On his way, which he walks daily, Pepe greets a couple of young people from Bahia, amateur athletes, who are going to the gym, and a lady who arrived early and is now leaving, smiling. A few meters away, he comes across the bulk of the Argentine team that, for four days, concentrated in this magical place, as in the previous one of that world runner-up in 2019, now in preparation for the double qualifying date that will begin on the 26th in Canada. The brain of the Golden Generation embraces his chicken, Leandro Bolmaro, the jewel that he went to Las Varillas to look for and finished polishing in Bahía Basket so that he would later make the leap to Barcelona and, a year ago, to the NBA.
A brief talk with Facu Campazzo begins immediately, the new link in the chain of top basemen that our history has had. “We are very comfortable. You already know: the place is a spectacle, it has nothing to envy to the NBA centers. Thank you Pepe”, he tells her. Che García hugs him with one hand and whispers in his ear “I congratulate you, there is no such structure in Latin America. This is unique, the best”. They say goodbye and, of course, Sánchez feels an inner pride. The same one that his GD colleagues transmit to him. He once again feels that everything has been worth it…
“We have had hard times, especially in the pandemic, which hit us and stopped the entire process. But we have found a lot of support, close people and private individuals, such as the Dow company, who believed in this. I knew this would take a lot of work and time, but it’s what I wanted. We are the product of this, my life and that of my GD colleagues has been this, wanting to be better every day. That is why I had this illusion of putting together a place like this, so that the path of development, of training, would be easier. So that our National Team does not have to go abroad to train in a quality place”, he commented.
-Some wonder why you invested in this, with the risk it generates, and especially having more profitable options.
-Look, I don’t know what the future is, this was not created with a business plan and we are still finding our identity, but it was my dream and materializing dreams in life is not for everyone.
–doIs there also a question of generating some inspiration?
-A little, yes. We always hear that in our country it is not possible, that you have to go abroad to get places like this. You can here too, it’s the first thing you think when you enter the Dow Center. And that’s the most important. What was done and everyone can enjoy it. That’s why we open ourselves to the community: anyone can come to the gym, or play basketball, or make a training plan. And the athletes are here, they are not isolated. Because what we want is to inspire, and what better motivation than seeing an elite athlete by your side. Lautaro Martínez comes here when he comes to Bahia. Or Rodrigo Palacio. Or Facundo Tello, the referee. And everyone talks to me about the atmosphere that is breathed. And they praise that it is a world-class place. But in Argentina.
-It’s like one more medal in your career.
-I’m so sorry. This is like being Olympic champions or reaching the NBA. The only difference that the other achievements are sports results and this is infrastructure. But it has the same value. That’s how I feel and my littermates tell me. We all dream of leaving something like this, a place where athletes have everything to be better every day.
Pepe has always gone for more, for what is different, for innovation. And the new step was taken last week, when the Dow Center received the LEED O&M Existing Buildings certification, an international sustainability standard that validates its contribution to reducing environmental impact, becoming the first sports complex in Argentina to achieve the qualification. “The building, in addition to being different from its conception because everything is connected, having the three fields as the axis of everything, it has been different since its construction, being sustainable for the environment. We recycle rainwater and it has thermal panels that have allowed us, for example, not to turn on the heating or the air conditioning in the last year,” explained Pepe after the act that took place on Thursday. “It took us two years to get this worldwide certification. But it is part of the same thing: it proves that we can do something like this, creative and aesthetic, in our country and, at the same time, in a sustainable way. It is setting a precedent, ”he added in his reflection.
The complex, which has a surface area of 7,500 m2, stands out for the technology applied in the building, with thermal insulation to reduce energy consumption. It has glazed surfaces for natural daytime lighting, a sunshade system that provides passive solar control and acoustic insulation, electrical appliances with minimal energy consumption, a sewage treatment plant, with classification and separation of waste at source, and a storage and reuse of rainwater. It also has green spaces, such as a complementary vegetable garden to the main building, and surfaces for recreation, art and creativity. With a special setting, you can read, relax, play, do yoga or perform artistic activities. It has three training fields (with backboards, hoops, floors and NBA-level locker rooms) that, together, form a stadium for 3,000 seated people, the same one that allowed an open training session for the National Team that on Saturday summoned 2,000 people. It also has a hotel, departments for recruits, a dining room, administrative and coaching offices, a high-performance gym, a medicine and rehabilitation center, video rooms, a study, meetings and co-working spaces.
“In 2023 we will seek to continue opening ourselves to other events, such as recitals, congresses, talks, in addition to continuing to be a reference for various athletes and teams from different sports. The idea is that it be a multipurpose place, the concept that I took from my experience abroad, seeking to adapt it to the way of being of Argentines”, Pepe said. He reported that for now the final of the Buenos Aires Games has been confirmed for this year and a postseason is coming for a university team from the USA and the arrival of NBA Routs, an official campus of the best league in the world to promote sports in boys and girls. . “We want the Dow Center experience to begin to be lived more, a complex with a versatility that gives it enormous potential”, he closed with the desire that other Argentines can also enjoy the latest dream that he has fulfilled.
Source: Ambito
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