Mikel Portularrume Paorra (Aia, 1983) is the new coach of the Telmo Deun men's trainera team, which will compete again this year in the KAE 1 league. The coach has shared in this interview the difficulties encountered in forming the team and the objectives set for the new season.
Portularrume has a long career in the world of rowing, both as a rower, for about twenty years, and as a coach. "The passion is always there. It's a profession I love," he stated, highlighting his passion for rowing. Previously, he coached for a year in Santurtzi and then spent last season with the Lapurdi team.
He explained his decision to come to Zumaia: "I intended to continue in Lapurdi, but we had enough trouble forming the crew. Here too, we've had major problems forming the team. Major problems." Although he acknowledges that the club is "a big club with a great history seen from the outside," he was told upon arrival that there was "a tremendous debt." He also added that the material needs "to be renewed."
The main objective set by the board was to field the trainera, but Portularrume seeks competitiveness and "to manage my boats as well as possible." "If we do our job, we have hopes of being in the top positions," he said. "If promotion comes, great," he added, but the most rewarding aspect for the coach is "getting the lads out of the water happy."
Currently, the crew consists of seventeen people, completed in April with three young men from Ondarroa. The coach admitted that he found the rowers "a bit subdued" in terms of morale, but "they have gradually become more animated and motivated" thanks to the winter training.
Looking ahead to the season, "the competitive spirit arises" as the weather improves and the days get longer. He emphasized the "constant" work behind rowing, including hunger, weight management, and hard training, which is why people continue to row, even though "fewer and fewer young people are getting into rowing."
