Interview with Roberto Rodrigues, Vice President for Sports Management

Clear and straight. In an interview with the CAB's Official Website, the Vice President for Sports Management takes stock of the club's sports life to date, leaving a message of hope and work for the club's future. Speaking about senior teams, Training, the CAB Tournament and the next season, Roberto Rodrigues is the voice of a Board without fear of the challenges it faces and full of determination. What do you make of the senior team season so far? Let us say that, so far, we can say that our senior teams are actually below the target. In the feminine, of the four titles that we have assumed as candidates, we have only one that can be a good salvation of the time its conquest, because despite the one and last is the most important: National Champion title. As far as men are concerned, the team is still fighting for its goal of qualifying for playoffs, but in this new competitive model we could have already achieved our main objective. In these aspects and even though we are still in the ‘fight’, we should, after the completion of the respective seasons, sit at the table and examine what has been the least good, so that it does not happen again in the future. For what is lacking is to believe and support so that it is possible. And what do you make of the training sports year so far? As far as training is concerned, the main formative work is being accomplished (implementation of the taste for practice in the modality, education of values), unfortunately at the competitive level we may not be getting some practical results with achievements of titles at all levels, however, I think that although it is an aspect not to be overlooked because it is part of the training process and it is important to win, it should not be overvalued the achievement of titles, because forming is much more than winning medals or bowls, it is important to outline the direction so that some of our athletes can reach the senior levels. What prospects do we have for the CAB Tournament? A strong event for the club? The prospects for the CAB Tournament are huge because even the organization has the ‘good problem’ of having to refuse the presence of some teams. Today this is a reference event and probably because of the involvement it creates in the modality as well as in the municipality of Funchal itself, it should be looked at with other eyes on what its support concerns, because Madeiran basketball is filled with prestige with the presence of many national and international teams and the local economy will move immensely because for this year we will surely be talking about hundreds of participants and family members who will be in the region. Do you feel that your career as a player has helped to better understand and fulfill the responsibilities of leader? If it helps to better understand and fulfill my responsibilities, this is an assessment that should be made by others, now, personally I cannot hide that it helps the fact that I was a player for more than 12 years and still was a coach, so I would say that the only position I need to ‘know’ is that of an arbitrator in order to have integrated all the positions of the sport. What have been the most stimulating and rewarding aspects of the mandate so far? The most rewarding and stimulating aspects to date have been, no doubt, having the ‘power’ to do more and better for basketball, in this case through a club, so the improvement in our athletes and institution will impact on the improvement of the modality. Being able to enter a pavilion and always seeing it filled with young people smiling, dribbling, passing or launching, is all the more reason to go back and want even more, to demand better also listening to the criticisms of everyday life. And what are the most demanding aspects? The highest demands are related to the necessary planning, because sometimes many people have no idea what is needed to sit and watch a game, or for a team to move ‘outside’ and be able to just be focused on the game, where everything else goes by meeting schedules. Of course, although it is not within my scope, I also feel the financial demands and ‘gymnastics’ necessary to keep our club at the top. How will the board prepare the next season? The next season will be planned with the greatest motivation, confidence and a lot of work, preparation that will begin in the first hours after the current one, as it will be important to take advantage of the ‘freshness’ in the ideas of all the actors collecting the good and the least good of the time that ends. What message would you like to leave the CAB FAMILY? For ours CAB FAMILY, I would like to leave a message of hope, asking everyone to support our senior teams, both in defeat and in victory, as well as to ask all those in charge of this family's education, not to stop supporting your children, in training and especially in games, because as an ex-athlete, sometimes children may not say so but will be proud when they see you on the bench screaming and clapping for them. CAB 100%