Seventeen years ago Charlie
Prentice and Marco & Marco Antonio Rosales had a
dream.
It was that their country of Guatemala would have a
national centre. Unused land was found in Guatemala
City and plans drawn up, with four courts being the
intention.
In the coming years the location and plans both changed a
few times until in 2008 construction started on a ten court
complex at the Olympic Park which features homes for a
number of sports under the auspices of the Guatemala Sports
Confederation.
Prentice was Guatemala SRA President, Rosales a Vice
President of FPS (Federation PanAmerica Squash), and
by then joined by current Guatemala SRA president Roberto
Hernandez their dream was becoming a reality. But then
in 2009, as Hernandez put it, "The Confederation ran out of
money."
But the can do attitude which encourages projects to be
started with the completion to be worried about later, meant
that the shell of the building was in place and so it would
have to be finished!
As Rosales said, "It is a big dream but if you don’t dream
big you get nothing. Now there is no way back!"
And he was quite right. On the day of the FPS AGM a party
went across the view the building and meet Gerardo
Aguirre, President of Guatemala Sports Confederation and
Saul Mendez, Director in Charge of Sports
Development.
To say that they were impressed was an understatement. FPS
President Sergio Rodrigues hailed it as a great asset
not only to Guatemala but the pan American region too. WSF
Chief Executive Andrew Shelley told Aguirre "You have
a world class facility here. You could stage everything from
the World Men’s Team Championship through to all other world
events, but the impetus to your coaching and development
programmes here is immense."
While Hernandez embarked upon a new dream – hosting the
Men’s World Team Championship, Aguirre confirmed that
building work will recommence next January with a view to
the courts being inserted and all the finishing off
completed by July / August next year.
When the builders leave there will be a ten court complex,
three of which will be able to switch into two doubles
courts, and a glass show court with seating for up to a
thousand.
But not just courts, but added to the changing facilities
will be a conference room, admin rooms, cafe, medical
facility, a gym, and even an apartment for a coach. And in
an inspired move it is intended that the conference room
will double as a classroom so that youngsters will be
encouraged to come after school and not only be coached on
court but with their homework too!
One day next year Prentice, Rosales and Hernandez will wake
up and find their dream a firm reality ...
|
Roberto Hernandez explains the
layout
Sergio Rodriguez in the court area
The inspectors! (L to R) Sergio Rodriguez, Saul Mendez,
Gerardo Aguirre, Roberto Hernandez, Charlie Prentice, Andrew
Shelley, Marco Antonia Rosales |
Nov
2010:
