What is happiness?... Happiness is to wake up the last Monday of October and realize that you have a plan to go to Gernika with close friends, visit the years' most important Fair in the morning (more than 100.000 people attend), have a lunch in a nice crowded restaurant and spend the time before you go to the fronton discussing about jai-alai. Then you go to the Gernika Jai-Alai to see playing Lopez, Irastorza, Goiko, Egiguren... Oh, la felicitá!...
Yesterday my happiness was partial. I did not go in the morning to visit the magnificent expositions of fruits and vegetables, have a drink or two, enjoy the sunny day... Instead I went directly to the fronton. The Gernika Jai-Alai, the Taj Majal of jai-alai. Even though I've
been there in many ocassions I feel subyugated by the magnificent scenario. The dark marble walls, the shining of the floor where the images of the players dancing reflects causing such a visual pleasure. It`s worth the visit. Goikoetxea scratched and the matchmakers changed the program. In the first estelar Egi and Hernandez beated Olha and Enbil. Nice partido to watch. Both front-courters shot all kind remates, especially Egi. This player when he is not in a final is an outstanding player, his game is extraordinary, aggressive with the costado, attacking with the rebote... a joy to see him playing. Before the second estelar, Lopez, Irastorza and Enbil jumped into the court. Ready to break Areitio's World Record. After a couple of shots the tree players and the technicians left the court. Areitio`s record was safe. Lopez did not overpass the 221 km/h, far away from Areitio's. Very close to the spreaded believe in the audience that at that night, 1979 Newport, "free beer all night long" run free. A lot of excepticism created by the abysmal distance from Lopez to Areitio.
Foronda and Lopez, the recently winners of the World Tournament, faced Lander and Irastorza. It seemed that we were going to watch a great match. Lander is in a great shape, playing lately his best jai-alai. Gernika's court suits very well for Irastorza. The partido went tied till the end. Lander using his costado again and again and causing a lot of damage. Irastorza fighting like a brave, catching almost anything. Foronda having problems with his serve along the whole game. Lopez... Oh, my god! Since the beginning of the match he put his diesel engine working, 3.000 revolutions, no more. I was convinced that in any moment he would connect his turbo and start setting a faster pace. Wrong. During the whole partido Lopez played at 50% of his possibilities. A true champion, the back-courter that should dominate the next decade ought to play with a different attitude. Win or loose the 1.000 people audience and the people following the game trough television had to notify that they were watching play the best, a super star. I was so upset with Lopez's attitude. It made remember the days previous to the end of the season when our mind was disconnected from competition after a long season. Yesterday Lopez was playing his last partido of the summer season. Just for that he had to give his best, more than usual. First of all to put an end to a magnificent campaign. Second, because jai-alai needs the best performances to get new adepts, especially when good crowds and the television cameras are functioning. After the partido, an explayer told me "I don't want to get in that comparison steril discussions, but when I saw playing Churruca or Bolibar, even winning or loosing I used to leave the fronton fulfilled because I had seen things that pleased me so much"... Yesterday, my happiness was partial.
Yesterday my happiness was partial. I did not go in the morning to visit the magnificent expositions of fruits and vegetables, have a drink or two, enjoy the sunny day... Instead I went directly to the fronton. The Gernika Jai-Alai, the Taj Majal of jai-alai. Even though I've
been there in many ocassions I feel subyugated by the magnificent scenario. The dark marble walls, the shining of the floor where the images of the players dancing reflects causing such a visual pleasure. It`s worth the visit. Goikoetxea scratched and the matchmakers changed the program. In the first estelar Egi and Hernandez beated Olha and Enbil. Nice partido to watch. Both front-courters shot all kind remates, especially Egi. This player when he is not in a final is an outstanding player, his game is extraordinary, aggressive with the costado, attacking with the rebote... a joy to see him playing. Before the second estelar, Lopez, Irastorza and Enbil jumped into the court. Ready to break Areitio's World Record. After a couple of shots the tree players and the technicians left the court. Areitio`s record was safe. Lopez did not overpass the 221 km/h, far away from Areitio's. Very close to the spreaded believe in the audience that at that night, 1979 Newport, "free beer all night long" run free. A lot of excepticism created by the abysmal distance from Lopez to Areitio.Foronda and Lopez, the recently winners of the World Tournament, faced Lander and Irastorza. It seemed that we were going to watch a great match. Lander is in a great shape, playing lately his best jai-alai. Gernika's court suits very well for Irastorza. The partido went tied till the end. Lander using his costado again and again and causing a lot of damage. Irastorza fighting like a brave, catching almost anything. Foronda having problems with his serve along the whole game. Lopez... Oh, my god! Since the beginning of the match he put his diesel engine working, 3.000 revolutions, no more. I was convinced that in any moment he would connect his turbo and start setting a faster pace. Wrong. During the whole partido Lopez played at 50% of his possibilities. A true champion, the back-courter that should dominate the next decade ought to play with a different attitude. Win or loose the 1.000 people audience and the people following the game trough television had to notify that they were watching play the best, a super star. I was so upset with Lopez's attitude. It made remember the days previous to the end of the season when our mind was disconnected from competition after a long season. Yesterday Lopez was playing his last partido of the summer season. Just for that he had to give his best, more than usual. First of all to put an end to a magnificent campaign. Second, because jai-alai needs the best performances to get new adepts, especially when good crowds and the television cameras are functioning. After the partido, an explayer told me "I don't want to get in that comparison steril discussions, but when I saw playing Churruca or Bolibar, even winning or loosing I used to leave the fronton fulfilled because I had seen things that pleased me so much"... Yesterday, my happiness was partial.
No comments:
Post a Comment