Puerto Rico's national female volleyball team has been preparing itself for the Brazil 2016 Olympics. This weekend the team will face off against other international teams in San Juan's Roberto Clemente Coliseum in preparation for a berth in this year's Olympics. Friday they will play Algeria at 8:00 p.m. Saturday, also at 8:00 pm they will face Columbia and Sunday they will close the tournament Vs. Kenya at 6:00 p.m.
The whole island needs to stand behind these young ladies because they will represent more than a volleyball game, they will represent the proud work of a sport that was crushed in 1970 and it took decades to build to today's top competitive form.
In early 1970, Puerto Rico had one of the most competitive female volleyball teams in Latin America. Unfortunately, while returning from the Central American Games in Panama where they were playing to qualify for an Olympic berth the plane crashed and the entire team members and coaches were killed.
Only one team member, Carmen Rosa Sabater survived that terrible accident because she had been called back to Puerto Rico after the second game to be honored by the Puerto Rican Olympic Committee for her performance as the Outstanding Volleyball Player of the Year.
It has taken several decades of mourning that tragic loss for Puerto Rico to slowly build another formative team that ranks among the top 16 teams in the world.
Both, the Volleyball Association and the Olympic Committee of Puerto Rico are promoting the team and urging all Boricuas to come out and support the young ladies en route to Brazil.
Given the economic crisis facing the island nation these games could be a healthy distraction that the entire island needs to think more about winning and building, rather than giving up and leaving the island.
I urge our readers to watch the following documentary to understand more on the history, present and future of Puerto Rico's National Female Volleyball Team.