It’s all true: the “Oreste Emiliani” Tournament is truly back, and it did so in a big way. The volleyball challenge that characterized Carpaneto’s summers for almost thirty years, and was suspended over ten years ago, has returned to take the heart of the town.
On Tuesday evening the first teams gave life to the first two challenges of the event, which will continue every Tuesday and Thursday until the final on July 9th, in the Gardens of Viale Vittoria in Carpaneto.
The tournament was born in the mid-80s, with the desire to honor the memory of Professor Oreste Emiliani, gymnastics teacher and volleyball coach from Carpaneto, and continued uninterrupted until 2012, when some organizational difficulties made it stop. This year, thanks to the joint will of the Municipality of Carpaneto, Carpaneto Volley, PGS Freedom and the Council of Associations, it was possible to restart the tradition, with a non-competitive event sponsored by FIPAV.
This year there are six teams registered: Panificio Devoti Cv, River Balaclà, Valchero Scavi, Cocomelon, Bar Gelateria Anna Caorso, Azienda Agricola La Ciocca, for a total of 92 participating athletes (55 females and 37 males) , and the matches take place in mixed teams. The youngest athlete is Vittorio Badini (born 2010), the one with the most experience is Antonella Menta (born 1961).
The first meetings were those on 11 June, which saw Panificio Devoti CV compete with River Balaclà, and Valchero Scavi-Cocomelon. It will continue every Tuesday and Thursday, always starting from 8pm in the gardens of Viale Vittoria (or at the sports hall, in case of bad weather), until the final on 9th July, with the challenges for 3rd and 4th place, and the final to decide the winning team of the tournament and awards.
The organizers do not hide great enthusiasm and satisfaction: organizing and building the tournament was not easy, because there were and still are many obligations. But the desire to rediscover tradition, and to involve many kids, and more experienced players from past editions of the tournament, prevailed. The setting of the first evening was perfect: players, friends, families, children, enthusiasts and the curious, with the backdrop of the historic Carpaneto Fountain, confirmed that, to all intents and purposes, the Oreste Emiliani Tournament is back.
