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by
Claudio Tranquilli
 ROME,
24 January 2007 – We’re almost one month into the year
in which there will be the qualifying rounds for the
Olympics, the first true under 23 Worlds, the one in which
the Adaptives team will sharpen its ‘weapons’ in view of a
first participation at the Paralympics and, with a great
deal of expectation, it will also be the year of the junior
Worlds in China. Thus, a year full of expectations and a
year that marks a turn in a quadrennium full of surprises
for our Federation, which has seen a change of two technical
directors in less than two years and then the choice of the
present one, professor Andrea Coppola. In the two years that
have just come to a close so much has been spoken about and
so much has been said and now, so as to fulfil the wish for
concrete news, the Press Office has interviewed Coppola at
length so as to understand, a mere three months after he
took on his new job, how he is living this moment and, above
all, how he is preparing the various teams in view of the
coming commitments in terms of international competitions
that will culminate with the qualifications for the Olympics
and participation at the world events for the various
categories. With Coppola we have also touched upon other
issues concerning the life of the Federation and of the
Italian clubs, matters that will be discussed in depth
later, but that, in this long interview, have been ousted by
the need to talk about the activities of the Federation’s
training centre at Piediluco.
In order to make it more readable, we have decided to break
it down into instalments so as to allow each reader to pick
out those aspects which most interest him and not get lost
in the maze of issues dealt with. The interview is also
translated into English so as to allow foreign media who
access our website
www.canottaggio.org, an immediate understanding of its
contents.
The interview will be published in four instalments: the
first is today’s, and is entitled “DIRECTOR, TELL US
YOURSELF”. Eleven questions to which the TD Andrea
Coppola gives concrete answers both at a personal level and
as concerns rowing in general.
The second instalment will deal with “THE UNDER 23s AND
THE ADAPTIVES, TWO OUTSTANDING REALITIES”. A virtual
tour with Andrea Coppola within these two categories that,
with the Under 23 Worlds and inclusion into the Olympic
programme, have acquired a position and dignity in the
competition calendars at both a national and international
level.
The third instalment will talk about “OLYMPIC AND NON
OLYMPIC SPECIALITIES, STRATEGIES AND OBJECTIVES”. In
this part of the interview Andrea Coppola reveals, a mere
three months after having taken up the job, the steps that
have been taken, the problems he is coming across and the
objectives he has set himself both with Olympic boats and
non Olympic boats.
The fourth and last will be entitled “JUNIOR ACTIVITIES,
ITALIAN ROWING’S GREAT RESOURCE”. This sector has been
left till last as the Director had decided that – before
answering – he wanted to wait for the end of the athletes’
gathering that is currently taking place so as to have a
clear picture of the situation of a sector so vital for
Italian rowing. This is a sector from which the Under 23
teams and the top teams draw freely so as to in time
consolidate the two main Italian teams.
“DIRECTOR, TELL US YOURSELF”, 1st
Instalment
- A mere three months or so since
you took on this new job, can you give us your evaluation of
this slice of competitive season?
I can say that good work is being done in all
sectors. In developing the training programme I had
immediately noticed a certain reactiveness in the athletes,
always ready to experiment with various boats and companions
that we try out during collegial training sessions. At every
gathering, in the various working groups, we see
considerable improvements with a consequent increase in
motivation, determination and self-esteem. From the tests
we’ve run I have also been able to see that all the
athletes, when they’re with their club, apply themselves
with dedication to the execution of the programme, also
improving at a technical level. Indeed, everyone is well
aware that this is a pre-Olympic year and that nothing
should be left to chance.
- During your meetings with the technical staff in the
various regions did you find they shared your objectives?
They were all very interesting meetings because I was
able to speak to them openly and frankly and I was able to
understand that I was in the presence of technically well
prepared as well as motivated people, both when listening
and when acting. I felt certain, and I have had the
confirmation, that the Italian coaches, all of them in
general and in particular those I was able to meet, are very
competent, and I feel sure that they shared from the outset
the objectives that I as technical director have set myself.
- Has your life changed since you took on this new job
and, if so, how?
I cannot deny that there are evident and somewhat
abrupt changes in my life. On the other hand, when I said I
was willing to take on the job I took it upon myself to give
something to each and every athlete, and this throughout the
biennium, and so when there are gatherings I am always at
the Centre. I have set myself the task of being at their
side so as to listen to them and help them resolve the small
and large technical problems and, if asked, also personal
ones. I have instilled a great relationship based on trust
and respect with all those who work with me, who know they
can work in peace and quiet for the attainment of their
objectives because I am always right by their side so as to
be able to face and solve all the problems that may arise.
As concerns my family, I have less time for them but this
was a decision that I had pondered and agreed with my wife,
and so it’s OK like this. Then again, my wife knows how deep
my passion for rowing runs, so much so that some years ago
she had come to Piediluco during a competition together with
my son who was still very young. Although I did see them I
was unable to spend even a moment with them, and in the end
my kid said to his mum, “but hasn’t Dad recognised us?”.
There, this gives you the measure of the boundless passion I
have for this sport I so love.
- You come from Naples, a stupendous place and a city
with many facets, and you’re spending a lot of your time at
Piediluco. What have you had to give up in order to lead
Italian national rowing?
Naples is in my heart and certainly when I’m at
Piediluco I miss its colours, its flavours and, perhaps, the
bustling noise of that city, which is not just like the
media depict it but is also rich in outstanding features in
every sphere. However, when I am at Piediluco I don’t have
time to think about this because there’s so much to do and I
am immersed in my tasks. A thing it’s possible to see here,
whilst in Naples it’s difficult, are the splendid starlit
nights made possible by the clear cold air. Almost as
beautiful as the gulf of Naples at sundown.
- Define yourself with three adjectives.
More than defining myself with three adjectives I
like to say I’m very patient, I have a set of clear
objectives and I’m a great worker.
- Does your programme aim only at the Beijing Games or
does it transcend the biennium?
First of all I’d like to make it clear that I have
committed myself to working with serenity and determination
up until Beijing, trying to reach the highest objectives
possible. I cannot however deny, and it would be
unprofessional of me, that my programme reaches past the
biennium and into a future well beyond the Games.
Confirmation of what I’m saying can be found in the women’s
gatherings in Florence, the which, over and above taking
care of the more promising female athletes, are aimed at
laying a basis for the future development of the women’s
sector. The fruits of this programme, to my mind farsighted,
we shall see in the quadrennium that runs to 2012. The
programme covers all sectors, both in terms of economics and
policy, and thus also sport is not immune from this
activity.
- Professor Coppola, for you what does rowing...?
Fun. Rowing must give the athlete a sense of pleasant
well-being at being on a boat. The athlete must be
overwhelmed by the joy of rowing and must not have a sense
of sufferance when behind an oar. The athlete must
experience this pleasure at every stroke and, with
intelligence and hard work, apply himself to the development
of technique and physical stamina. I hope I am able to
transmit this and lots more to all Italian athletes.
- Let us suppose that a youngster wants to try rowing, what
would you say to convince him?
Come and row, and do rowing
because for sure it will train you in life and you’ll become
successful and a winning type. You should know that rowing
will help you overcome the adversities of life more than any
other sport and it also gives you the opportunity of meeting
and socialising with so many people. This is what I’d say,
the truth.
- What is Italian rowing’s potential at the moment?
We are certainly short of athletes in the heavier
category, whilst we can be more than satisfied as concerns
the lightweights. In the Under 23s there are some very
promising youths who will emerge and could become top level
protagonists. As concerns juniors, Italy has been leading
this sector for some years now and I think it’ll stay there
for plenty of time to come. In short, I can say with
certainty that Italian rowing has a great deal of potential
but that it must always be replenished with a search for new
talents among the over one thousand athletes that every year
attend the Youth Festival. There is a need for everyone to
work hard, both us and the clubs, to train solid athletes
capable of guaranteeing a future of success for Italian
rowing.
- What should clubs do in order to promote rowing more?
Is there one recipe for everyone or should one single out ad
hoc development plans?
I have no doubts on this matter and am convinced that
the clubs ought to have, if they don’t already have them,
personalised programmes for the development of rowing that
can be tuned to the diverse conditions each club works in.
It is doubtlessly true that the clubs, for programmes that
aim to promote rowing in the medium to long term, will need
to be able to count on financial support from the
Federation. The clubs however have the obligation to invest
their energies in the search for men who are capable of
creating concrete goals and promote rowing within the area
in which they operate. Personally, yes, I do believe that
money is necessary for the development of any project but it
is equally important that there be people capable of making
the difference and who can make a success out of every
initiative.
- Do you prefer to delegate and have the group work or,
given that the responsibility is yours alone, always have
everything personally under your control?
At our gatherings I’m always at
Piediluco alongside my team,
taking care of, together with them, every single aspect or
initiative, sharing the search for the best solution to the
problems that may arise.
1 – to be continued |