Our names are Sofia Milani and Annalisa Ruggi and we attend class 1^A of the Lama Mocogno middle school. In our free time we dedicate ourselves to volleyball, an activity that we practice together in the “Frignano Volley Project” team, from Pavullo nel Frignano. Our coach is called Stefano Scaruffi and he kindly agreed to a short interview with us.
What is your team called and how many categories is it divided into?
“Our team is called ‘Frignano Volley Project’ and includes all the teams in the mountain. It is made up of around 350 athletes for 12 teams”.
What pushed you to take up coaching?
“Volleyball has always been my passion: I started playing as a kid and, even then, I wanted to pass on what I learned to kids younger than me. At 18/19 years old I coached youth teams, since then I have many years have passed and I have never stopped coaching, I did it and continue to do it because I like being with the boys.”
What does this sport convey to you and what would you like to convey to the kids you coach?
“The goal is to encourage kids to practice this sport, but above all to be together. After all, everyone has their own sport and everyone chooses to make sacrifices for their own, collaborating together with others.”
How is the team in which Sofia and Annalisa play organized?
“The team is made up of 22 girls and is called Under12”. How many times a week do the girls train and how many matches do they play?
“The girls, in the competitive period, which goes from October to June, train three or 4 times a week and the training lasts two hours each. At least one match a week is added to the training and, sometimes, tournaments or friendly matches, even if there is no fixed rule that establishes the precise number of matches that will be played per week”.
What advice would you give to kids who are about to practice this sport?
“There is no precise advice that can be valid for everyone. Certainly, I advise young people who choose to take up this sport to do so with passion, respecting the principles and values that this sport embodies: responsibility towards oneself, of the teammates, of the club”.
Class 1^A
of middle school
by Lama Mocogno
(Sofia Milani and Annalisa Ruggi)
