Rosamaria demands space for volleyball coaches – 01/21/2024 – Sport

Rosamaria Montibeller, 29, was surprised when she was asked about Paris’ initiative to hold the first edition of the Olympic Games with numerical gender parity, with the same number of male and female athletes.

“Honestly, I didn’t know this information, but I’m very happy because it’s simply that, equality of opportunities, which is what we need and what we deserve”, said the volleyball player to Sheet.

According to the organization, Paris-2024 will have 10,500 athletes, 5,250 men and 5,250 women. The last Olympic edition, in Tokyo, was to date the most balanced in this sense, with 48% women.

“It’s an important step”, says the player, who acts as a winger and opposite.

Passionate about volleyball since she was nine years old, the Santa Catarina native has never been coached by a woman since she became a professional athlete.

The Brazilian women’s volleyball team has never had a coach. It has been 20 years under the command of José Roberto Guimarães, 69.

Rosa has great respect for her coach, who is responsible for awakening her versatility on the court. It was with him that she won her first Olympic medal, silver in Tokyo, in 2021.

Today, Zé Roberto entrusts her with the mission of being one of the leaders of the cast, which is going through a transition phase. The good relationship, however, does not stop Rosa from missing seeing a woman at the head of the national team.

“We need more women occupying these spaces, having more voices even in our selection”, he argues. “Zé Roberto, like Bernardinho, are multi-champions. What women are looking for nowadays is this, the opportunity to become one of them.”

The road to achieving them seems long. It was only in the past, for example, that a woman was given the chance to manage a Brazilian volleyball team for the first time. The mission was entrusted to Hélia Rogério de Souza Pinto, known as Fofão, who went on to command the under-17 category of the women’s team.

“I hope that she can represent us one day. If not her, that we will have another woman representing us in the adult category”, says Rosamaria.

She is used to being a reference, with work as a model and influencer. She has more than 1.2 million followers on Instagram, an audience with which she shares moments from her career as an athlete, as well as other interests, such as cooking and fashion.

Her photos as a model often make her appear on internet pages in addition to sports ones. It is common for her to be portrayed as a “sport muse”, something she says she doesn’t mind, although she prefers to be celebrated as an athlete.

“Posting a photo on Instagram promoting another side of Rosamaria, other than the player, is not nullifying my work, it is not nullifying my efforts”, he says. “Now, this part of sexualization in promoting our sport is complicated. They end up forgetting to talk about our performance for the club or the national team. One thing cannot cancel out the other, especially because I’m happy with the praise.”

During the four years she played in the Italian volleyball league, she became the player with the most followers in the competition, playing for Perugia, Casalmaggiore, Novara and UYBA Volley. “I’ve had four really good years, but I don’t like feeling in my comfort zone,” she says.

In September last year, driven by the feeling of seeking new challenges, she transferred to the Japanese league and signed with Denso Airybees. In Japan, she believes she will develop new skills, especially on the defensive side.

“The Japanese are not very tall players, but technically they are incredible. They have a wide variety of moves, they understand that often it is not a question of strength, but of skill, and they have a different view of the defensive part. Their ability to react It’s impressive. I came in search of that. For the style of player I am, it’s essential to have that versatility”, she explains.

Physical preparation has also been different. Used to playing at night in Italy, she started taking the court in the morning in the Japanese league. “I needed to make some adaptations, such as waking up even earlier to train, as well as doing prevention exercises, because the body feels this change.”

Getting used to the city of Nishi, where there are many Brazilians, has not been difficult. Recognized by the Olympic medal, she is doing well in Aichi Prefecture. “I receive many messages of affection. I feel at home here.”