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Sornoza, the cabinetmaker who leads the “Tri” of Special Olympics
Posted On 25 Jul 2018
Ecuadornews:
In addition to soccer, this manabita also exercises the trade of carpentry in his native Los Angeles de Colón and enjoys making furniture. When he was a teenager, he almost abandoned football because of crime in his neighborhood.
The smell of the varnish, the thinner of paint and the freshly cut wood mix with that of the freshly pruned and wet lawn. Cristian Sornoza has impregnated those aromas, which although different, for him they are part of his daily life. The captain of the Ecuadorian Special Olympics team, who won the world title last Saturday, works in a cabinet shop and also plays football. He has not been able to make football his profession, but neither does he complain; He enjoys making clothes in his native Los Angeles de Colón, in Manabi.
His skill with his hands is almost as good as the one he has with his feet. Thus he was able to represent the national team, a dream that he never saw far away due to the motivation of his coaches as he grew. But it was not always so easy. Like many children, he trained on the street, in a makeshift court or in a park near his home. He had fun with his friends, but things changed in his neighborhood.
Crime and drugs began to dominate the landscape and, with this, the desire to go out and play football became fear. It was a kind of forced retirement, because his family did not want him to expose himself to risks at the door of the home. However, as a salvation for him, the coach Luis Balda appeared, who recruited several local boys to form a team in a nearby place, San Pablo de Portoviejo.
Thus, Sornoza was able to resume what he most enjoyed with the Los Senderos club. The 21-year-old said he was not always a central defender, as he is today. When he started he was a striker, but faced with the need of the team, he was placed as a defender. “They proved me central, because they needed people back and since my performance was good, they left me there. I have done well and the selection was not the exception, “said the captain, who almost never released the trophy that accredits them as world champions.
Sornoza led the national defense in the Chicago tournament and the effectiveness was very high. Ecuador just scored three goals in five games played and was the less beaten bow of the contest. “It was a great experience for everyone, to be in a united group and to stand out internationally. For many, it was the first time on a plane, as it was for me and it was an experience that I enjoyed a lot.”
On the field of Toyota Park, where the tournament was played, he did not stop thinking about his paternal grandfather, Angel Miguel Sornoza, who recently passed away. He was the main driver in the sports career of his grandson and Cristian remembers him every time he enters a court.
“My grandfather was proud of me. Every time a visit arrived to the house I showed them the medals I had won. This title is for him. ” At the arrival of the team in Quito, midnight on Sunday, he was surprised by the number of people who received them at the airport.
I did not expect the repercussion to be such or that many people would be aware of them. Although almost never got rid of the trophy, when someone came to ask for a picture, he did not hesitate to give the cup at times. “Here, take the cup. It is heavy. Now kiss it too, “he told a girl who took a snapshot with him.
After two weeks of being away, Sornoza also longs to meet with his relatives in their city and tell them all the details of their first trip outside the national territory. His work in cabinetmaking, like his boss – who always gave him permission to play and train – await him; He does not see the time to return. His absence this occasion was more special, because it was worth it to return with the trophy under his arm. He will continue polishing his skills. (I)
