The new president of the Rosarina Basketball Association, Ricardo Bottura, spoke with Ovación about his feelings, goals and thanks after being elected by a large majority in the assembly held last Saturday at the local basketball governing institution, where he had already been performing different charges over the years.
Bottura adds this new responsibility to his extensive experience as a sports leader, added to his activity in the media, his other passion, in which he also ventured into the leadership field, as certified by his active participation in different positions held in the Círculo Sports Journalists of Rosario, the Argentine Federation of Sports Journalists (Faped) and the Union of Circles of Sports Journalists of Argentina (Ucipda).
The new head of Rosario basketball starts the dialogue with a humorous, clarifying that he was often consulted about the beginning of his passion for basketball and confirms that both he and his predecessor in office and current vice president, Marcelo Turcato, never set foot on a court to shoot the orange ball into the hoop.
“Many are surprised to learn that I never played, but I learned to love and work for basketball since my sons Franco and Facundo began to practice it at Sportsmen Unidos, where I began to collaborate and that is how this passion was born that today leads me to direct destiny. Rosario basketball”, explains Bottura.
The director affirmed that his main objective together with the new commission “is to continue working to defend Rosario’s basketball, aligned with the Argentine Confederation, taking advantage of the great work carried out by Marcelo Turcato, who supports Rosario at the national level. As an example of this, I would like to point out the unprecedented fact that six ARB teams compete in the Federal, which is the third tournament at the national level”.
The president of the Rosarina insisted on thanking “all the leadership of the 60 clubs that make up the association that we command, all with different realities and needs. But the important thing to note is that our decisions are always made by consensus and for everyone, defending the rights of the Rosario teams. That is what moves us, pride and a sense of belonging”, insisted Bottura, to later clarify that “the doors of Laprida 1426 are open to all those who work in basketball in Rosario and the region”, since it is worth remembering that the Rosarina brings together clubs from five departments of the province (Rosario, San Lorenzo, Caseros, Iriondo and San Jerónimo).
In a train of thanks, the head of the ARB did not ignore his family, “my wife Jorgelina and my children, without whom I would not have been able to assume this responsibility, which I had already rejected twice and finally the third time was the charm and I accepted it ”. Likewise, he also expressed his gratitude to the national senator Marcelo Lewandowski and his provincial counterpart Miguel Rabbia, with whom Bottura works in advising on the more than five hundred sports institutions in the province. “The endorsement that both legislators gave me was essential for me to decide to face this new stage in Rosarina,” explained the president.
He also thanked “each one of the coaches, physical trainers, players and leaders whom I accompanied on a day-to-day basis, as well as on trips to tournaments, learning from each one to enrich myself as a leader. Something that also happened to me in each ARB board of directors that I joined in these years, as well as the task that I had as team leader of national teams and of Sportivo América during his time in the Argentine League.
Bottura stated that one of his objectives is to continue the works at the Laprida street headquarters, interrupted for two years by the coronavirus pandemic, and also stated that they plan to restart the competitions from March in both the men’s and women’s tournaments in all their categories, as well as in adapted basketball.
While being consulted about the deficits that the institution monitors in terms of the development of the sport they run, the experienced director explained that “the most urgent thing in terms of macro needs or weaknesses is the lack of trainers for children and young people who they start in the sport, since there are not many people who teach the first steps to the new athletes. Because technicians and trainers or physical trainers are not in short supply, but we do detect shortcomings in that teaching aspect in terms of initiation into the sport, which works with the boys from Monday to Friday, “he said.
“In addition, the renewal of the referees must be consolidated, since several are leaving their place and there are many growing young people with whom we must work and place them in the region,” he evaluated. “We want to give Rosario the highest place, along with my friend Marcelo Turcato with whom we know each other and we have been working together on this that we are passionate about since 1990,” Bottura closed.
The new commission
Bottura chairs the new commission which, in addition to vice Marcelo Turcato, is made up of regular members Graciela Rodríguez, Marcelo Píccoli, Martín Sánchez and Felix Seni, while María Eugenia Grieco, Sergio Abdala, Gustavo Parisi and Ariel Bellía appear as alternate members. While Adolfo Rocillo occupies the position of titular trustee and the substitute went to Miguel Tudino. The court is chaired by Ricardo Machuca González, with Lorena Notta and Marcelo Albelo as regular members and Luis Rittiner and Adrián Eljuri as alternates.
