CAMAGÜEY.- The walls of the Cerro Pelado Sports Initiation school,witnesses of the first Camagüey´s battle against COVID-19 got back to their usual breathing rate this September 1st with the arrival of its students.

Among the 923 students who rejoined the institution this week to resume the 2019-2020 academic year, there are 36 who did not think of returning, because when the pandemic came they were already studying in the high-performance centers in Havana. One of them is 16-year-old volleyball player Thalía Llanes, who was preparing for the Norceca cadets tournament when the competitive schedule stopped.

“I thought I would never share a classroom with my old friends again. It hurts me that I had to stop my training because I was already adapting to the new routines, but it doesn't bother me at all to go back to what has been my home for four years" shared with Adelante the 1.75 meters high and 74 kilograms Libero. Precisely the challenge of not increasing her weight during quarantine kept her physically and psychologically active, a recurring theme in the conversations of all her peers these days.

As there has been a lot of time of inactivity and the competitive calendar of the cycle was suspended, the workouts will be of two hours with predominantly aerobic exercises, as clarified by the school's principal, Alberto García Rivero and we check on the grounds and gyms. The school regulations were modified to include aspects of the health protocol and after its discussion with parents; each athlete has been informed to achieve their assimilation and compliance.

The mandatory mask use, the one meter separation between the students in the classrooms and the readaptation of snacks and lunch times are the most significant measures. Our experience as an isolation center helped us to reduce the dormitories capacity from 40 to 24 teenagers and to properly locate the hygiene points so that they constantly wash their hands. However, the most difficult goal will be for them to understand that they must change the way they act, that they assume that these are not times of hugs and dances, and that they protect themselves with their families outside our limits,” commented the director.

To achieve this ideal scenario, teachers and coaches play a decisive role, with their example and demand. These are not resold and punishments, empathy must be created to communicate the importance of care. Among the prestigious collective of teachers that the school owns, the acting of the youngest, such as the coach of Beach Volleyball Yadel Camilo Mestre and the professor of Geography Lisyanis Cruz, stand out at this time. For the former, "the main goal is to keep my students healthy. We're going to show them the hygiene habits that are needed to keep them safe and include them in the daily action, which will be part of the workouts."

Lisyanis seems like another student of the class, something that is not far from reality, because recently she was the best graduate of the "Cerro Pelado". "Now it's my turn to talk to them as a sister. Everyone listens to me because they know how I behave as an athlete and friend and that's very good right now," said the member of women's national football team.

Although it is very difficult for kids accustomed to physical contact in training, the festivities after each good play and the long and intimate conversations in the corridors immediately change their ways, the effort has to be collective. With a fully covered teaching staff and a strategy that will allow each student to close each subject in different exam modalities, returns the life to the main quarry of the Camagüey´s sports movement and life is the main challenge.

• Tanslated by Mariam Herdia Acosta/ Student