 THE DIFFICULT FIRST INCEPTIONS
The first seed in Bolivian rugby dates back to the 60s, where José Pipo Viale, a passionated rugbier from Córdoba, Argentina, -an artist and wine lover as Juan Carlos Anaya describes him- arrives to Cochabamba, a city that welcomed him warmly in his several trips until he felt in love with it. In
Bolivia, football reigns, then rugby, a difficult sport to understand at the start, sounded awkward to the locals and therefore the first efforts finished unsuccessfully. It's been told as well, that English mineworkers
played rugby before the 70's, but it's not until the following decade that rugby appears in Bolivia, though not springing. A group of French enthusiasts living in La Paz, members of the Embassy and Colegio Franco
Boliviano, joined by a few Bolivians shaped a two-year lasting team that toured Chile and played a casual match against a French Guiana team touring South America. After the French departed rugby became a lost phantom with only a couple of photos and letters directed to the French Federation asking for
support. The closest try came in Cochabamba in the 90s when a dozen of fellow ruggers and an American Football oval-ball between them use to train, but the project vanished in the time machine once more..
ARGENTINES IN SANTA CRUZ GIVE BIRTH TO CAMBA RUGBY
The worst social and economic crisis in Argentina's almost 200-years history came to a peak in the first years of this decade. This debacle rampage is closely linked with the rebirth of Bolivian rugby and advent of the first ruggers in Santa Cruz. South of the border, back in 2002, half of the population was unemployed or subemployed and an increasing percentage of families were shipwrecked under the poverty line. Two rugbiers from Tucumán and one born in Córdoba but adopted by Jujuy, trail blazers of Santa Cruz's
rugby, recounts their own personal and rugger stories, how they found in Bolivia and the way they inspired rugby in these lands. "I used to work in a newspaper company that closed during the crisis. Being graphic designer living in a country where advertisement turned from nvestment to cost, perspectives weren't good enough", states Guillermo riet, founder of Jenecherú RC, "thus, I had to cross the border, the same ay many argentines did, leaving venid my family, friends and my beloved ucumán Lawn Tennis, where I had learnt to become a rugby man". Through a riend, Guillermo arrived in Santa Cruz. No longer than a month went through
when he realised rugby's absence in the map. Guillermo continues: "a rugbier ight be accostumed to stay away from his mother, his land, but not away rom a group of friends and the oval sport".
Martín Alcorta has a similar story. A former Jenecherú and UDABOL's founder, artín recognises himself as a football and cars fanatic. He spent his hildhood between Volkswagen 1500 repairers in the racing circuits and night eekends' pizzas and football on TV. These passions he shared with his dad and brother, took him to start rugby with the same intensity. "Most of my friends played in Los Tarcos, in Natación y Gimnasia and a few in CEF 18", he recounts and follows: "A friend named Martín García came to my place and
asked 'Will you go training, won't you?'. It was a blizzard cold afternoon and my first practice. I didn't know where to stand, I kept on asking my mates, I was really lost", he remembers smiling. "After a few sessions, a coach recommended me to play as a loose prop and I felt in love with it". Martín and his family lacked of a stable job, then his mom's cousin convinced them to move up to Santa Cruz.
Pablo Lavezzo, Santa Cruz RC vice-president and a native from Córdoba adopted by Jujuy, linked to rugby at the age of 13 in Ledesma. "My rugby group was as close as any I've ever seen. There weren't a single Sweet 15 where even If we weren't invited, we had a great time together". He landed in Santa Cruz, as well due to work reasons, but he took the chance to stay with rugby and trying to pass onto the new kids what his trainers taught him: become a man of goodwill.
THE FIRST SCRUM
August 4th 2002 saw the rebirth of Bolivian rugby. Thanks to Jaime Spamer's operations, Santa Cruz RC's president, a group of ex veterans organized a match to receive Old Virgins, Tucuman's province Veterans team. The locals didn't reach 15, thereafter ex players recruitment started, Guillermo and Martín among them. Guillermo remembers: "The joy of play rugby again was amazing. We had a few training sessions together where I ran without getting tired, I felt I was back into life". Martín assisted throughout a cousin's
acquaintance, astonished when he saw this person and realised it was a friend from primary school and his club living as well north of the border and keeping the same enthusiasm. "I felt the same way as my first match: nerves and anxiety all around", recounts Martín. "The day before I walked down the streets imaging spans of the match. When preparing my sports bag, the butterflies previous to each much had came back".
The match was played in Colegio La Salle's football field. "The priest didn't want us to paint the field, then we had to play with football lines. We had shoes in the corners and bags were used to establish the ingoals". What about the posts? "Forget about it…" claims Guillermo. The crowd was a couple
of girlfriends and a few curious workmates that came to see "No-Protection American Football" and support the blue side. "That day I played in 4 different positions, I didn't want to get out of the field" claims
Guillermo. Martin adds: "I've never enjoyed the scrapes heartburn and the jeans bothering the hurt knees. Everything I hate after every match in Tucumán, was the nicest thing. I'll never forget it". After a tercer tiempo
full of pizza, stories, beer and hugs, and a dancing night, the score was the less important. It was a win, not in the board, but for the Santa Cruzteam. The happiness of playing rugby in a country where the sport
was absent overcame everything. "My smile lasted for two months", tells Guillermo, "before I realised that the dream had finished".
Two years went by until October 9th 2004 and the group joined again. About 30 ex argentinian ruggers and 6 visiting veterans from CASANBELU Buenos Aires. For Guillermo it meant: "Another nice rugby party, an eternal tercer tiempo and see you then… then when... perhaps in a couple of years. But the
miracle came up… it was then or never else". Part two to follow |
