Every four years, with the Olympic summers filling newspapers and celebrations, some athlete appears who passes from semi-anonymity to glory. A matter of minutes: of more or less perfect performances that are worth medals at the Games and entry into the restricted category of sportsmen who have made it. It usually happens in minor disciplines, so defined because of the unbearable habit of weighing the importance of a sport based on the following of the public. But so be it. That’s not the point. The fact is that from being nobody, you become a God. For a few days. And take advantage of the media limelight. And you think back to all the sacrifices you made. And the thanks begin. Pay attention: the first thank you is usually for “my teacher, the one who believed in me and pushed me to continue despite the difficulties”. Behold: the first teachers, those who teach sports, who raise men and women to make them champions. We want to tell them like this: understand their way of understanding the competition, discover their methods, know their anecdotes, know who they learned from. There will be well-known and lesser-known masters, expressions of disciplines with a large or small following. The only common denominator: they are the sport they teach and have helped to improve. (Pi.Gi.Ci.)
————————————————————————————
“I was born and raised in Trevisowhere in the 1990s and 2000s the volleyball it was top notch. I followed from the sidelines, passionate about volleyball as I’ve always been, Gian Paolo Montali e Daniele Bagnoli, Sisley coaches. The first two references were to them, though not directly. I was very young, but I already had the idea of becoming a coachalso because I understood that on a physical level I couldn’t become a great player”. Nicola Negro is 43 years old and has been training since 2019 on Minaswomen’s volleyball team based in Belo Horizonte. From the day he replaced Stefano Lavariniwho had decided to return to Italy, the Treviso coach won two Brazilian championships, two South Americans, two Mineiros and one Brazilian Cup. One success after another. Negro had his first professional experience in volleyball at the age of 23 as a statistician at Conegliano. Then he was four years deputy of the Turkish national teamfour more in Poland tra Atom Sopot, Tauron Dabrowa Gornicza and Impel Wroclaw, un anno a Baku in the Azerrail. He coached the CSM Bucharest in Romania, the Calcite Ljubljana in Slovenia and a couple of seasons in A2 with Trento. In 2019 the call from Brazil. The official announcement came a few weeks ago Mexican Federation: Negro will also be the coach of the Women’s national team. “The idea is to stay in Brazil for at least one more season after this one which will end on May 14th. Brazil is a beautiful country, I feel very comfortable here. I will therefore have the double task, with Mexico already in June I will play i Central American Games from the Caribbean to El Salvador.
How is the level of volleyball in Mexico?
“It’s good, the men’s national team has already been competitive for years, the women’s team is growing. The federation will soon host important competitions and is trying to improve also from a technical point of view”.
Were you expecting this call?
“The national team is a great opportunity for me, I had the desire to go back to coaching one, the first time as head coach. I spent four years with the Turkish one, but I was Alessandro Chiappini’s assistant. In recent years there have been various contacts, including with Argentina. Yes, even with some European federations. The time has finally come.”
Are there any chances that a men’s team will come for you one day?
“In Europe, masculine and feminine are two distinct environments, even if lately there’s a tendency to switch from masculine to feminine, on the contrary it’s still very difficult. In Latin America, even historically, the transition occurs more often. Bernardinho and Zé Roberto are examples of this”.
Would you have this ambition?
“I want to coach at a high level and I have always taken everything into consideration when given the opportunity to coach.”
The first teacher right?
“Alessandro Chiappini, I have been by your side for seven years. When he signed for the Turkish national team, he needed an assistant and called me. We didn’t know each other personally. In addition to the Turkish experience, I went to Poland and Azerbaijan with him”.
What did she take from him?
“I learned both from a technical point of view and in group management. A great master. I have always appreciated his simplicity in his work, in his technical requests. The effectiveness. In managing the group he is a balanced coach who always seeks dialogue with the athletes ”.
Do you still hear?
“He trains in Poland and we often compare notes. Dialogue is different today that I too have gained new experiences in the meantime. There is always something to learn, especially in the analysis: volleyball is a constantly evolving sport”.
Any other names you want to mention?
“I consider my mentor Karch Kiraly. I coached many American players in clubs, he followed them in the winter and was often my guest. For example in Baku in 2021, we always kept in touch. I have been to California a few times in 2014 and 2015. He is very helpful, ready to share what he knows. His vision of volleyball is modern. The whole American school works like this. The approach to studying, the numbers, the technique, how they train… I’m ahead”.
Then?
“Three times Olympic champion, Zé Roberto is a guru of our sport. Since I’ve been working in Brazil, I’ve had many opportunities to talk to him. Of Zé I like the tranquility that he has in approaching all the experiences. I would also mention Giovanni Guidetti, even if I’ve never worked with him”.
Tell as well.
“He is one of the best in the world. He is a different profile than the three I mentioned earlier. He’s more energetic, more passionate in the way he stands on the sideline. Temperamentally I look more like Giovanni. The others are more calm and detached.”
More Italian then?
“Yes, we can say that.”
Do you think you already have some students on the bench?
“I would say no, I’m too young. Francesca Vannini, whom she had in Padua, and Elisa Cella in Sassuolo became coaches. I don’t think I gave them much. I was very young and they were already experts. But I hope I’ve built a good relationship with both of them.”
In addition to the teachers in the flesh, are there other ways to learn?
“Today, accessing material online makes things a lot easier. Once upon a time you had to travel a lot, attending competitions and training. I’ve always done it to stay close to high-level volleyball, especially that of the national teams. I’ve always had the idea of travel within me”.