Sara Revuelta will start studying Physics at The University of Alabama next season, leaving CD Ilunion after five consecutive seasons with the club. She has hopes of helping the intercollegiate side gain another NWBA National Championship alongside the likes of; Babsi Groß, Catarina Wieß, Katarina Lang, Selina Rausch, Arinn Young and Rosalie Lalonde. The Spanish national team player spoke with Rollt.’s Dylan Cummings about her move to America.
Why did you choose to study and play at Alabama?
“Alabama has been talking with me for the last six years and this time I felt ready and wanted a change in my life, so I decided to take a chance.”
How do you intend to fit into the team?
“I consider myself a player who can adapt to whatever the team needs so I’ll just pay attention and try to do what the team needs me to do.”
Why did you choose to move to America for college?
“I chose moving to the USA because it’s easier to be a student-athlete here compared to Spain. In Madrid, university professors don’t usually care about your sport. So, if you have a competition or a training camp and you have exams or homework you don’t get more time to study. In the USA, it seems easier to study and play wheelchair basketball.”
What will challenge you in the NWBA intercollegiate league?
“Probably playing more than one game in just two days. In Spain we play a game every weekend so there’s time to recover between games.”
How do you think the styles of play will differ between Alabama and Ilunion?
“I think they will be very different. At Ilunion, I played alongside men and that meant playing with four big players due to the points reduction I get for being a girl. In Alabama, I’ll play to my real classification which probably means I’ll get more responsibility on both offence and defence.”
Do you think there will be a difference between the Division de Honour and the NWBA intercollegiate league?
“Yes, I do. I think that the Division de Honour in Madrid is at a higher level than the NWBA intercollegiate league as the league in Spain has been the best one in Europe for the last two seasons. But I’m pretty sure playing in the intercollegiate league will give me more chances to improve as a player.”
At Ilunion, you seemed to be a well-respected member of the team, however, in my opinion a lot of the big international club teams ‘use’ low point females to get the bigs on court whilst not showing the females any respect, do you think that there is any truth to this perspective?
“I think that this perspective is true but not in my case. It may have been like that my first year in Ilunion back in 2014/15 but it’s not anymore. As you say I was respected member of the team and my teammates didn’t only see me as the girl who lets them play with four bigs on court, but as a low point player who works hard to get the bigs inside the key by picking and curling for them.”
What was it like to play alongside; Terry Bywater, Bill Latham, Rodney Hawkins and the Zarzuela twins?
“Getting to play with Terry, Bill, Rodney, Ale and Pablo was amazing. They are not only great players but great teammates and friends. We got to a point where we knew each other so well that we knew what we were going to do just by looking at each other. They were so patient with me when I first got into the team and when I didn’t even know what a pick was. They are partly the reason why I am the player and the person I am today. Its because of them and I thank them for that. I really hope I will get to play alongside them again in the future.”
Alabama look to have a stacked team next season; which teammates are you looking forward to working with?
“I have wanted to play with Babsi, Juice, Kate and Rosie since the day I met them. I’m looking forward to playing with all of them.”
What are your goals for next season?
“I want to become a better player and do everything I can to help the team win a National Championship again.”
What are Spain’s goals for Tokyo?
“We want to become a better team on and off the court and be able to compete against any team.”
How does Spanish culture differ from American culture?
“The only thing that I know for sure is that life in America starts earlier in the morning than in Spain. In Spain, you can still go to places, go to the supermarket until late in the evening whilst it seems that in America you cannot do that. I’m not sure about other differences yet.”
What will you miss the most about Spain when you are studying abroad?
“The direct support from my parents.”
How would you describe your style of play?
“Difficult question. I think I am a tireless worker who loves to get her teammates into good shooting positions.”
Has anyone specifically influenced you to play the way you do?
“Yes, Cristina Campos was a great 1.5 from Madrid. She played in Ilunion for four years and she is my idol.”
What piece of advice has stuck with you throughout your career?
“Learning how to play wheelchair basketball isn’t just a slope. It’s a slope that you’ve got to go up but there will be steps all along the way. Sometimes you may feel that you haven’t learned anything in a long time and then, suddenly, you’ll be able to do something new.”
If you could do a training session with three other players from anywhere in the world male or female to improve your game, who would you choose and why?
“I would choose Mariska Beijer, because she is the best player in the world right now, she is unstoppable. Patrick Anderson because his skills are unbelievable. Jannik Blair as he is one of the best 1.0s in the world and I could learn so much from him.”
Rollt. would like to thank Sara Revuelta for this interview.
Sara Revuelta Profile
Date of Birth: 26/08/1997 (aged 22)
Hometown: Tres Cantos, Madrid
Started playing: 2012
Spain senior debut: 2013 European Championships – Frankfurt, Germany
Classification: 1.0
Disability: T6 Spinal Cord Injury
Future Club: The University of Alabama, USA (Starting September 2019)
Former Clubs:
_FDI Alcorcón, ESP (2012-14)
_CD Ilunion, ESP (2014-19)
Career Highlights:
_IWBF Champions League winners 2016 (CD Ilunion)
_IWBF Champions League winners 2017 (CD Ilunion)
_Qualifying for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games (Spain)
Interview: Dylan Cummings | Photo: Steffie Wunderl