The morning and afternoon of Monday January 31, 2022 was rainy, an ecuavoley match had ended in the court of the Commune, located between José Berrutieta and Antonio Herrera streets. It was about 6:20 p.m. when a wave of mud surprised the players and spectators. In a matter of seconds, what was a complex built with the effort and expense of its founding partners came to nothing.
Minutes ago, everything was calm. The sound of the ball bouncing between players warming up, because the capital on a rainy day reaches 10 degrees centigrade, approximately.
One meeting had ended and the friends agreed on another. The minimum bet was $60 per team; that is, $20 for each player. This without taking into account the bets that are made around the match. The “Jayak” team was going to face the “Heavy” team (Luis Catota, deceased) until someone yelled, alerting the others.
chicken, One of the directors of the La Comuna volleyball court association, who asked to keep his real name confidential, recalls that he suddenly returned to see and an avalanche was coming against them. He jumped out of the stands and ran.
As soon as the barrage reached his feet was raised to the terrace of the adjoining house with the sports complex, where he ended up clinging to the rods on the second floor.
“I was one of the first to leave, Next to me was a man who is also a member of the court, I managed to dig him up and we went out together from there. He’s on the mend right now,” says Poll, as he walks through the disaster area, holding back tears.
He explains that the field of La Comuna is of a organization of 115 members, 23 of whom died as a result of the flood. Now there are only 92 left, he says.
The parties they were played from Monday to Sunday, He says. And that January 31 was a common day, in which the usual friends were.
Before starting a match $1 per person was paid. After the match was over, the winning team made a contribution of $2. The proceeds were used for maintenance, bathroom supplies and, especially, for the gifts from your partners on special dates of the year: the days of Love and Friendship, Father’s, Mother’s and Christmas.
the small complex it had bathrooms and a cellar. behind the grandstand there were playgrounds and a parking lot. On weekends the parking lot was busy so neighbors will play coconuts (traditional game similar to marbles).
From Monday to Friday, volleyball started at 4:00 p.m. when most of the members left work. On the weekend, the sports day began at 2:00 p.m. there it is They sold sausages, fried foods, roasts, gelatin, drinks, coffee with humitas, tamales, etc.
“There are people who I’ve known since I was a child Like Mr. Alberto Almeida, he lived in my neighborhood. Others I knew for more than fifteen years. We were like a family, because after work this was the meeting point. The children also had their group of friends. Thank God this didn’t happen on a weekend. because there would have been more than 100 people on the court”.
The return to the field
poll remember saddest stories of what he was finding out with the passing of days. the of Pedro Bayas and Mariela Cañaveral, who leave an eight-year-old girl in the orphanage. “He played and his wife sold chips,” he says. the of Walter Ruiz, who was called `Polo´, who died without his motorcycle being found so far. His four children are with his mother, who was also on the field, but she was saved. the of Luis Miguel Conza (El Cejas), who left his two children orphaned and that of Wilfrido Mina, who lived next to the field and lost everything.
Ten days after the tragedyseveral of the partners came to the court and they never cease to be amazed at how Everything disappeared in seconds. Now, they ask the authorities “that the court be returned”, but this time built with technical standards and retaining walls.
“We do not want any graveyard, any viewpoint, we want our court, the children’s area… And yes, with an obelisk to commemorate our deceased, because They died doing what they loved so in honor of them we want to rebuild this space”, emphasizes Poll.
His hands have a lots of injuries and bruises, also his face. “I don’t know when I’ll play volleyball again, I think You still have to mourn The wounds that are going to take time to heal are those of the soul, for all my deceased friends.” (I)
Source: Eluniverso
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
