Costa News Spain Breaking News | English News in Spain.
Los Compadres of Malaga, Spain’s premier curling team, won promotion after finishing second in the Spanish championships for second division held in Aragon last December.
The Pabellón de Hielo rink in Jaca, Huesca, (the only one used exclusively for curling) traditionally welcomed the Spanish teams, mostly represented by northwestern, or rather, cooler regions of the country – the Basque Country, Aragon, Catalonia as well as Madrid.
Last year Los Compadres won bronze medals, and now Fernando Galván Cañamero, Fernando Galván Torres, Miguel Ángel Vegas Martínez, Daniel Palomo Bermúdez, Carlos Barquero Sánchez came back with silver medals around their necks.
The Malagueños won all three matches in the group stage, where four teams participated. Los Compadres took silver in the consolation match, winning 10-4. The defeat wasn’t as sad, because the rules state that the first and second placed teams in the second division championship are promoted to top division.
Los Compadres is the winner.
SUR
“I am extremely happy with our competition. I’m very excited about playing against the best teams of Spain and moving up. My dream would be to improve, and to have the Spanish Junior team take notice of me so that I could go to international tournaments. For that to happen, I am going to train a lot,” Fernando Galván Torres, the youngest player, told SUR in English.
“I am excited about my move up to the top division and playing against some of the best teams in Spain.”
Los Compadres remain the only team from Andalucía and train mostly abroad or very far from their homes.
“It takes a lot of effort for us every time we want to train because we have to travel 2,000 kilometres, but this year we made an effort and went to train and compete on several occasions, and the results are noticeable,” Fernando Galván Cañamero, the skip (captain), told SUR in English.
New members have joined the team, including Costa del Sol residents.
Malaga’s team has grown in every way. Los Compadres began competing in men’s, women’s, and mixed doubles events.
The team has grown thanks to the addition of new members. These include foreigners who live on the Costa del Sol. SUR in English had asked foreign curlers to contact the Malaga Team and help improve their skills. Emil, who is a Russian newcomer to the Costa del Sol and has extensive curling experience, now helps Los Compadres. The skip told the skipper, “He is very knowledgeable about curling.” This fact strengthens team spirit and helps Los Compadres win.
The Spanish Curling Championship is being held next year for the 15th consecutive time. In February, Los Compadres will depart Malaga to head to Jaca and compete in the top division.
