
Photo
by: Greg Wolf
A
soft light filters in through the arching windows of the gym
as teams in San Pedro's new women's league play ball.
A
Play of Independence
When
the sun goes down on the soccer field Sunday afternoon, a
small group of inspired women head into San Pedro´s
gymnasium. They dribble, pass and shoot. They play defense
with passion but better yet with smiles on their faces.
The
women´s basketball league in San Pedro was formed only
a year ago. Participation is steadily growing, and as of now,
there are seven teams. The league´s founders refuse
to accept money from the town´s municipal government
- a clear statement of their intentions to cultivate women´s
independence and self-reliance. The drawback to this decision,
however, is that each team must pay 5000 pesos (US$8) to play,
which can cause players to drop-out. Forseeing such issues,
the league has planned a fundraising campaign. Their most
recent effort was a dance performance in which the players
themselves put on quite a show.
All
the women in the league agree that playing basketball has
given them a much needed diversion from other aspects of life.
Many of them are not only mothers but full-time workers as
well. Playing has released built-up tensions, and being on
a team has given them the opportunity to relate to women.
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Eva Campillay
As
director of the basketball league, Eva Campillay is the foremost
spokesperson for what sports mean to the women of San Pedro.
"Playing
basketball is an opportunity for women to meet each other.
Men have always had something to do on Sunday afternoons.
Now women do too," she says.
Campillay
believes that the women of San Pedro use basketball to foster
self-reliability and to ease some of the stress in their over-burdened
lives.
[Full Story]
Ángela
Rodríguez
Ever
since Ángela Rodríguez was a child growing up
in San Pedro, she has loved to play basketball.
"It´s
marvelous, it´s a beautiful sport," she says.
Along
with a group of women she works with in San Pedro´s
downtown market, Rodríguez eagerly joined the women´s
basketball league when it was formed a year ago. Ángela´s
team is aptly named La Feria, meaning market in Spanish.
[Full Story]
Two
little girls speak from San Pedro about their aspirations
to play basketball.
Audio:
kidsaudio.swf
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