The Jolly Basket players, the Aquilotti, participated in a tournament organized by the KK Krizevci company (Croatia), from the 2nd to the 3rd of May 2014. They were hosted by the families of the Croatian players, who returned the hospitality offered them on the occasion of the Epiphany Tournament held in Padua from the 2nd of January 2014.
The Jolly team lost the first match against the Koprivnica 24-26, but the children fought till the last second! In the second match against the Molve team, the Jolly team was focused and determined as in the previous match, and the final score was 39-17.
During the second day, the Jolly team played against the Gorica team. Our Aquilotti played on par with their opponents for the first two sections of game, but then the suffocating and grim defense and the very high technical level of the Gorica team had by far the best: 16-40 the final score. The Jolly team played again against the Koprivnica team, which defeated them in the previous day, in the final for the third and fourth place. Despite the skill of the opponents, the Jolly Basket won (30-14)!
Up to here the sporting event report, in which the children of the Jolly team had the possibility to observe and learn different ways to play basketball (5 on 5, zone defense, blocks, etc.), and have been able to understand on the field that grit and determination often allow you to get where the technique does not get you and that every single match must be played until the last second.
However the event goes beyond the sports event, and has had as protagonists friendship and hospitality.
The hospitality and the warmth with which the Croatian families welcomed the children of the Jolly Basket were laudable. It was amazing to see Croatian and Italian children playing and having fun together, overcoming without problems the difficulties of the foreign language. What to say, then, about the Saturday night dinner, offered and organized by the Croatian families? It was the turn of the Croatian and Italian parents who wonderfully overcame the language barriers, thanks also to a good wine and a guitar(in this regard, Sandro De Liberali and the president of the KK Krizevci team, Goran Délic deserve a special mention, as they played the guitar), in a beautiful and unforgettable atmosphere of happiness and fun!
At the moment of departure and final farewell between the parents and the children of the two teams, sadness was the most true witness of the amazing and unique experience lived by everybody, as well as the feeling of hope that this was just a “see you soon” and not a “goodbye”, just a chapter of a beautiful story of sport and friendship. The omen is that this is the most important aspect that our children learnt…something which is worth more than any basketball game, won or lost.
We cannot conclude without thanking the President of Jolly Basket, Gianluca Danesin, the manager of minibasket, Sandro De Liberali and the organizer and coordinator of the event, Giuliana Mantovan, who allowed the children of the Jolly team to live this wonderful experience.