Add the Gazzetta del Sud as a source
These days there is a deafening silence at the poolside of the municipal swimming pool in Campagnano, in Cosenza. Where once the dives, the encouragement of the coaches and the dreams of young sporting promises echoed, now only bitterness remains.
The parents of the athletes of the AQA company of Montalto Uffugo, a historic reality in the diving sector from which champions such as Giovanni Tocci and Francesco Porco emerged, are launching a cry of pain and denunciation for a situation that is erasing years of sacrifices, passion and hopes.
The daily life and sacrifices of families
For these kids the swimming pool was not just a training place. It was a second home. From Monday to Saturday, every day, from 2.30pm to 5.30pm, they faced extremely tough training sessions with discipline, dedication and sacrifices that few of their peers can understand. Behind every dive there were families who organized their lives around training, parents who supported their children financially and morally, young athletes who cultivated the dream of becoming tomorrow’s champions.
The sudden stop and the problem of water spaces
Then, suddenly, everything stopped. At the beginning of the season, the plant operator apparently decided to grant the water space to another company. Today the indoor swimming pool is closed and access to the outdoor swimming pool is not granted to AQA athletes. A dramatic situation that is affecting not only the diving sector, but also other water sports. Swimming, water polo and masters, despite enormous difficulties, are trying to survive by training in nearby pools.
The emergency for the divers in view of the finals
But for divers the reality is even harsher: a swimming pool with diving boards and platforms is not easily available. The closest one is even in Rome. These young athletes, in fact, should soon compete in the national finals, a fundamental event for which they have been preparing for months with enormous sacrifices. Yet they have been completely at a standstill for days, unable to train. A surreal situation that risks irreparably compromising work, athletic training and dreams built with years of daily commitment.
The parents’ appeal: a solution for the future of the children
Families today are asking for at least a temporary solution: to allow the kids to continue training in view of the national finals. They do not ask for privileges, but only for the right of their children to be able to continue the sporting path achieved with effort, dedication and passion. Because behind this story there are not only organizational or management problems. There are faces, tears, disappointments. There are kids who have dedicated their adolescence to a complex and wonderful sport. Kids who today see everything collapse without having any fault.