Our world Panther Monica De Gennaro participated in a meeting with the institutions in the Province of Salerno and then met the students of the N. Sensale High School of Nocera Inferiore for the activities related to the Sportability 2.0 project and the LVF Pink Gen tournament.
Tomorrow, Wednesday, Monica will be at the Palaverde for the first training session at 4 pm together with Sarah Fahr and Gabi, the World Cup medalists!
It was a morning to remember today, Tuesday 16 September, starring Monica De Gennaro, godmother of the second edition of the Pink Gen tournament, part of the Sportability 2.0 project promoted by the Province of Salerno, funded by the Union of Provinces of Italy (UPI) and organized by the Women’s Serie A Volleyball League in collaboration with the US Poseidon 1958 company and the support of Volley Agropoli.
The reigning champion of Italy, Europe and the World with Prosecco Doc A.Carraro Imoco Conegliano, and of the World and Olympic with Italy, visited the Province of Salerno, where from 9.30 am President Vincenzo Napoli welcomed her together with sports and institutional personalities including the President of FIPAV Campania, Guido Pasciari, and a representation of the FIPAV Salerno committee, giving the symbolic welcome to Serie A and the start of the competition, which will be played Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 September (here all the teams) in various gyms between Salerno and the Capaccio-Paestum-Agropoli complex. From 11.30 a.m., the attention then shifted to the Liceo Scientifico N. Sensale in Nocera Inferiore, where Monica De Gennaro recounted her career, her victories, her past and her lifestyle, answering questions from the multitude of students and professors present in a meeting moderated by Consuelo Mangifesta.
Below are the main statements of the day.
Vincenzo Napoli, President of the Province of Salerno: “A day to remember, we had the privilege of hosting an Olympic and world champion like Monica De Gennaro. An Italy that has excited us and that has helped to turn further spotlight on volleyball. A sport that is a vector of sound principles, of fair competition with opponents and that enhances the best aspects of the character of each boy and girl. The Pink Gen is an absolutely important and necessary initiative for all the local young people and teams that will participate. We were the first in this UPI call and this makes us very proud: we will make sure that sport is celebrated for the values it represents throughout the province”.
Antonio Fiore, Provincial Councilor with Responsibility for Sport: “Sportability 2.0 is an important project, which has allowed Salerno to rank ahead of all the provinces of Italy. We had a high expectation and we can certainly say that we have repaid it by having Monica De Gennaro here. An example for all sportsmen and women and for those approaching the world of sport: with the right determination she has shown that she can achieve all the goals she had set for herself. A great weekend of sport awaits us with some of the best youth sectors in the area and in Italy in general”.
Consuelo Mangifesta, Head of Events and External Relations of Lega Volley Femminile: “It was really a beautiful morning. Seeing Monica De Gennaro here in her land, acclaimed by the people who love her, and having spent an hour with her chatting about volleyball and not only with many young people for this project, in which the League also takes part, justifies all the work done in recent months. The task of our League is not only to celebrate successes, but also to build those of the future: in this context, with Sportability 2.0 and in collaboration with the Province of Salerno, we have managed to organize this beautiful tournament for the new generations. We hope that the champions of the future will be born from these occasions and tournaments, but I think the goal is another: the first hope is that the young people who will participate will take advantage of this event to get to know each other, aggregate, establish contacts and relationships that will then perhaps last over time. Even I, in my first volleyball career, when I played these types of tournaments I had the opportunity to meet people to whom I am still very close. I think that beyond the sporting result, which certainly always counts, it is the context that is decisive in this case”.
Monica De Gennaro, Italian, European and world champion with Prosecco Doc A.Carraro Imoco Conegliano and world and Olympic champion with the Italian national team: “Being here with the Pink Gen tournament, part of the Sportability 2.0 project, is a great opportunity. Sport has great power: it is a tool for growth for young people, inclusion and inspiration. Sport also has important values for life: it is nice to be part of this event and give my testimony. At their age, what did I feel? I certainly had a great passion for volleyball, but I still have that now! (laughs, ed.). I was excited to embark on new adventures, not knowing what awaited me, overcoming my limits: I think these are all important things in the growth of a girl even before an athlete”.
(Women’s Volleyball League press release)