AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums Belize Life Sports Belize's Teams For CA Championships

The officials have told us why you should come out - but tonight we'll introduce you to three of the four teams that will be representing Belize as they explain their strengths and weaknesses. We note that both of the senior teams are developing chemistry because of injuries or illnesses with their usual playing partners.

Barbara Cadle, Senior Female Team
"I have played against some of these teams before because I've been representing Belize for a while in the beach tournaments."

Jules Vasquez
"Are the Central American teams known for their size, for their quickness, for their style of play?"

Barbara Cadle, Senior Female Team
"Well they are known for their quickness. They do have coaches. Each team do have coaches and they have all the fundamentals. We are just starting out. Belize is a young team in playing the beach but eventually we will get there."

Rebecca Rath, 1st time in Int'l competition
"This is our first beach volleyball tournament together and we've been practicing together and we've been playing volleyball for a long time and so we are just going to go out and fight and play our best hoping for the best as well."

"We are a fairly new team but our advantage is that the teams that we are going to play they haven't seen us play before and so they don't really know what we can do and what we are capable of doing."

Emma Hoare, 1st time in Int'l competition
"I guess our strength is hitting and defense and so we will try to surprise them and play hard."

Rebecca Rath, 1st time in Int'l competition
"The court is a bit smaller but it's still big for only two people and we only have two people and so if I touch the ball Emma has to touch the other ball and so there is no six players."

Barbara Cadle, Senior Female Team
"Yes having a new player is a big factor but we will get it and we will work together hard because we play on the same endorse club team and so we do know each other as players."

Jasmine Anderson, Senior Female Team
"We played indoors volleyball before and so it's just finding that rhythm to work together and hopefully we pull it off."

Barbara Cadle, Senior Female Team
"Having the home court advantage will be a bog thing because they expect us to do well so we will try out utmost best to let Belize look good."

Ernest Broaster, Senior Male Team
"Blocking is our greatest strength, once we are on the net and we are into our game and defense come, we will stand a pretty good chance."

Arvid Arnold, Senior Male Team
"We are not that fast in the sand as the other Central American countries because they rely more on their defense more than their offence. We are pretty much an offensive team, so we rely a lot of our blocking to help us with our defense and if we get a few touches on the ball we just have to execute after that."

Allan Sharp, Pres. Belize Volleyball Assoc.
"What we are trying to do is develop the program, our expectations are simply to try and get a better showing each time. Over the past two years has been a better showing each and every time and overall we have an expectation of them playing well competitive and also to motivate other young people to get into the sport."

Teams form all the Central American Countries are expected to arrive on Thursday. Costa Rica is the defending champion�

Channel 7

All Ready For C.A. Beach Volleyball

Allan Sharp, President - Belize Volleyball Association
"This morning we had the official practices for the teams to come and know the court. That started this morning at 8:30 and now we are finishing up because this afternoon we are going in meeting with them to check passports and that sort of thing."

Monica Bodden
"How many teams?"

Allan Sharp, President - Belize Volleyball Association
"So far that have arrive are Guatemala, Costa Rica, Salvador, Belize, Nicaragua and Honduras are on their way, they are supposed to arrive late this afternoon. Panama will not be coming. The games start tomorrow at 9am - 5pm. We have a match per hour - we have 8 matches per day; Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This evening there will be the draw to know exactly times each teams play. This is the second time that we have held the Central American Beach Volleyball Championship, we did it in 2006. Every year the sports and every year Belize is doing better as well, so to me it's a great event for Belizean sports in general to be hosting a tournament at this level."

The games will be played on Friday, Saturday and Sunday with the championship and award ceremony being held on Sunday. The matches will be held on two courts simultaneously - male matches on one court while the female matches on the other court. Approximately 10 matches each for male and female will be held per day. Tickets to enter the tournaments are 5 dollars for adults and 2 dollars for children.

The draw was concluded just minutes ago and tomorrow Belize's two female teams will play at 9 am, 11 am, 12 pm and 2 pm, 3 pm and 5 pm.

The male schedule is not ready yet�..

Channel 7

Dive into MJ Stadium's sand for beach volleyball tournament

Athletes from across Central America have converged on the Old Capital to participate in the annual Beach Volleyball Championships. With the exception of Panama every other country is being represented in the games that are scheduled to commence on Friday. Belize will be facing stiff competition from Guatemala and Costa Rica, both teams that have qualified for the 2012 Olympics in London, England. We found out today from Marta Centeno what the overall expectations are from each of the participating teams in eleventh annual championship.

Marta Centeno, President, Central American

"This is the Central American Championship. We used to make it every year in different countries of Central America and this time it will be held in Belize City. Six of the seven countries of Central America; only Panama is missing for this time."

Isani Cayetano

Marta Centeno

"In terms of what can be expected from the teams that are participating in this championship. Can you talk to us a little bit about that?"

Marta Centeno

"There are a few teams like Guatemala and Costa Rica; they are already qualified for the next round for the qualification tournament for the Olympics. They are here so we expect that they are going to the finals on Sunday."

Isani Cayetano

"In terms of what you've seen so far being here in Belize-the set up and the venue for this activity-how does it compare in terms of it not being a beach per say with other venues across Central America that the teams have participated in before?"

Marta Centeno

"This is a very nice place. We already went there. It is in the Marion Jones stadium. I think it doesn't matter if whether on the beach because they have the sand there. The layout is technically well done. In Central America we have done this in Guatemala-just in the center of Guatemala City and there we also do some stages for the Norceca Tour and they like it a lot because it is easy to go for people and spectators to watch the matches."

Isani Cayetano

"How prestigious a title is it for the winning country to walk away with at the end of this competition?"

Marta Centeno

"For them it is very prestigious because they are a champion of Central America and they can be ranked better in the Norceca Tour."

Isani Cayetano

"And in terms of let's say a placement in the upcoming Olympic Games, where does this particular activity place them within that context?"

Marta Centeno

"This is a different competition because we have another one-it is a pre-qualification tournament-they already qualified; four teams from Central America. It was held in Nicaragua in January of this year and the second step will be in Guatemala in November for just the four qualified teams."

Isani Cayetano

"Finally in terms of skills set and the ability to dominate the competition, what are some of the teams that we should look forward to in terms of keeping an eye on them to see what their performance will be like?"

Marta Centeno

"Most of them, they have to be playing lots of time together to know each other very good, very well and also they have been during two or three years playing the Norceca Tour and having some experience in this kind of events."

The beach volleyball championship will be hosted at the Marion Jones Sporting Complex in Belize City on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Channel 5