basque pelota - euskadi.eus€¦ · gaurko gaiak / current events basque pelota 3 • aurkezpena...

Issue 74 Year 2006

from theground up

Basque pelota

GAURKO GAIAK / CURRENT EVENTS Basque pelota

3 • Aurkezpena José Ramón Garai

5 • Olympic sport since 1900

7 • Variations

10 • Juan Ramón Arrasate, cesta punta player:

Miami, the uncertain future of jai alai

12 • Kepa Arroitajauregi, Euskadi Federation ofBasque Pelota: «Despite the complicatedpanorama, there are solutions»

14 • Erramun Osa, Federation of Ikastolas: «Efforts are being made to findthe right approach to teaching Basque pelota»

16 • Not just for boys

17 • The importance of an image

18 • A strategic plan for the next four years

20 • Anton Mendizabal, sculptor: «Oteizamade me see the fronton with different eyes»

EUSKADITIK / THE LATEST FROMEUSKADI

24 • Euskadi strengthens ties

with Lower Silesia

25 • The Basque language in the EuropeanUnion

26 • The Bilbao Transporter Bridge, WorldHeritage Site

EUSKAL ETXEAK / BASQUE CENTERS

27 • 35 Gaztemundu participants in Euskal Herria

28 • Azkarraga signs agreements with Costa Rica and the DominicanRepublic29 • Basque wedding in Shanghai. The Bihotzetik Choir from Boise holds its20th anniversary in Euskadi

CUISINE

31 • Iñigo Lavado, Restaurante Ficoba (Gipuzkoa tradeshow). Ricotta, muscovado and sheep’s milk foam

AURKIBIDEA / TABLE OF CONTENTS

EGILEA / AUTHOREusko Jaurlaritza-KanpoHarremanetarako IdazkaritzaNagusiaGobierno Vasco-Secretaría Generalde Acción Exterior

C/ Navarra, 201007 VITORIA-GASTEIZPhone: 945 01 [email protected]

ZUZENDARIA / DIRECTORJosu Legarreta Bilbao

KOORDINAKETA ETA IDAZKETAKazeta5 [email protected]

ARGAZKIAK / PHOTOGRAPHSMikel Arrazola -Archivo Gobierno Vasco-

ARGITARATZAILEA / EDITOREusko Jaurlaritzaren ArgitalpenZerbitzu NagusiaServicio Central de Publicacionesdel Gobierno Vasco

DISEINU ETA MAKETAZIOADidart

INPRIMATZAILEA / PRINTINGElkar-mccgraphics

ISSN: 1579-4229

L.D.: BI-1090-01

Issue 74 Year 2006

Issue 74 Year 2006

from theground up

Basque pelota

Throughout the historyof humankind a greatnumber of peoples havedeveloped their own

types of ball game. Some ofthese games have become animportant part ofthe various cul-tures. The Basquepeople are onethese groups.

Experts have notalways agreed onthe origin ofBasque pelota.However, they do agree on thefeatures that set Basque pelotaapart from other kinds of ballgames. In keeping with authors L.Bombín and Bozas-Urrutia,Basque pelota can be defined as aset of variations on the ball gamedevised or adapted by Basques,each following a particular set ofrules and regulations. These gamesarose in the nineteenth centuryfrom jeu de paume, a ball gameplayed in Europe. Later, with theBasque diaspora, the game wasspread throughout the world,particularly to the Americas. Thegame experienced its greatestachievement in the twentieth,although the end of the centurybegan to witness certain signs ofexhaustion.

As we saw in the recent World CupSoccer Championships held inGermany, it is clear that sport is a

magnificent vehicle forprojecting and promoting theidentity of a people. Somekinds of sports are in fact aninseparable part of a societyand therefore the very fact that

they exist and areregularly playedare a part ofcultural identity.This is preciselythe relationshipb e t w e e n t h eBasque people andBasque pelota.

The current Law on Sport in theBasque Country considers Basquepelota in this same light andtherefore underscores the need toreinforce this sport together withother native or indigenous sports,including rowing and herri kirolak(rural sports). Globalization andthe new habits associated withsport pose a serious threat toindigenous sports. Importantefforts must therefore be made bypublic authorities and privateorganizations to adapt them to theneeds of the different sportssectors.

Over a year ago the BasqueGovernment, together with otherpublic and private organizations,undertook a process of reflectionand analysis to decide what typesof measures should be takenregarding the situation. Otherorganizations and entities from far

Basque pelota: the sport of a nationshared with the world

JOSÉ RAMÓN GARAIDirector of Sport for the Basque Government

IntroductionAurkezpena

Issue 74 Year 2006 3GAURKO GAIAK

BBAASSQQUUEE PPEELLOOTTAA

A document has been puttogether containing

measures aimed at thepromotion and advancement

of Basque pelota for theperiod from 2006 to 2010.The purpose is to obtain a

clear picture of thesituation of Basque pelota

today; to identify thechallenges and

opportunities that lieahead; and to develop a

participatory strategy forthe future which includes

activities and projectsaimed at achieving clearly

defined goals.

4 Issue 74 Year 2006CURRENT EVENTS

EEUUSSKKAALL PPIILLOOTTAA

afield linked to Basque pelota bypractice or passion have also beeninvolved in the process. Neverbefore has such a far reachingproject been undertaken in thisarea. A document has been puttogether containing measuresaimed at the promotion andadvancement of Basque pelota forthe period from 2006 to 2010. Thepurpose is to obtain a clear pictureof the situation of Basque pelotatoday; to identify the challengesand opportunities that lie ahead;and to develop a participatorystrategy for the future whichincludes activities and projectsaimed at achieving clearly definedgoals. This phase of the project hasnow been completed, with activitiessoon to be developed and set intomotion.

According to the analysis, economicproblems are still hold a leadingposition in the international context.In the professional arena, the mostuniversal variety of the game – cestapunta or jai alai – is still boggeddown by a crisis whose finaloutcome is difficult to predict.There are very few frontons inoperation at the present time andaudiences are smaller than in thepast. However, there are signs ofhope, including the potential openingof more frontons. On the amateurlevel, the presence of jai alai in thePan American Games seems to be adetermining factor. But the lack ofdrive on the part of theInternational Federation has onceagain kept Basque pelota of theroster for the 2007 games hosted inRio de Janeiro. Official supportfrom the Basque Government hasmanaged to a certain extent toalleviate this deficiency in amateurBasque pelota so essential in theinternational arena. Specific typesof help have included gear, trainingcoaches and the construction offacilities, all of which have enabledpelotaris in North and South

America to continue practicing oursport.

Lastly, I should point out that thecommitment to Basque pelota bypublic Basque institutions will bes trong and hopeful with theimplementation of the new 2006-2010 Strategic Plan. We areconvinced that the wide-rangingset of actions defined in the planwill put Basque pelota on a muchmore secure and hopeful footingfor the future. Among the manymeasures, perhaps the mostnotewor thy are the II World

Congress on Basque Pelota to becelebrated in 2007, and thecreation of a plural and opencross-border entity aimed at theoverall promotion of pelotaaround the world.

We would like to see Basquepelota restored to the same termsas described by some of our firstleaders in sports, such as MauriceAbeberry, who described Basquepelota as “the sport of a nationshared with the world.” I trustthese pages will help us to move inthe right direction.

Issue 74 Year 2006 5

Most writers go back to Ancient Egypt, pre-Colombian civilizations or the Roman Empirewhen trying to situate the origin of Basque pelota.The introduction of the glove as a catching and

throwing device was probably the first element that set Basquepelota substantially apart from other ball games existing atthe time. The first evidence of the use of the glove isdocumented from the beginning of the nineteenth century.Therefore, the history of Basque pelota can be summed upacross two centuries, the nineteenth and twentieth.

Essentially all aspects that would eventually distinguishBasque ball games from ball games originating in other areascame about over the course of the nineteenth century(buildings, fixtures, equipment,balls and rules).Examples ofsome of these other ball games include: Valencian pilota,Castilian pelota,Canary Island handball,Mexican ball games,Ecuadorian ball games,Bolivian ball games,Ecuadorian ballgames, the Bolivian ball game, Cuban ball games, the SaoPaulo ball game,Argentinian manito,Belgian and Dutch ballgames, Pärkspel, handball, fives, French and Italian ballgames or other ball games including tennis, badminton,squash,paddle,racquetball and frontenis.

GAURKO GAIAK


Olympic sport since 1900

Euskal pilotaren historia bi mendetanlaburbil daiteke: XIX.a eta XX.a. 1882. urtean inauguratu zuten Buenos Aireseko Euskara plazan Euskal Herritik kanpo egindako lehenpilotaleku industriala. XX. mendean,zesta-punta hedatu izanari eta 20herrialdetan baino gehiagotanirekitako Jai-Alai izeneko 120frontoiei esker, nazioartean zabalduzen. Euskal Pilotaren NazioartekoFederazioa sortzeak eta JokoOlinpikoetan parte hartu izanak erelagundu zuetn pilota mundu osoanzabaltzen.



With the twentieth century the game expanded to other partsof the world. In 1882 Plaza Euskara was inaugurated inBuenos Aires, the first industrial fronton outside EuskalHerria.But it was not until the twentieth century that Basquepelota would be spread worldwide. Cesta punta, or jai alai,played an important role in international expansion.Over 120frontons were opened for professional players in more than 20countries outside of Euskal Herria.

The development of international competition,spearheaded bythe International Federation of Basque Pelota and based onworld championships and world cups, was another factor inspreading the game’s popularity, as were the Pan-AmericanGames in Argentina in 1995 and in the Dominican Republic in2003. And, of course, the inclusion of Basque pelota as anOlympic sport in 2003 was pivotal.

Paris 1900

Classic scholars of Basque pelota are quick to recognize thatthe sport was included in the 1924,1968 and 1992 Olympicgames, but there are no written references regarding thepresence of Basque pelota in the 1900 Paris games.However, the official website of the Olympic Movement,www.olympic.org,lists Basque pelota as one of the 19 sportscompeting in 1900.

This lack of consensus may be explained by the confusionsurrounding the status of events since they were organizedfor the Paris World’s Fair held that same year.In his book onOlympic facts and figures,Karel Wendl had this to say aboutthe 1900 Olympic Games:“there was no official reportand the general chaossurrounding the event madeit difficult to tell the Olympicevents apart from thenumerous competitions thattook place simultaneously.”

The Olympic Movementwebsite shows that the onlyvariety of Basque pelotaincluded in the 1900 Parisgames was cesta punta. A two-man team from Spainconsisting of players Villota and Amezola took the goldmedal against Durquetty and Etchegaray playing for theFrench team.There is no information on the type of frontonused for the competition.

Joseph Apesteguy, better known as Chiquito de Cambo, andArgentinian José Goñi,Porteño, were two of the pelotariswho also took part in these games.

Paris 1924

The 1924 program included three games between Spain andFrance – pelota a mano (bare-handed),pala (wooden bat) and

cesta punta (jai alai) – plus a demonstration game betweentwo three-man French teams playing a style called “blé”,todayknown as joko garbi (literally, clean game).The scores for thethree competition games, won by the Spanish team, wereplayed at the official level but were not included in the overallmedal rating.Most noteworthy among the 1924 pelotaris wasJosé Andrés Garate,“Garate II.” Following his phase as anamateur,Garate went on to play Basque pelota professionallyin China,Brazil and Mexico.

Mexico City 1968

The competition took place in six different venues, all left-walled frontons. Frontenis was counted as Basque pelota,together with mano, paleta cuero (played with a bat andleather ball), cesta punta and paleta goma (paddle andrubber ball). Spain came away with two gold medals andone silver medal. Six countries took part in thetournament: Spain, Mexico, France, Argentina, Uruguay,USA and the Philippines. Argentinian pelotaris Sether andBizzozero left their mark in this edition. Sether is theleading prizewinner on the international level, holding 13world titles, mostly in the paleta trinquet version playedwith both leather and rubber balls. Bizzozero is the onlypelotari who has taken part in two Olympiads: Mexico1968 and 24 years later in the 1992 Barcelona Games.

Barcelona 1992

In Barcelona Basque pelota was considered a demonstrationsport.Eight countries took part in 1992 games,as determinedby the 1990 World Pelota Championship in Cuba,in which thetop four countries in each variety qualified.Not included in the1992 games were the following varieties:xare (share),singlesmano trinquet,and paleta goma played in a left-walled fronton.Participating countries included Spain, Argentina, Mexico,France, Cuba,Venezuela, Uruguay and the Philippines.TheSpanish team dominated the competition winning a total ofeight medals. Like in many international competitions,frontenis was also included in the Basque pelota program.Originally from Mexico, frontenis was dominated by theMexican team in the 1992 games.

Three names stand out in the Barcelona games:Rubén Beloki(1),Oscar Insausti (2) and Mexican player Alfredo Zea (3).

11 22 33

[This article is based on a paper written by Mikel Bringas]



VVAARRIIEETTIIEESS

DIRECT GAMES: competing players face each other

ONE-WALLED FRONTON front wall only, also called the frontis

LAXOA OR LASHOA (from the Basque word luzea), a game using the whole court. This earlyvariation was played with a leather glove on a level playing area marked with lines or eskases. Thefour-man teams faced each other on either side of a rope. The game was played in sets, the teamschalking up their wins and changing sides after each set.

REBOTE: this variety evolved from Laxoa, taking its place. A leather glove is used as a hurlingdevice. The txistera is also used.

INDIRECT GAMES: games in which players take turns hitting the ball off the front wall

MANOSingles: The ball is received and hurledbare-handed. This is the most popularvariety of Basque pelota today, with alarge number of players and followers.

Doubles: Played in the same way assingles, but with two pairs of pelotaris, ablue team and a red team.

PALETA GOMA: A lightweight wooden bat isused to hurl a rubber-coated ball.

PALETA CUERO: This version is played with alonger, thicker and narrower bat than theversion described above. The leather-covered ball is also more lively than the one used in paleta goma.

PALA CORTA: A shorter bat and larger ball are used for this version.

JOKO GARBI: This is a variety of pelota a blé, played with a curved glove known as a txistera as acatching and throwing device. It is thought that this version later evolved into remonte and cesta punta.

CESTA PUNTA: Also known as jai alai, this is the most international version. The hurling device is awicker glove with a chestnut frame. The long, streamlined, curved glove is probably a variant of theearlier txistera. The curved part has a hollowed out area to retain the ball momentarily. The hand isinserted into a glove held in place by a strap. The main feature of the cesta is that the players cancatch the ball, allow it to roll to one end of the basket and then hurl it with much greater forceagainst the front of the fronton. The cesta measures 62 cm in length for forward players and 68 cm forback players.



DIRECT GAMES:

TRINQUETE

PASAKA, played on the full court, with a net in the middle and counting sets. It is played bare-handed in three-man teams in arkupes (porticos of buildings) or doubles using short glove inregulation trinquet courts.

INDIRECT GAMES:

MANO (BARE-HANDED): Singles

Doubles

PALETA GOMA (BAT & RUBBER BALL)

PALA ANCHA (WIDE BAT)

PALETA CUERO (BAT & LEATHER BALL)

XARE: played with a racquet smaller than the type used in tennis and strung more loosely, keepingthe ball from being retained. The ball is received and returned in continuous motion, requiring greatskill on the part of the player.

Generally closed courts consisting of a playing area and four walls, all of which are used in thegame. The playing area is 30 meters long and 9.25 meters wide. The front wall is 10 meters highand the rear wall 5.60 meters. From the frontis to the 4.44 meter line the right- and left-handwalls are 8.22 meters high, dropping to 5.60 meters from that point to the rear wall.



All varieties are direct games

SHORT COURT: 36 meters

LEFT-WALLED FRONTON

MANO (BARE-HANDED): Full-court singles: The ball is received and hurled with the bare hand. The ball is allowed tobounce anywhere inside the court.

Singles inside “four and a half”: Played like theprevious variety but after the ball hits the frontwall it cannot bounce any further back than a linepainted between numbers 4 and 5 on the left-handwall. This version is relatively new, designed forthe sake of spectacularity.

MANO PAREJAS (BARE-HANDED DOUBLES): Therules and regulations are the same as full-courtsingles, except that here two teams of pelotaris, theblues and the reds, play against one another.

PALETA GOMA (BAT & RUBBER BALL)

PALETA CUERO (BAT & LEATHER BALL)

PALA CORTA (SHORT BAT)

JOKO GARBI

LONG COURT: at least 54 meters

PALA

CESTA PUNTA: the most internationally known variety, also known as jai alai. A wicker basket isused to catch and throw the ball. The ball is not allowed to come to a complete standstill inside thebasket. Players have less than three seconds to catch and return the ball to the front wall in onecontinuous motion. This extremely fast and dangerous game, with ball speeds reaching 300 km (+185miles) per hour, calls for the mandatory use of protective helmets for both front and back players.The frontons used have to built with a side wall to protect spectators from the exceptionally hard ball(with a density of 90 to 95%)

REMONTE: This version evolved from an earlier game played with a leather glove that did not allowthe ball to stop even for a second. The hurling device is a curved basket made of a more compactmaterial than the cesta punta version, and without the deep pocket. It is 82-83 cm long. Thetechnique involves catching the ball with the part of the glove closest to the hand, letting it roll tothe other end of the basket and hurling it.

This is the most important type of court in professional competition. A frontwall, or frontis, and a left-hand wall are the basic features. Parallel to thefrontis, a third wall often marks the back of the court at a distance of 36 or 54meters, depending on whether it is a short or long court.

T



Twenty-eight years ago, when Juan Ramón Arrasatetook the leap from Lekeitio to Miami, there were 18active frontons in the United States, allowed 500Basque jai alai pelotaris to make a “very decentliving.” Today the only jai alai courts open year roundare the Miami fronton and Dania Jai-Alai. Anotherthree are open three months a year: Fort Pierce, Ocalaand Orlando. All of them together account for less than100 pelotaris.

Arrasate was one of the hundreds of youngsters whostood out in cesta punta at school. When he turned 18he was selected to play at the Miami fronton. Despitethe fact that the idea didn’t go over too well at home,he managed to convince his parents that he wanted totry his luck for a year, that he’d learn English and comeback in a year. “We were well paid and had two monthsoff, which allowed us to come back to Lekeitio. Oneseason ran into the next almost before I knew it. WhenI was just about to retire at the age of 37 after 20years as a professional pelotari, I was offered a job asa kind of coach for younger players, so I stayed on.”

His job basically involves teaching the less experiencedplayers, most of whom are from Euskadi, althoughsome are also Americans, Cubans and Mexicans. 45cesta punta pelotaris play at the Miami fronton, half ofwhom are between the age of 30 and 40. “It’s reallydifficult to find younger players who want to go thereand those that do, aren’ t very wel l prepared.”Nowadays the salary for pelotaris is not as attractiveas it was twenty years ago but it is still enough tomake a comfortable living. The starting salary isaround 2,000 dollars a month, and the percentageearned from bets can add another $1,500 to theirearnings. As their technique improves each newcontract reflects a gradual wage increase.

The world of betting

The decline in cesta punta, according to Juan RamónArrasate, began in 1988 with a strike called by the jaialai association. Since then he has been concernedabout the future of the game, saying it has lost almostall of its sporting essence: “When I came to Miami the

JUAN RAMÓN ARRASATEJAI ALAI PLAYER

Miami, the uncertain future of jai alai

Hogei urtean lekeitiar hau Estatu Batuetanibili zen. Miamiko Jai-Alai pilotalekuanzesta-punta jokalari moduan hamaikagaraipen izan zuen; beti ere, egunero-egunero izaten ziren 8.000 ikusleektxalotuta. 37 urte egitean erretiratu eginzen, eta, orain, gazteak entrenatzen ditu.Juan Ramón Arrasatek apustuekin loturaestua duen kirol honen gainbehera ezagutudu; 500 profesional mugiarazten zituenEstatu Batuetako 18 pilotaleku irekietan,eta, egun, kasinoen, txanpon-makinen etaausazko gainerako jokoen konpetentziaizugarriarekin batera irauten du bizirik.



most important sport in thecity was ces ta punta.Basketbal l and basebal lwere not as popular as theyare today and Americanfootball was only played onSundays five months a year.Since there were no bingoparlors or casinos to go to inthe evening, the frontonswere very popular.”

Betting has been associated with jai alai since itsorigins. Generally speaking, today most of the diehardfans are Cuban and Latin American bettors. “Thissport has very few followers. We make our living onbetting so the competition with other money wageringactivities is fierce.” In fact, admission to the frontonsis free and management tries to lure spectators in byselling beer at the incredibly low price of 25 cents aglass. At the Miami Jai Alai there are eventsscheduled every day from noon to 5 o’clock and againfrom 7pm to midnight. There are 14 wagers a day, thebetting options the same as for horse racing. A two-dollar bet for a combination against high odds can payreturns of up to $7,000, but this type of win is veryuncommon.

“The prospects,” added the coach “are not good. Thecasino owners are buying up the frontons and puttingin slot machines or card games. Experience shows thatwhen they go in, pelota disappears. The other gamestake over and in no time jai alai falls by the wayside.”Even the Miami Jai Alai faces this menace; themanagement company hopes to obtain a permit toconduct both of these ac tivit ies. The fu ture isuncertain. The fact that cesta punta is associated withbetting has dwindled its possibilities for certain kindsof sponsorships or backing. “When I used to play we

were always sponsored bysportswear multinationals.We’d wear their logos onour shir ts or use theirbrand name sport shoes,but now these people thinkthat bett ing is dir tybusiness and the majorcorporations don’t want toget involved.”

Considering the situation, Arrasate feels that supportshould come from Euskadi. “It’s our sport,” heexplains. “The Americans have their own and don’treally care if cesta punta disappears. The governmenthas made efforts to keep rowing and some of the ruralsports alive, so they should also do something to makesure Euskadi’s most international sport doesn’t dieout.”

In addition to the problems exclusively affecting thejai alai played in the United States, Arrasate believesthe decline is also taking place in Euskadi and that itsrecovery should be encouraged from the bottom up.“In the past, thousands of pelotaris from the Markinaschool were sent all over the globe to play. Todayfewer players are being recruited from Markina. Thesame thing is happening with the Lekeitio school,where only five years ago there were between 30 and40 youngsters, and now it’s been closed.” Added to thegenerational change is the lack of material needed topractice the sport. “A jai alai txistera costs 300 eurosand very few parents can afford it. We’ve triedsynthetic baskets, but they’re only good for training,for low-key practice, not competing. I’m convincedthat if it were a sport with a brighter future a lotmore would be invested in research, like tennis, wheretechnology has managed to produce much lighterracquets.

«Support has to come from

Euskadi because its one of

our sports. The Americans

have their own»

Juan Ramón Arrasate when he played jai alai.

FFormer pelotari Kepa Arroitajauregi has always beenassociated in one way or another with the world ofBasque pelota. Journalist by profession, for severalyears he wrote for a sports newspaper and now worksfor the Euskadi Federation of Basque Pelota. In hisopinion there is reason for concern about the situationof Basque pelota today.

What is the main reason for what seems to be adecline in Basque pelota? Are some of the varietiesexperiencing more difficulties than others?The biggest problem with pelota in general on theinternational level are shortages, ball hardness, a lackof facilities and qualified trainers, limited resources forgetting the word out about the sport and so on. Thereare ways to solve these problems but it’s not easy.

What types of solutions are there?Despite the complicated panorama, the solutions shouldfocus mainly on improving already existing facilities,building new frontons and preparing coaches in thevarious countries, if possible, in order to keep costsdown. As for materials, the laborious stitching workinvolved makes it hard to reduce costs. It’s true thatlabor costs could be cut by sending work to placesoutside the Basque Country, but the ballmakers wouldhave to be involved and a good amount of planningwould be required. There’s also a lack of raw materialsused in some of the varieties and there aren’t manycraftsmen around who know how to work the materials.As far as ball hardness is concerned, if we the game tobe played the same way it is today, the ball can’t bechanged. But that’s a problem for us since a lot of kidsstop playing because it hurts, and a lot of athletes

KEPA ARROITAJAUREGIEuskadi Federation of Basque pelota


Euskal Federazioa, ahalduen neurrian, hainbatauzi abian ipintzen hasiada; hala nola,kualifikatutako begiraleaktrebatzen, instalazioakhobetzen edota kirolhonetan erabiltzen direnmaterialak ikertzen. KepaArroitajauregik epelaburrera emaitzak ikustenhasiko direla espero du.

«Despite the complicated panorama, there are solutions»


outside our culture don’t understand how you canpractice a sport with materials that cause personaldamage. In terms of improving facilities, the Federationhas money set aside for activities of this type but it’snever enough. Another fundamental aspect is trainingqualified personnel, not only coaches and teachers, butalso people who have recruiting and planning skills whoknow how to organize, follow up and ‘sell the product.’

So, to deal with these problems it was decided tocreate the Euskadi Federation of Basque Pelota.Yes, the Federation was created twenty years ago topromote activities related to the sport. We also havework, performance and selection plans in place, drawnup by a series of coaches and a technical manager,geared at improving the technical and physical level ofour pelotaris. For the time being, for reasons related tothings other than sports, our pelotaris are not allowedto compete on an official level. In any case, we areworking on ‘unofficial’ activities and testing our skillsagainst other countries. The Federation’s promotionalwork involves organizing different types ofcompetitions such as the Liga Euskal Herria de Clubes(GRAVN), a tournament between the regionalfederations of Bizkaia, Gipuzkoa, Araba, La Rioja andNavarra, as well as championships between differenttowns in Euskal Herria and elite tournaments betweenthe year’s best pelotaris.

What can you tell us about the research efforts beingmade to cheapen the cost of materials?All types of research is being carried out. In cestapunta there’s the txiki-jai (plastic basket), which is analternative for beginners, but if we want to maintainthe essence of the game, things get a bit morecomplicated. There’s also the synthetic ball, butcompared to the traditional ball it’s not nearly aspredictable on the court. Costs have gone downsomewhat in bare-handed pelota but they’re still highbecause the balls are handcrafted. The answer may liein developing the right kind of machinery to do the job.Although there are differences between ballmakers,generally prices range from 30 to 50 euros. Any clubwith a decent amount of activity needs at least 100balls per season, unless they organize a tournament, inwhich case we’re talking about a lot more. In order tocarry out the plans I mentioned earlier, the Federationitself uses around 15 balls a week.

Materials are much more expensive for cesta punta.The basket costs around 300 euros and each ball cancost up to 100.Your average jai alai player changes hisbasket every three to four months, and the balls areeasily damaged by the force with which they’re hurledagainst the walls.

What Latin American countries do you have the bestrelationships with?We have a healthy relationship with Venezuela, Chile,Argentina (FEVA), Mexico, Bolivia and the DominicanRepublic. We also have considerable relationships withthe United States and Ireland. We have plans to buildstronger ties to make the game even more universaland in this way increase the number and quality of ourpelotaris. Although it may be hard to believe, outside ofEuskal Herria there are places where frontons are onthe rise. In Bolivia the city of Cochabamba boastsnearly 180 frontons. A lot of people play Basquepelota, mostly with a racquet or bare-handed. In fact,the president, Evo Morales, plays every day. The courtsare very much like our frontons in terms of size. Butthey have a right-hand wall and no back wall, and themetal strip is at 50 cm., so the game they play isdifferent.

Chile has a number of frontons and trinquets,whereas in Brazil, for example, the main venue islocated in a sports complex that seats over 25,000,with all the possibilities that sort of place can offer.

In Argentina there are countless trinquets, unlikethe Dominican Republic, with its one fronton located inthe capital, or Venezuela, which has a few venues.

Are there common grounds for developing the sport?We have to preserve our own style of pelota but manyof these countries play different versions of the game.The basic rules and regulations are similar so ratherthan closing any doors we should open ourselves up tonew opportunities.

Irish handball, for instance, is a game that could beplayed by handball players around the world. They usea frontenis type ball and play in small, one- or four-walled courts, which basically requires skill and agility.Manito is a similar game but played with a smoothtennis ball in courts identical to the ones in EuskalHerria but in miniature.The Bolivian ball game is morecomplicated; it’s also played with a hard, leather ball,which makes it more daunting for a lot of potentialplayers.

And you also have good relationship with otherfederations such as the Irish association.Yes, our ties with the Irish Handball Federation arevery strong. In fact, we’ve already organized fourPelota handball challenges with Irish pelotaris. Thegame is basically the same, the only differences beingthe size of the court and a few rules. But the Basquesadapt pretty well to their variety and we keep gettingbetter at it. In August we play against Canada in theWorld Handball Championships, so we’ll see how thatgoes.



As part of the Strategic Plan drawn up by the BasqueMinistry of Culture’s Department of Sport, theFederation of Ikastolas of Euskal Herria has beenworking in partnership with the regional federations ofBasque pelota and with sponsorship from Basquesavings banks to develop the “Ikaspelota” program in anumber of ikastolas and other schools throughoutEuskal Herria. The project focuses on promoting anunderstanding of and interest in Basque pelota.

Erramun Osa is in charge of the Ikaspelota program,which is now under way in number of ikastolas andother learning centers in the Euskal Herria. It was

created in 1996 to stimulate a positive approach toteaching Basque pelota to school-aged children, thepreferred varieties being bare-handed over pala, cestaor trinquet.

What types of activities are involved in theIkaspelota program?Different activities are organized depending on the gradeand age.Pilotaz Gozatu (enjoy pelota) takes place duringclass hours in 3rd and 4th grades.It is aimed at promotingBasque pelota in physical education and arts and craftsclasses in all of the elementary schools in all threeprovinces. The program also serves as a source for

ERRAMUN OSAFederation of Ikastola



«Efforts are being made to find the right approach to teaching Basque pelota»

Euskal Pilotaren lurraldeko federazioenlankidetzarekin, Euskal Herriko Ikastolen

Federazioak “Ikaspelota” programa egin duikastoletan eta Euskal Herriko hainbat

ikastetxetan 1992. urteaz geroztik. ProgramaEuskadiko aurrezki kutxek

babestuta dago, eta Eusko JaurlaritzakoKultura Sailak Kirol Zuzendaritzaren bidezegindako Plan Estrategikoaren barruan.Helburua euskal pilotaren inguruko ezagutzagerturatzea eta kirol honen ingurukointeresa piztea da.



recruiting potentialplayers for the variouslocal pelota schools.Topaketak (Encounters) isa program designed for 5thand 6th grade students,bringing children togetherfrom different schools topractice activities relatedto the various varieties ofBasque pelota.Then there’sthe Camp Bernedoprogram in Alava whichtakes place at the end ofJune. The camp is gearedtowards all of the youngerpelotaris from the differentBasque pelota schools inEuskal Herria and all ofthe schools implementingthe Ikaspelota program.Lastly, Herriak Bultzatuz,a new program scheduledto be launched this year forthe first time,is designed tohelp create local Basquepelota schools and toreactivate those already inexistence in various towns.It gives the children in thesetowns the opportunity to play Basque pelota during themonth of July.

Do the ikastolas have frontons or similar spaces forplaying the game? Most of the smaller towns andvillages have frontons, but what about the largertowns?Generally speaking, most of the ikastolas have an areato play pelota and many of them offer Basque pelota asan after-school activity. But the larger the town, theharder it is to play pelota just for fun or as a part ofunscheduled activity.

Among the different varieties of Basque pelota, arethere any preferences?Yes, there is a clear preference for bare-handed pelotaover the pala, cesta or trinquet versions.

Are girls joining the ranks as much as boys?Unfortunately participation is not at an equal footingbetween girls and boys. There are still very few girlsplaying Basque pelota. This project is designed toreinforce their participation through these differentprograms and activities. At this year’s camp in Junethere were 17% girls, although it’s worth pointing outthat we’re gradually seeing a clear increase in the

number of girls takingpart in the Basque pelotaschools.

Was this projectimplemented because ofa dangerous drop in thenumbers of followers?Since 1996 this projecthas tried to find anappropriate approach toteaching Basque pelota toschool-aged childrensince before that timepoint the focus hadn’tbeen very practical. Overthe past ten years stepshave been taken toimprove the way thematerial is taught:training teachers andinstructors, adaptingmaterials for differentl e v e l s , d e s i g n i n geducational materials andso on.

What type of materialsare used?

Beginners use what we call a goxua quality ball made ofsofter materials; as the players move on to higher levelsthey use harder balls called medio toque and finallyprogress to a harder ball called toque.The Euskal SoinketaJarduera-Ikaspelota project focuses on creating materialsused in schools and adapted in weight, size and color tomeet the needs of each of the different age groups.

Do you organize interschool or similar kinds ofchampionships?The Basque pelota schools that come out of ikastolasand towns are invited to take part in interschoolchampionships organized by the different regionalfederations. These championships give young pelotaristhe chance to practice all of the different varieties andplay with other boys and girls of the same age groupand skill level.

For more information on this program write to:

EUSKAL HERRIKO IKASTOLEN KONFEDERAZIOA

[email protected]

There are still very few girls

who play Basque pelota. This

project is designed to reinforce

their participation.

They may never see the fame and money achieved byMaría Antonia Uzkudun,“Chiquita de Anoeta”, MilaBeraza, Calixta Landaburu, Belén Balerdi, Mari

Carmen Soroa or a handful of other gutsy racquet playerswho made a name and a small fortune for themselves in the1940s and 50s in frontons throughout Spain and theAmericas. But the today’s female players give it their allwhen they swing the bat.The Federation of Basque pelota ofGipuzkoa has set into motion a program called Emakumeapilotari (women pelotaris), which is now bearing its firstfruits.The provincial council provided funding for the projectand in early 2005 the organizers began working with towncouncils throughout Gipuzkoa. So far, ten towns havebecome actively involved in launching the plan: Azpeitia,Ataun, Arrasate-Mondragón, Bergara, Donostia, Hernani,Hondarribia, Irun,Tolosa and Zestoa.

Project coordinator Maider Mendizabal explained that theyare trying to work on three fronts:school sports, federationsand recreational sports.“The first thing we did with regardto school sports was to organize a series of workshops in thevarious towns geared specifically towards girls.Two of themfocused on the pala version played with a wooden bat, andanother two on bare-handed pelota.Last year 304 girls tookpart between the age of 10 and 16.This year the figures havebeen pretty much the same and we’ve even managed tocreate pelota schools for girls in towns of Ataun, Arrasate,Azpeitia and Zestoa. We’ve also reorganized the schoolalready in place in Hernani; in Tolosa we’ve formed a groupof ten girls and in Irun we’re planning on working with theteams already in place in the former school.”

The success in the area of school sports has been sosuccessful that Gipuzkoa had already hosted the first palachampionships.Taking part were 19 teams (some with twogirls and others with 3-4-person teams) between the age of10 and 12; nine teams between the age of 12 and 14 andeight teams of 14 to 17 year olds.The pool of players augerswell.

At the age of 14 girls can become affiliated to the federationand compete in the Gipuzkoa Championships (December toSeptember playing in frontons with a solid bat and Marchthrough April in trinquets with the shorter “Argentinianbat”), and in the Basque league (January through March infrontons and May to June in trinquets). They can alsocompete in the Spanish Trinquet Championships (from Juneto early July). On the international level, the WorldChampionships are held every four years,which for women isplayed in a frontenis court with an Argentinian bat andrubble ball.The World Cup is the highest honor in Basquepelota,with the top four players in each variety vying for theWorld Championship title.

In the area of federated sports, one of the most pressinggoals of the “Emakumea pilotari” project was to create aWomen’s Committee within the Gipuzkoa Federation ofBasque Pelota. Secondly, a proposal was put forward toincrease the participation of women in decision-makingbodies and to ensure in the near future at least 30% femalepelotari representatives in the Federation’s generalassembly and at least one woman sitting on the board ofdirectors. Work is also being done to develop a newcompetition calendar to better organize the championshipsin Euskal Herria,and to design a new style for the Gipuzkoachampionships to help create more balanced teams andenhance competition.

As for recreational sports,Maider Mendizabal explains thatshe is quite confident that we will see more women playingthe game.“This year we’ve only been able to implement theplan in Azpeitia but considering the outcome we think it’sworth redoubling our efforts to reach the rest of the towns.From Easter to June nine women between the age of 30 and47 were playing in the Azpeitia fronton every Monday andWednesday morning using a paddle and tennis ball. Weprovided the gear and an instructor and they supplied theenthusiasm and effort.”

NNoott jjuusstt ffoorr bbooyyssGipuzkoako Euskal Pilotaren Federazioaaitzindaria izan da emakumezkoenartean pilota sustatzen, eta, 2004.urtean, “Emakumea pilotari” proiektuaipini zuen abian. Denbora gutxianfruituak eman ditu, batez ere, eskola-kirolean. Foru Aldundiak diruz lagunduzituen, eta, 2005. urte hasieran,Gipuzkoako eskualdeetako udalekin hasizen lanean.


Finalists at the 2006 Gipuzkoa trinquet championships.


Fernando Lopetegi’s career – first a cameraman andlater a television producer – gave him anunderstanding of the importance of image. He soon

went on to spearhead the battle launched twenty yearsago for green frontons and changing other aspects of thegame for the sake of delivering a better TV image. Anumber of pelotaris have stopped talking to Lopetegi formodernizing Basque pelota. “Traditions are hard tochange,” says the television expert “but changing thecolor of the grayish-white frontons was logical.The ballwas the almost same color, which didn’t provide enoughcontrast to make it visible when the ball was in motion.It wasn’t something that could be solved with a bettercamera technique.”

In varieties such as cesta punta or remonte, where theball travels faster than in bare-handed pelota, the frontonshave always been green. Lopetegi argued that there wasno reason they couldn’t all be the same. He backed hisstance with two very convincing arguments: “Upkeep isless expensive and Basques are used to everything aroundthem being green.” Curiously enough, the French were thefirst to heed Lopetegi’s advice, who assures that inIparralde his work is more highly respected. “The firstfronton we painted green was the Paris trinquet in 1988.The French federation called us because they wanted usto broadcast the world trinquet championships.They sawthe need and were convinced immediately.” He was alsoasked his advice by the architect responsible for theBayonne trinquet, a venue Lopetegi considers “fantastic.”

In 1990 Lopetegi received a call from Catalonia askinghim to design, from a broadcasting perspective, thefrontons to be used in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Inhis words, “to this day there is still no better project.”Lopetegi, together with the project’s architect, Enric Soria,

designed everything having to do with colors and contrasts,including all of the materials between the playing area andthe out-of-bounds line, including the camera and lightingset up. “For the audience it’s really important to be ableto tell the different surfaces apart, just like in tennis, sothey can see where the ball lands.”

But the changes championed by the ETB televisionproducer were not limited to “the battle for green.” Toprovide Basque pelota with a more modern dimension andto enhance the overall image of the game, Lopetegi alsosuggested other changes – printing pelotaris’ names ontheir shirts, regulating rest intervals, using computers forstatistics and measuring speed.

Thirty-person team

“At ETB we’ve set up the parameters for broadcastingBasque pelota and the other TV stations have copied us,”Lopetegi boasts proudly, adding that he enjoys workingwith such a close-knit team. A manomanista final (bare-handed) requires some thirty people, between productionstaff, computer experts, sound technicians, eight cameraoperators, liaisons, replay operators, producer, productionassistant, and others. It requires weeks of advance workand about six hours to set up, all of which concludes inlive footage. “It’s like making a movie but without anyretakes. In a tenth of a second, in front of 40 screens, youhave to decide which camera will be on the air.”

ETB broadcasts all of the games live on ETB-Sat forEurope and rebroadcast for America via Canal Vasco.Thelast manomanista final was broadcast live to the entireworld via the Internet through the Canadian onlinetelevision company JumpTV, and for a fee viewers coulddownload the game.

ETBk rol garrantzitsua izan du euskalpilotaren zaletasuna bizirik mantentzekolanean, eta halaxe du oraindik ere. EuskalHerrirako eta kanporako ematen dituenehunka partidei esker, kirol honen milakazaleek etxetik jarrai dezakete pilotalekuetanizaten den emozioa. Fernando Lopetegitelebistako errealizadoreari frontoi berriakegiterakoan eta zaharrak berritzerakoanarkitektoek aholkua eskatzen diote. Lopetegi1988. urteaz geroztik final handietanhogeita hamar lagunek osatzen duentaldearen buru da.


TThhee iimmppoorrttaannccee ooff aann iimmaaggee



AA ssttrraatteeggiicc ppllaann ffoorr tthhee nneexxtt ffoouurr yyeeaarrss

For the purpose of promoting, fostering and developingBasque pelota over the next four years, the BasqueGovernment has drawn up a strategic plan, presented

this past July 7th, which envisages the involvementof federations, clubs, local governments,private enterprise and other stakeholdersactive in the sector, as well as the threeprovincial councils.

To determine the areas of activityinvolved in this plan, the Departmentof Culture carried out a diagnosis ofthe current situation of Basque pelota,studying the different varieties of thegame, the competitions currently under way

and the development of licenses in use. It also conducteda thorough analysis of the different organizations involvedin the sport, including: municipal services, sportsfederations, clubs, Basque pelota businesses, privatesponsors, the media, provincial governments and theBasque Government itself.

42 actions

The conclusions drawn from the report show that Basquepelota must be included in everyday society, from theschool environment, to play, tourism and business, andgreater emphasis should be place on participation. At thesame time, the need was detected to encourage change onthe cultural and organizational levels and to define theproduct itself as well as the market it operates in.

The mission of the strategic plan is to guide aninnovative process over the next four yearsfounded on development, research,participation and education whichconsolidates the future of a local product,raises the profile and the sport abroad andtransmits the image and identity of the

country.

To this end, the plan defines four areas of activityand 42 actions. A monitoring committee will be in

charge of verifying the compliance of the objects putforward.The committee will be presided over by the BasqueGovernment and will include the Euskadi Federation ofBasque Pelota, the provincial federations of Alava, Bizkaiaand Gipuzkoa, and the three provincial councils.

Modernization of managment models

The idea of the first area of activity is to improve themanagement model and updating work methods to adaptto today's needs. Policies on government aid and subsidieswill be reoriented; a program will be set into place toimprove management among sport federations and clubsand create a more professional and modern managementculture.

As for training related activities, plans are in place toimplement a program for the stakeholders involved,including qualified technicians in the different areas. Italso seeks to unify educational contents and bring the topicof Basque pelota to the table by holding meetings between

Datozen lau urteotan euskal pilotasustatzeko, bultzatzeko eta garatzeko,Eusko Jaurlaritzak plan estrategikoadiseinatu du; planak 42 ekintza biltzenditu. Jarraipen Batzorde batekproposatutako helburuak betetzendituztela zainduko du. Plana zabaltzeko,elementu identifikatzailea sortu dute;PILOTA 21 marka, hain zuzen ere.

Fernando Tapia, Deputy for Institutional Relations of the ProvincialCouncil of Gipuzkoa, and Miren Azkarate, Basque Minister of Culture,during the presentation of the Strategic Plan for Basque Pelota.

EEUUSSKKAALL PPIILLOOTTAA©N

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different organizations and authoritiesworking in the area.

The cultural change will entail designinga model of agreement betweenmunicipal bodies and clubs,implementing a code of ethics to governthe organization and practice of thesport, creating a framework of relationsbetween professional associations andthe federations which includes points incommon and ensures continualdevelopment of the model.

It also provides for the design andimplementation of a comprehensive planfor the integration of girls and women in the world ofBasque pelota which facilitate the practice and enjoymentof the sport throughout adulthood.

Education and socialization

In this second area of activity the plan covers popularcompetitions, spring and summer camps in which schoolchildren play Basque pelota as well as other activitiesrelated to the sport, and promoting activities or productsto ensure the presence of pelota in major events in theBasque Autonomous Community. It also envisagespromoting the sport’s presence in audiovisuals and newtechnologies and in school curriculum as part of Basqueculture studies.

As for the participation aspect of the sport, the planprovides for the organization of an annual, large-scale, 24-hour, festive event. It also seeks to raise the profile of theBasque pelota among children by promoting eveningweekend activities. All of this will be accompanied byawareness raising campaigns aimed at the general public.

Specialization and creativity

Over the next four years efforts will be maximized toencourage participation by pelota federations incompetitions at the provincial and autonomous community

level. Efforts will also be made to adaptmaterials for school and recreationalactivities to meet the needs of agegroups and physical characteristics ofchildren. All schools will be equippedwith a regulation fronton. Newinfrastructures will also be encouragesalong with upgrading those currently inexistence.

Rules and regulations will be mademore innovative and dynamic with aneye to modernizing the competitivemodel. Cesta punta, pala and remontewill be adapted for the short fronton toattract more players. With regard to

improving materials and gear, plans are in place tofacilitate their acquisition at lower costs and to undertakeresearch in a global manner, taking into account technique,tactics and physiology.

International campaign

The plan puts forward the creation of an international bodyaimed at promoting the development of Basque pelota ingeneral. Another one of the points included in theinternational arena is to recruit and train technician-trainers and pelota federation leaders in countriesrequesting such support. Materials for practicing the sportoutside Euskal Herria will also be included in theseschemes. The plan also provides for actions aimed atnational and international recognition of the Basque teamto place it on an equal footing in the highest level ofinternational sport. Lastly, the plan addresses thedevelopment of a Basque pelota cultural-touristic routewhich would allow people to learn about the history of thesport, and to use the network of Basque companies abroadto promote the game on the international level.

For dissemination purposes, the plan has adopted anidentifying mark, PILOTA 21, which will provide a ‘sealof approval’ and recognition of the merits of stakeholdersor organizations carrying out the activities put forward inthe plan.

«Basque pelota

must be included in

everyday society,

from school,

to play,

to tourism, to

business»



IIn June sculptor Anton Mendizabal took part in aBasque-Argentinian cultural and sports gathering with hisproject “Pilotaz”, presented at the Esteve Museum inRosario. The cultural component of the program wasrounded out with music played by Mikel Markez, PakoAristi and Jesús Mari Lopetegi, and the sports componentwith athletic competitions and Basque pelota.

“I had to sum up a ten-year project in a very limitedamount of time. But it was interesting in that it forcedme to create an exhibition/conference based on twentymodels from the Pilotaz project, plus a series of slidesand three DVDs which helped provide a context toexplain how the different sculptures in the project cameabout. At the same time I showed a sequence of imagesto narrate the evolution of pelota over the centuries. Thepresentation was both an explanation of how pelota hasevolved and my own interpretation of this evolution

ANTON MENDIZABALSculptor

Ondo asko ezagutzen du euskal pilotaAnton Mendizabalek; hainbateskulturarekin mundu zabal honenaspektuak ezagutarazi nahi izanditu. Lan artistikoari “Pilotaz” izenaipini dio, eta duela gutxi aurkeztu duRosarion. Ezinegon artistikoa delaeta, kirol hau beste adierazpenbatzuekin ere lotu du; hala nola,musikarekin eta bertsolaritzarekin.

«Oteiza made me see the fronton with different eyes»

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expressed through sculpture.” Anton Mendizabal is anartist who has always been involved in Basque culture,submerging himself in the material to extract new andinteresting aspects and combine different artisticdisciplines.

Pilotaz was completed three years ago but did itrequire many years of study before it waslaunched?Yes, Pilotaz is a thing of the past. I finished the project in2000, although I guess you could say its culminationactually came two years later with the exhibition set up atthe Kutxa. The entire project was purchased by theGipuzkoa-based savings bank with the idea and hopes thatit would form part of the collection of a future Basquepelota museum. Pilotaz is a traveling exhibition, lastshown in Valladolid and slated next for Barcelona.

The sculptures represent different aspects of thesport. How is the exhibit arranged?Keeping in mind that the ultimate purpose was to be partof a museum collection, I thought that the display shouldbe educational and easy to understand. The world ofBasque pelota is extremely complex; there are so manyaspects involved, it’s easy to get confused. And I needed aclear script both for myself and future viewers, whichended up being divided into three main areas: the court, inother words the playing area; the player or pelotari, andthe tools used. In short, the who, what and where of

pelota. The collection revolved around these three linesand that’s what I used to develop the different aspects.When I worked on the where, the spatial aspect of thegame, I used my own interpretation to develop thedifferent courts: from the more primitive type with nowalls, which was played in the countryside to the latestglass trinquets. As for the who, my interpretations werebased on five different typical pelotari body positions, alltaken from bare-handed pelota. And the materials –thewhat– I used sculpture to describe the most commontypes of tools such as balls, baskets and bats. I think thateach of the three areas are pretty easy to understand.

This project has meant many years of work, a lot ofdifferent pieces and materials, plus your own personalevolution.It took me ten years to sculpt the 41 pieces included inPilotaz. And in addition to the various themes andconcepts in the game of pelota, I also used differentmaterials: wood, stone, iron, leather and rope. And itgoes without saying that since the project took tenyears, I too developed stylistically over that time.

Was space the most difficult thing to describe? Didyou take your inspiration from any other sculptors?Yes. The postures and tools are already there and youcan use pictures as a baseline. But capturing the spaceof a hundred meter long fronton and turning it intosculpture is much more complicated; but that’s also one

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of the most ambitious parts of the Pilatoz project. Overthe years you’re influenced by a lot of people but it wasmainly Jorge Oteiza who made me see the fronton withdifferent eyes. Alongside Oteiza – at that time we saw alot of each other – he helped me to discover that thefronton was like a giant sculpture with specialvibrations. I owe that to him, so in way, yes, I can say hewas an important influence by making me take a seriouslook at ball courts and learn to regard the walls assacred. He had a poetic vision of walls as the symbol ofa sheltering sky, and in my sculptures the wall also hasspecial significance. When Oteiza was working onHomage to Velázquez he came across the Basquefronton. That’s what he called it; he considered it anenormously suggestive and interesting element. Andthat’s how he makes the rest of us see it.

The sculptures related to the pelotari postures andthe materials are more figurative.Yes, but in a certain sense here I also followed the lead ofOteiza because I was very schematic, trying to say themost with the least amount of elements, just like theminimalist artists.

So, why Basque pelota?Ever since I was young Basque pelota was present in myfamily through my father. He was a good pala player and Ieven partnered with him. My uncle, Alejandro Amenabar,played remonte and was woodcarver by profession; hetaught me how to carve. I used to go with my father tothe fronton in Donostia in the neighborhood of Gros.When the game was over they would give me a ball andI’d go back to the fronton by myself; I would wander backand forth with the ball in that shady space. That, pluswhat I later learnt from Oteiza ... you realize it’s justsomething that’s inside of you.

Your artistic restlessness and Basque culture led youto set into motion the “Pagoarte” project in theGipuzkoan town of Oiartzun. Yes, for several years now we’ve been carrying out a seriesof experiments which link different areas of creation. It’sfunny but in spite of the individualism in all of our art, weoften come across the same problems concerning creationand also processes. So the idea came up to make thingswith Basque artists from different areas, which hasresulted in some very interesting experiments. Forexample, in the area of bertsolaris, the bertso-pilota wascreated, a performance of sorts in which the bertsolariplays the role of the pelotari’s water boy in a real game ofpelota. It was our invention but has now become commonin other places. As for sculpture, Zumeta presented his“Gernika” here with all of this sketches and explanations.Now we’re working with the organ in Oiartzun, the oldestCavaille-Coll in the Basque Country. We’ve been workingon the project for four years and each year we’ve asked acomposer to write a piece of music: The first was GorkaCuesta, who wrote a piece for organ and txistu; then

Ramón Lazkano composed a piece for organ andBaritone soloist, with lyrics by Xabier Lete. Last year, aspart of the “Quincena Musical” classical music festival inDonostia, Pello Zabalette, a composer from Iparralde,presented a piece for organ and percussion. And thisyear’s Quincena Musical will debut a work by organistLoic Mallié, based on a folk piece from Oiartzun,“Jangoikoak gabon” written as an organ solo. We alsolike to add something experimental to each concert, sothis time the organist will play an improvisation based onone of the sculptures from to my musical phase, which, inturn, is a sculptural interpretation of Ramón Lazkano’s“Ilunkor.”

ou were also a txistulari having studied five years atthe music conservatory.Yes, I’m a frustrated musician. If I had studied aninstrument other than the txistu I’d have become amusician instead of a sculptor. But that was the time tolearn the txistu and to do everything possible to keepBasque culture alive. The txistu has also developed overthe years and now you can play almost anything on it.

So now you’re combining music and sculpture. That’s right.The project I’m working on now is based on awork by Oliver Messiaen, whose hundredth anniversary iscoming up in 2008. I’d like to put together an exhibitionon music and sculpture. One of the pieces I designed as atribute to the organ players at the church of San Vicentein Donostia is already on display.

Sculpturalinterpretation

of Ilunkor byRamón

Lazkano



As of 2009-2010 the people ofBizkaia will no longer have totravel to other Basque frontons totake in a game. The new fronton, tobe built at the entrance to Bilbao,will hold 2,400 – the largestfronton yet. The project is budgetedat 22 million euros and a call fortenders has just recently beenmade.

The idea has been in on thetable for several years and was seenas a necessity: There are a lot ofpelota fans but no space largeenough to hold them all, said IñakiMujika, Director for Sport of theProvincial Council of Bizkaia. “InBizkaia,” he added “there is agrowing number of school childreninterested in pelota; more and morepeople are joining federations, andwe even have a female worldchampion. Our idea is also toprovide space for a school forteaching all of the differentvarieties of Basque pelota.”

The project, which is will bedefined by the end of the year, willalso include a trinquet and a KirolEtxea sport center, where all of thefederations from Bizkaia will havetheir offices.

A fronton forBilbao

Aitor Totorika, CEO of EuskoBasque, confirmed that the frontonin the Filipino city of Cebu is slatedto open its doors this October. Thecompany has signed an agreementfor the next five years by whichEusko Basque will hold 60% of theshares of the fronton.The remaining40% will belong to the Filipinogame and enter tainmentcorporation. Under the agreementEusko Basque will create fifty jobsin Cebu. In addition to jai alaigames themselves, the company hasplans to set up quiniela wagers forcesta punta and mano games.

Jai alai is back inthe Philippines

Azkoitia to house the Basque Center For Pelota

The first phase of what is tobecome the “Centro de Pelota deEuskal Herria” (Basque centerfor pelota) will be inaugurated inAzkoitia at the end of November,on the Feast of Saint Andrew,Azkoitia’s patron saint. Theproject is spearheaded by thelocal town council in partnershipwith the provincial government ofGipuzkoa and the savings andloan association, Kutxa. CarlosLópez de Ceballos is thearchitect responsible for project.

A number of reasons werebehind the promoters’ decision tocreate the center. One was anignorance of the differentvarieties between one area andanother. (“Biscayans don’t knowwhat rebote is and Navarransknow very litt le about ces tapunta.”) Another was the needfor a documentation center thatcould house all types ofhistorical documents related topelota, as well as pictures andother types of creative works.(“A lot of things have beencreated around pelota, includingmusic, theater, ballet andsculpture.”). And thirdly, theneed for a place where allvarieties of Basque pelota couldbe played.

The first phase comprises apark for playing pelota, which

the architect entrusted to AntónMendizabal. “The park will be atribute to Jorge Oteiza. Oteziahad a special relationship withthis Gipuzkoan town, where hisgrandfather was born and wherehe had been named favorite son.For this space I’ve put togethera kind of macro sculpture-building reminiscent of a seriesof metaphysical Oteiza boxes.It’s actually six frontons linkedtogether in which each provincehas its representative fronton:the arkupe for Gipuzkoa, theshort fronton for Navarra, thelong fronton for Bizkaia, thetrinquet for Lapurdi, the placel ibre for Zuberoa and thecimitorio for Alava.”

Another interesting aspect ofthe project is that people of allages will be encouraged to takeadvantage of the frontons, menand women alike. The secondphase will include the 90-square-meter, one-walled place librewith a parking lot underneath.The third phase will involve theconstruction of a central buildingwhich will house a glass-walledtrinquet, a museum –thecollection of which will includethe Pilotaz projec t– adocumentation center, multi-userooms, conference rooms, anassembly hall and a cafeteria.


24 Issue 74 Year 2006

In June Lehendakari Juan JoséIbarretxe and Basque Minister ofIndustry Ana Agirre traveled toPoland, where they met with Pawe?Wróblewski, head of the Province ofLower Silesia.There, they signed aletter of intent between Euskadi andLower Silesia aimed at enhancingcooperation between the twocountries.

After signing the letter,Ibarretxe explained that “theBasque companies and institutionshere today have come to share inthe future projects and ambitionsof this country.” The Lehendakarireminded those present that theeconomic structure of LowerSilesia was not unlike that of theBasque Country, based primarily onindustry and services and to alesser extent, the primary sector.He also mentioned that they havecommon passions including self-government, the European Unionand promoting industry. The

Lehendakari assured PawelWróblewski that the Basquecompanies that have establishedthemselves in Lower Silesia havethe intention of staying, adding thathe hopes to see the Basque firmsbecome “Poland’s best.”

“We need to strengthen thepresence of our economic sectors inthe international markets toconsolidate activity, employmentand the parent companies inEuskadi,”said Ibarretxe.

After affirming that theexperiences of the two countries wereindeed similar since both struggledwith a period of severe industrialcrisis, Pawel Wróblewski added thatthe important thing was “people notmoney.”

The Lehendakari, accompaniedby the Basque Minister of IndustryAna Aguirre, presented a businessplatform project in the city ofWroclaw and maintained variouscontacts with Polish business people

and politicians. He announced thewish to strengthen ties betweenLower Silesia and Euskadi startingby building closer economic andtrade relations between the tworegions. To this end, the BasqueDepartment of Industry,Trade andTourism plans to extend the networkof the Society for the Promotion andReconversion of Industry (SPRI) tothe Lower Silesia region by openingan office in Wroclaw. Theautonomous region of Lower Silesiais pleased with this initiative, whichwill undoubtedly contribute tocreating further contacts andmutually beneficial projects.

During their visit, the Basquedelegation visited the new plantopened in Wroclaw by the Basquecompany Fagor. They also had thechance to meet with local andregional authorities of Lower Silesiaand with the Speaker of theParliament, the Governor and theMayor of Wroclaw.

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The Lehendakari and the Minister of Industry with authorities from Lower Silesia.

Euskadi strengthens ties with Lower Silesia

Issue 74 Year 2006 25

The Basque Government feels thatit is necessary to take advantageof all of the possibilities opened upby the new European Unionframework vis-a-vis the official useof ‘other languages’ in theinstitutions and bodies of the EU.It has therefore expressed itsreadiness to collaborate in puttinginto practice the use of Euskara toboth foment the normalization ofthe language and to bring Basquesociety closer to the EuropeanUnion.

The Department for EuropeanAffairs of the General Secretariatfor Foreign Action will be theBasque Government body workingin this area. It will also be in chargeof translating and publishing theprovisions adopted in codecision bythe European Parliament andCouncil. The department will alsoprocess any papers addressed to theEuropean Union in Euskara byBasque citizens and the respectiveresponses. It will also notify EUinstitutions and bodies when

Basque representatives intend touse Euskara in appearances andspeeches at plenary sessions orother meetings.

These measures were announcedby Secretary General for ForeignAction, Iñaki Aguirre, who addedthat a new web page has beencreated (www.euskadi.net/euskera_ue) in Euskara withgeneral information about thesystem, plus recommendations onwriting to the EU, types ofcommunications, and a lis t inEuskara of regulations adopted incodecision, among others. An e-mailaddress ([email protected]) hasalso been set up to channelcommunications in Euskara.

Recognizing our rights

Patxi Xabier Baztarrika, DeputyMinister of Linguistic Policy,pointed out that “with therecognition of Euskara in the EUwe all win: Euskara wins because itgains prestige; Basque speakers win

because we our rights arerecognized; and Europe winsbecause bringing citizens closerlends greater credibility to EUinstitutions. He added that thisshould not be seen as a symbolic ortoken concession, but therecognition of a right. Baztarrikaadded that it illustrates thedeficiencies of Spanish institutions,where the recognition of the officialuse of co-official languages is stillpending, despite the commitmentsundertaken by ratifying theEuropean Charter for Regional orMinority Languages.

The Deputy Minister ofLinguistic Policy indicated that inany event this is only a “small stepforward.” In fact, he pointed outthat the new paths opened for theofficial use of Euskara in the EUhave significant shortfalls.Therefore, he is calling for Euskarato enjoy official status comparableto the rest of the official EUlanguages, since, in his words, “thevalue and dignity of a languageshould not be measured by thenumber of speakers it has, nor bywhether it is the language of anofficially recognized state. In thisarea Europe should also be a modelof an advanced, open, integratedand truly plural society.”

Jon Koldobika Urrutia, Directorof the Basque Institute for PublicAdministration (IVAP), underscoredthe role IVAP will play, via theOfficial Translation Service, withregard to EU regulations on thecodecision process, including writtencommunications in Euskara and anyresponses to such correspondenceissued by the institutions and bodies ofthe European Union. (www.revie.org/index4.htm)

CCUURRRREENNTT EEVVEENNTTSS

The Basque language in the European Union


Iñaki Aguirre, seated between Patxi Xabier Baztarrika and Jon Koldobika Urrutia.

On June 13th representatives of all 21countries comprising the WorldHeritage Committee unanimouslydeclared the Portugalete TransporterBridge as a new site in UNESCO’s WorldHeritage List, Euskadi’s firstmonument to be given world heritagestatus.This is the highest honor that canbe bestowed on a historical or culturallandmark,enjoyed only by such the likesof such architectural treasures as theTaj Mahal, the Acropolis in Athens andthe Gizeh pyramids.

Built in the nineteenth century, inEurope only three other bridges stillstand today dating from this period: theRoquefort-Martrou bridge in France,the Newport Transporter bridge inEngland and the Osten bridge inGermany. Bridges of this type were alsobuilt in Africa and the Americas,but theonly the La Boca bridge is still in use inBuenos Aires.The “Puente Bizkaia” orBiscay Transporter Bridge wasinaugurated in 1893 as the world’s firsttransporter bridge. Designed by thearchitect Alberto Palacios, it was builton the mouth of the Ibaizabal/NerviónRiver, which crosses the city of Bilbaoand links the towns of Portugalete andGetxo.The bridge is based on a cleanstructure with no decorative covering.Itis built on two double towers whichsupport cables 61 meters above theground. The cables are anchored ateither side to piers located 110 metersfrom the towers.

Today many fewer boats pass underthe bridge than in the past, but thepopulation has multiplied on both banksof the river and the bridge still serves astheir main link.The bridge is protected

by the Basque Government, which hasdeclared it a Cultural HeritageLandmark.

A delegation of the Basqueexecutive, headed by the Director ofCultural Heritage, Arantza Arzamendi,traveled to Vilnius, Lithuania, the hostcity for the 30th session of the UNESCOWorld Heritage Committee, to followthe debates of the 37 candidatures andthe final decision on the BiscayTransporter Bridge. Arzamendiunderlined its “universal” value and thefact that it is “unique in the world” toexplain the relationship iron andindustrialization have with the BasqueCountry. The declaration of WordHeritage Site is a conclusive guaranteethat the transporter bridge will alwaysremain in perfect condition. From nowon, all level of governments, from localto national, have the obligation to takepart in its conversation.

Thirty-seven new sites wereproposed for inscription at themeeting, 27 of which were reviewed ascultural sites, eight natural sites, twomixed sites and three transboundarysites.The Biscay Bridge is included inthe industrial heritage group,alongside other transporter bridges.UNESCO also recognized othermonuments, including the old town ofRegensburg and Stadtamhof inGermany;Sewell Mining Town in Chile;Bisotun in Iran;The Strade Nuove andthe system of the Palazzi dei Rolli inItaly; the aflaj irrigation systems inOman; Centennial Hall in Wroclaw,Poland, and the Cornwall and WestDevon Mining Landscape in the UnitedKingdom.

San Sebastian film directorDaniel Calparsoro is finalizing thedetails of two projects which willkeep him in the United States fora time. In early 2007 he’ll beginshooting “Anvil”, a supernaturalterror movie starring angels anddemons. He’s also working on aremake of his most recentSpanish film release, “Ausentes,”which he himself will direct inHollywood.The cast has yet to bedetermined. Calparsoro studiedfilmmaking in New York, workingas an unpaid trainee beforemaking his film debut in 1995with “Salto al vacío”(Jump Intothe Void). After making sixfeature-length films, he sees beinga commissioned director assomething new. “It’s going to bedifferent, but I really feel likedoing it. I realize I’ll part of aproject that doesn’t revolvearound me and where I won’thave the final word,” Calparsorosaid.

Portugalete Transporter Bridge,World Heritage Site

Donostia-born Daniel Calparsoro toshoot in Hollywood


26 Issue 74 Year 2006CCUURRRREENNTT EEVVEENNTTSS

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The 35 youngsters who took partin the Gaztemundu, organized bythe Directorate for Relations withBasque Communities,wrapped upthis year’s program on July 15thwith an overall positiveexperience. ForA two weeks theparticipants,youngsters affiliatedwith Basque clubs, had theopportunity to broaden theirknowledge about Euskal Herria.

Under the coordination ofUniversity of the Basque Countryinstructors Joseba Etxebeste andClara Urdangarin, participantsstudied themes related to all typesof games – organized games,competitive games (jokoak) andunorganized games played purelyfor fun (jolasak) – as well asmusic,song,dance and sports.Theprogram got under way with areception by the Lehendakari athis official residence in AjuriaEnea, and was later rounded outwith trips to Lesaka,Donostia andGasteiz, where participantsvisited the cathedral and themuseum of contemporary art,Artium. Gaztemundu emerged asan educational program aimed atproviding young people affiliatedwith euskal etxeas around theworld the opportunity to learnabout the culture and present-daysociety of Euskal Herria.The lasttwo editions have had a particularfocus on cultural and leisure-timeactivities for teenagers andyounger children. Participants

this year were given a copy of thebook “Jokoa eta Jolasa”published by the Basque Secre-tariat for Foreign Action. Thebook contains interesting mate-

rial and an extensive catalog ofeducational and entertaininggames and activities put togetherby teachers Joseba Etxebeste andClara Urdangarin.

-AAbbaassoolloo ddee ZZaavvaalleettaa,, EEsstteeffaannííaa (EuskaldunakDenak Bat, Arrecifes, Argentina)

-AAllddaabbee,, ZZuullmmaa BBeeaattrriizz (Centro Vasco GureTxokoa, Suipacha, Argentina)

-AAllttaammiirraa,, DDaanniieell HHééccttoorr (Centro VascoItxaropena, Saladillo, Argentina)

-AAllvvaarraaddoo SSaallaass,, KKaarriinn AAlleexxaannddrraa (CentroVasco Euzko Etxea, Santiago, Chile)

-AArriinn,, EEzzeeqquuiieell (C.Vasco Gure Txokoa,Córdoba, Pcia. de Córdoba, Argentina)

-BBaallllaa ddee AArraannzzaabbaall,, MMaarrííaa NNooeell (CentroVasco Ibai Guren, Paraná, Argentina)

-BBaazzttaann CCaassttrroo,, MMaaiittee SSoolleeddaadd (Euzko Etxeade Comodoro Rivadavia, Argentina)

-BBeenníítteezz,, MMaarriiaa JJeessúúss (Centro Vasco KotoiarenLurra del Chaco, Argentina)

-BBiillbbaaoo,, JJoosseebbaa (C.Vasco Euzko Etxea deNecochea, Pcia. Buenos Aires, Argentina)

-CCaaiirroo,, MMaarrííaa EEmmiilliiaa (Centro Vasco EuzkoEtxea de La Plata, Argentina)

-CCaassttiilllloo AAllzzuurrii,, EEllssaa NNiieevveess (VillegaskoEuskaldunak de General Villegas, Arg.)

-CCiiss LLeeiizzaa,, EErrnneessttoo (Centro Vasco Ibai OndokoEtxea de Carmelo, Uruguay)

-DDaabbaaddiiee GGoorroossaabbeell ddee UUssttaarrrroozz,, MMªª BBiibbiiaannaa(Euzko Etxea, Necochea, Argentina)

-DDoommiinnggoo,, AAnnaa IInnééss (Centro Vasco EuskalEtxea, San Nicolás, Argentina)

-EEttcchheeppaarree,, AAnnaa (Centro Vasco ZingirakoEuskaldunak, Chascomús, Argentina)

-FFeerrnnáánnddeezz,, MMaarriiaa GGaabbrriieellaa (C.Vasco GureTxokoa, Córdoba, Argentina)

-GGaallaarrrraaggaa,, MMaarrííaa GGaabbrriieellaa (Centro VascoDenak Bat, Mendoza, Argentina)

-GGaallaarrrraaggaa,, MMaarrííaa LLaauurraa (Centro Vasco EuzkoEtxea, La Plata, Argentina)

-GGaarraatt,, MMaarrííaa PPiillaarr (Centro Vasco UniónVasca de Bahía Blanca, Argentina)

-GGaarrccííaa,, MMaarriiaannaa (C.Vasco Denak Bat deCañuelas, Pcia. Buenos Aires, Argentina)

-GGeessttiiddoo MMeennddiioollaa,, SSoolleeddaadd (Centro VascoAnaitasuna, Maipú, Argentina)

-GGooiiccooeecchhaannddiiaa,, GGrraacciiaannaa MMaabbeell (CentroVasco de Las Flores, Argentina)

-GGoonnzzáálleezz TToorrrreess,, ÁÁllvvaarroo (Centro Vasco IbaiOndoko Etxea, Carmelo, Uruguay)

-HHeerrnnaannddoorreennaa,, AAddrriiaannaa (Centro Vasco DenakBat, Mar del Plata, Argentina)

-IIrraassttoorrzzaa,, AAgguussttiinnaa (Centro Vasco UniónVasca, Bahía Blanca, Argentina)

-LLaannddaa,, PPaabblloo IIggnnaacciioo (Centro Vasco LaurakBat, Buenos Aires, Argentina)

-LLaarrrriibbiittee,, CCrriissttiinnaa JJuulliiaa YYoollaannddaa (CentroVasco Guillermo Larregui, Chacabuco,Argentina)

-MMaarrttíínneezz ddee AAlleeggrriiaa,, IIssmmaaeell (C.Vasco EuzkoEtxea,Villa María, Argentina)

-OOrrddooqquuii SSaassiiaaiinn,, MMaaiittee (C.Vasco Denak Bat,Lomas de Zamora, Argentina)

-OOssoorroo,, SSiillvviiaa MMaarriieellaa (Asociación VascoArgentina Urrundik, Paraná, Argentina)

-OOssttoollaazzaa BBeennggooeecchheeaa,, MMaarrííaa IInnééss (CentroVasco Denak Bat, Lomas, Zamora, Argentina)

-RReeyynnaa MMuunniiaaiinn,, FFaaccuunnddoo (Eusketxe-Casa dela Cultura Vasca, Buenos Aires, Argentina)

-RRooddrríígguueezz,, DDaarrííoo GGuuiilllleerrmmoo (Centro VascoToki Eder de José C. Paz, Argentina)

-SSaallaabbuurruu UUrrrruuttyy,, IIddooyyaa (Basque CulturalCenter, South San Francisco, USA)

-UUrrddaannggaarríínn KKaavvaajjiinn,, DDrriinnaa MMaarrííaa (CentroVasco Euzko Etxea, Santiago, Chile)

35 Gaztemundu participants in Euskal Herria

PARTICIPANTS / PARTAIDEAK

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A delegation from theDepartment of Justice,Employment and SocialSecurity, headed by Basqueminister Joseba Azkarraga,traveled to Costa Rica and theDominican Republic to meetwith senior officials from bothCentral American governmentsand to sign cooperationprotocols in the area of justice,employment and occupationalhealth and safety.

In Costa Rica, JosebaAzkarraga met with Vice-president and Minister ofJustice, Laura Chinchilla. Healso met with a group ofrepresentatives from CostaRican jurisprudence led byChief Justice of the SupremeCourt Luis Paulino Mora, withwhom he signed a frameworkagreement enablingcollaboration and exchanginginformation on theadministration of justice.

Azkarraga met with theMinister of Labor, FranciscoMorales Hernández, to analyzefuture agreements between thetwo countries in the area ofsocial economy. Azkarragaalso met with the regionaldirector of ACI-Américas(International CooperativeAlliance) Manuel Mariño andother leaders from theNational Council forCooperatives, CONACOOP.

In the Dominican capitalthe Basque delegation metwith President LeonelFernández and later with the

Minister of Labor José R.Fadul Fadul. The meetingresulted in the signing of twocooperation protocols, one inthe area of employment andthe other in occupationalhealth and safety. TheDominican attorney generaland Joseba Azkarraga signedthe plan for theimplementation of thecooperation protocol enteredinto in January 2005 betweenthe Minister of Justice and the

Attorney General of theDominican Republic, FranciscoDomínguez Brito in the areasof juvenile justice, forensicmedicine and victimassistance.

The Basque minister gave aconference on social economyat the Foundation for GlobalDemocracy and Developmentand another presentationentitled “At the doors ofpeace” at the AutonomousUniversity of Santo Domingo.

28 Issue 74 Year 2006

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The minister meets with Dominican President Leonel Fernández

Above, JosebaAzkarraga at ameeting with LeonelFernández, Presidentof the DominicanRepublic. Left, the Vice-president of CostaRica, Laura Chinchilla,with the Basqueminister.

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Issue 74 Year 2006 29BBAASSQQUUEE CCEENNTTEERRSS

Aitor Etxezarreta andIzaskun Arretxe were marriedon May 27th at the euskaletxea in Shanghai. Over thirtymembers of the Shanghai-koEuskal Etxea helped thehappy couple celebrate theevent. The bride and groomwore traditional Basqueoutfits, but made with fabricfrom the Shanghai fabricmarket. The “txapelas” and“gerrikos” worn by the mencame from Euskadi. Thegroom, born in Aretxabaleta,works for a Basque companywith a plant near Shanghai inChina.

Basque wedding in Shanghai

On July 5th, Lehendakari JuanJosé Ibarretxe welcomed theBihotzetik Basque Choir fromBoise to his official residenceat Ajuria Enea.The membersof the choir, all of Basqueorigin, traveled to Euskadi tocelebrate their twentiethanniversary as ambassadorsof Basque culture in theUnited States. The Lehen-dakari told his guests that inEuskadi “we’re pleasedbecause we’re seeing a greatopportunity for peace andpolitical normalization, whichwe hope to take advantage ofwith your help too.”

The BihotzetikChoir from Boisecelebrates 20years

Issue 74 Year 2006

For the muscovado gelatin:Boil the water with the muscovadosugar, add the gelatin sheets and allowto thicken in a plasic container.

FFoorr tthhee tthhiicckkeenneedd ffooaammHeat the milk to 65ºC and place it in aplastic container with the drops ofrennet.Allow to thicken and fill the siphon.Charge with 2 cannisters and allow torest.

FFoorr tthhee rriiccoottttaa ppoowwddeerrAdd all of the ingredients to theThermomix. Blend, strain and pour in aPacoJet beaker.

FFoorr tthhee wwaallnnuutt ssccuullppttuurreeMix the ingredientes in the Thermomix.Blend thoroughly, strain and place in apastry sleeve. Allow to rest for 2 hours.Spread onto a Silpat baking mat in theshape of a fine-toothed comb and bakefor 5 minutes at 170ºC.

NN EE WW BB AA SS QQ UU EE CC UU II SS II NN EE

I N G R E D I E N T S

FFoorr tthhee mmuussccoovvaaddooggeellaattiinn100 gr. muscovado sugar250 gr. water3 gr. leaf gelatin sheets

FFoorr tthhee tthhiicckkeenneedd ffooaamm:: 500 gr. sheep’s milk2 drops rennet

FFoorr tthhee rriiccoottttaa ppoowwddeerr:: 300 gr. ricotta 300 gr. water50 gr. 50% sugar syrup

FFoorr tthhee wwaallnnuutt ssccuullppttuurree:: 200 gr. 50% sugar syrup30 gr. glucose100 gr. walnuts

Iñigo LavadoRestaurante Ficoba (Gipuzkoa trade show)Avda. de Iparralde 43 • 20302 IRUN • www.ficoba.org

C O L L E C T I B L E

Honored with various awards, this chef is energetic,straightforward, hard-working, sensitive and aperfectionist. In spite of his youth, Irun-born IñigoLavado has garnered a broad wealth of experienceworking in some of Europe’s leading restaurants. Afterstudying under Luis Irízar at his school in SanSebastian, he worked as specialist chef at PedroSubijana’s Akelarre restaurant. Lavado later moved toParis, where he had the opportunity to work at therestaurant owned by world-class chef Alain Ducasse.At the same time Lavado took advantage of his time inFrance to study pastry-making. In 1997 he worked asspecialist chef at El Bulli in Catalonia under FerránAdriá, and after that returned to work with Subijana assecond chef. His relationship with the BerasateguiGroup began a little later and soon he was in charge ofthe kitchen at Kukuarri, the restaurant located the HotelNH Aranzazu in San Sebastián. Since late August 2005Iñigo Lavado has been running the restaurant atFicoba, the trade show in Irun bordering with Iparralde.

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11

Photo album

Negro Iroldi and Cesar Bernal Berroa, “El Perro,” Basque pelotachampions in San Sebastian in the 1970s. El Perro Bernal was five-time world champion in “Paleta Vasca”.

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