team, Lodz is her second international tournament. She competed in the 2019 European University Championship, which coincidentally was also held in Poland, on that occasion in the city of Bydgoszcz. "It's a very cool experience. Of the girls who travelled to Poland in 2019, there are only two of us left, and this occasion will be ideal for the new ones to gain experience for the future," says María Cervera.
The UV men's and women's handball teams qualified for this European Championship by finishing runners-up at the Spanish University Championships (CEU) held in Valencia in 2019. At the CEU 2022 the boys won the title of Spanish champions and secured qualification for next year's European Championships. The girls, on the other hand, did not have the same luck, as they were drawn against the host university, UCAM Murcia, in the group stage, and did not make it to the semi-finals.
The coach of the men's team, Juan Ángel Perdigón, stresses how difficult it is to prepare for a European competition: "We don't know the other teams, we don't know the real possibilities we have, once we get there we'll see. In any case, as the boys have already qualified for next year, the European Championship in Lodz will help them to see how the championship works and to gain experience for the following year", says Juan Ángel.
The Universitat de València athletes are embarking on their journey to Lodz with caution, without high expectations in terms of results, but with great enthusiasm, desire and a lot of previous work in the training camp. "Our players are very motivated, they know it's a new experience, a moment that could be unforgettable, a unique opportunity for many," says Juan Ángel. "One of our players was injured in the middle of the season and this championship has served as a goal to motivate him in his rehabilitation. I told him that if he was recovered I would call him up and, of course, he is in the list of the 14 players who will travel to Poland," said the boys' coach.
The handball teams train regularly in the Sports Centre of the Blasco Ibáñez Campus of the Universitat de València. During the course they meet once a week to practice team technique, and the rest of the days they train with their respective clubs. Now, with a view to the European Games, they have increased their training to three days a week. "The UV sports centre has been occupied by the padel tournament for a week and the Quart de Poblet City Hall has given us its sports facilities so that we can train for free during this period, for which we are very grateful," says the coach.
"At this time of the year the most difficult thing to manage is the tiredness of the federated players, who have just finished a very long season, with studies, exams, jobs... they are exhausted, for them the month of July is usually a time for rest and recuperation. That's why we are putting a lot of emphasis on the fact that they have to hold on a little longer so that they don't have that blackout before the championship", explains coach Sagrario.
"Managing a team of university players is complicated, this year is the end of the cycle for many. There are 14 athletes going to Lodz, of whom 6 will not be there next year because they are finishing their studies or are going to compete in clubs in other autonomous communities", says the boys' team coach. "From next year there will be a new batch of players, there will be a natural renewal, we will form the block again, we will rebuild the team", adds the coach of the women's team. But the line-up travelling to Lodz, the 14 boys and 14 girls, have managed to form great teams. According to Juan Ángel Perdigón, his team is "unbeatable, it is very consolidated because, above and beyond the sporting aspect, they have great human qualities", he points out. For the Universitat de València handball players, the Lodz Games are the culmination of a great season and, whatever happens, they have to enjoy and learn from this international experience.
- Further information about the European University Games on the UVSports website
- Visit the official website of Lodz games
