Horseball World Championship, the voice of Camilla

On March 24th, it all begins. A unique event of its kind and, undoubtedly, unrepeatable for Camilla Avagnina, a 32-year-old surgeon, but above all, a pillar of the Ladies’ team. It’s the Horseball World Championship, which for the first time in history is taking place outside Europe and, to make it happen properly, practically on the other side of the world: in Argentina.

A whole new adventure

“I really don’t know what to expect, but it will definitely be an incredible adventure,” says Camilla, just a few days before her departure for what will be a World Championship filled with emotions for the athlete. “It will be a great challenge, for the first time in history, all delegations will compete with horses rented locally. After all, it would have been unthinkable, cost-wise, to transport all the horses for such a long journey. So, who knows,” she shares, full of excitement and high expectations. “In our sport, the horse-rider bond is crucial. We gallop without holding the reins, head down, and trusting our horse is essential. But this time, no rider will have their trusted four-legged friend, and it will be up to us to make the difference. It’s going to be something spectacular!” And indeed, it will be, because a competition of this level with all fresh horse-rider pairs—except for the home team—has never been seen in our sport. Every team will need to be monitored closely, starting with the group stages, particularly the French teams, always the ones to beat. “This time it could be different,” the Italian athlete explains. “The French are undoubtedly very strong, but their strength is very much based on the bond with their horses. Who knows what will happen with unfamiliar horses? In this sense, we Italians might have an advantage. We’re more accustomed to switching horses.” Our champion wisely refrains from making any bold predictions, but expectations are high, and the adrenaline is palpable.

Collective excitement

Argentina is a land of horses, and horseball is deeply rooted in the culture, so there are many horses available for the teams that come to compete in the tournament. As a result, the delegations are numerous. “Italy is led by coach Adrià Velasco, and we’ll be presenting a male team consisting of Luca Lanzi, Roberto Prettico, Fabio Monti, Alessio Cilli, and Danilo Monteverde. As for us Ladies, alongside me, there will be Aurora Carletti, Valentina Percivale, Alice Volontè, and Marzia Navone,” Camilla Avagnina shares. “The guys are a solid team, and they’re handling it like ‘guys’—she jokes—with almost no apparent stress. For us, it’s different. Our team is fairly new, or rather, we have three veterans and three newcomers. So, we’re in the middle of a generational transition, and it’s up to us ‘veterans’ to guide the younger players and make sure emotion doesn’t take over,” she says, with excitement. “Yes, because a World Championship is something incredible. When you’re on horseback, in the field, surrounded by fans, and the referee blows the whistle, your heart races. It’s normal for emotions to come into play, but at the same time, your mind must start working. It will be a great challenge!” As for foreign teams, there has never been a World Championship so well-populated in the history of horseball. “In the Pro-Elite category, the men’s team, along with the home team, will face off against Argentina, Australia, Belgium, the Netherlands, Chile, France, Great Britain, Kazakhstan, Portugal, Mexico, Spain, and Uruguay. The Ladies’ category is no less numerous, as we’ll compete with Argentina, of course, but also Australia, Belgium, the Netherlands, Canada, France, Great Britain, Portugal, and Spain. There has never been such a large crowd at a World Championship,” Camilla concludes.

Personal emotion

The World Championship in Argentina is, therefore, an exciting and unique event to follow closely because our teams deserve a place on the podium. After all, both the women’s and men’s teams have never competed for anything less than a bronze medal in major tournaments. Moreover, seeing the skill of all these players on unfamiliar horses is truly a gamble. “The coaches leave two days before us, and we’ll join them next Friday. Thanks to a contact I have in Argentina, they’ll have the opportunity to check out the horses and not only choose the best ones but also match them to the right athlete. Because a horse might be a champion, but if the right bond doesn’t form, it won’t go anywhere. When we arrive, we’ll meet our teammates, and we’ll have two whole days to get to know each other before the games start,” Camilla says enthusiastically. “Going to Argentina is a dream, and it will be a somewhat crazy adventure that I want to enjoy to the fullest, especially since it will be my last time,” she says, as if it were a cold shower, this athlete who has given so many joys to Italian horseball. “I can’t quite believe it, but I’m retiring. My last match will be my farewell to the sport, this wonderful and engaging sport that has accompanied me for so many years.” And so, our blonde, smiling, and determined flag bearer of horseball concludes her brilliant career. All we can do is wish her the best of luck for the World Championship and, above all, for her to enjoy herself with her teammates because, in the end, sport is a game, and a game is something serious.

Ph Elena Domingo Horseball M3

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