Recreation… Where? / Anddy Sierra Alvarez

Recreation… Where? / Anddy Sierra Alvarez
Anddy Sierra Alvarez, Translator: Unstated

The name "Eladio Cid" was confusing for a moment because it was used to
identify two stadiums which were called by the same name, on in Los
Pinos and on in Seville. "Los Pinos" is located in the municipality of
Arroyo Naranjo and Seville is located in the municipality of 10 de
October, both based in the capital of Cuba, "Havana." Actually the name
belonged to the Seville combined sports facility, previously known as
the "Athletic."

The locals refer to what once was the great arena of "The Pines" (the
name itself identified the "Pines" neighborhood) which had facilities
for sports like football, baseball, softball, basketball courts for
small and larger categories, judo, karate, swimming, diving, (a 30 yard
field where they played Basque Ball and Fromm tennis), volleyball and a
small area track and field events such as long jump, triple jump or shot
put.

Their practices lasted into the evening as it was fully lit and fenced.
Today in 2012, the Basque Ball court is no more as it has been torn down
as it was in danger of collapse, the trampoline was also removed because
the pool is always empty because the two motors are broken, as the river
filtration runs below the pool. Because of this there have been two
fatal accidents of people who have fallen off the trampoline.

Once they put up light towers but today they elsewhere, in "Ciro Frías"
in the same municipality of Arroyo Naranjo. The towers ended up there
through administrative influence (better understood if you know that the
director of Ciro Frías has better personal relationships with managers
who assigned the towers ans so were about to force their diversion over
20 years ago).

Ricardo is one of the neighbors who lives across from the stadium and he
says it is a great loss and inconvenience to lose such an important
facility, and now he is forced to take his grandson to another stadium,
as this has no place for volleyball.

Thus, the chances for recreation are limited with each passing day,
their deterioration is irreversible. A foreign organization provided
some very helpful tools for the reconstruction of the stadium, such as
boards for basketball hoop, and they painted and cut the grass. When
this organization left they took the boards off the basketball court and
I've never seen them since, in short their good effort disappeared.

I remember this expression we used to hear every day: Sport is the right
of the people.

February 17 2012

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