bilbaojaialai - Goiko, López and Enbil, “The trident of Zumaia”

Goiko, López and Enbil, “The trident of Zumaia”

Bilbao Jai Alai brings together the three "cracks" of the Jai Alai

09/21/2011: We have a bit cloudy day, but even so, we see quite a few people on the beach in Zumaia, some of them walking, others lying on the sand, and some even bathing. The first to reach the appointment has been the eight times champion of the Individual Iñaki Goikoetxea, so he becames my host. “Look, this is the famous Flysch of Zumaia”. While we are talking, Imanol López, with whom Goiko has won the World Championship of Hossegor, appears; and a little later arrives Gotzon Enbil, the five times World Champion and who completes “The trident from Zumaia”, in wich are the three best puntistas of the planet. I shared with them a drink, amazing views and many minutes of pleasant conversation.

López is the more extrovert of the three men, and he is who I have interviewed in fewest number of times, so he revived his career from beginning to end. “We were all together in Euskadi from 2003 to 2005 and I remember my first game, it was with Goiko, against Konpa-Irastorza. We lost 35-30, but we won the Villa of Gernika and I also got the triumph in Bilbao, it was with Goixerri, against Diego-Jon Arriaga”, indicated Imanol, who admits that in Zumaia feels comfortable, “but when I go to America, I also feel good, so these eight months in Florida run quickly and I am happy on both sides". For Enbil, to be waiting has been a little tougher, because “Maite, my wife, came home six weeks earlier with the child, and that period of time that I was alone was so long".

When you are talking to these three star is inevitable to refer his American experience and the differences between the quinielas and partidos. For Lopez, “the partidos are physically harder, but mentally I think it is the same”. “No, I think to play America is mentally most difficult” - says Enbil-who finds the answer from Goiko: "Well, if every day you win three quinielas, as Imanol does, you mentally feel better, je, je”. “Yes, but when you are playing bad, it is difficult to turn around the situation. It is like when you lose three partidos consecutively, it is very hard”, said Lopez.

This year, Enbil has been in Dania with the last vizcaíno who was gone to the United States, as it is the case of Ibon Aldazabal. “He goes well, but the first year is always hard. However, he has everything to play and will be at high-level". At this point, Imanol remembers the first tanto that he played in Florida, in wich “Hernández served and when I went to the resto, the ball fly over my head”. “I will not tell you how many times I stayed at the puente, je, je”, adds Gotzon. “It is that during the first six months, everybody suffers there, and when you come from America to Euskadi, you also notice a big change”. “I think that it is more complicated to go from here to Florida. I went when I was 24 and it was so difficult for me”, answers Enbil to Lopez.

Most curious was the debut of Goiko, which took place in Milan, where he played “some quinielas as frontcourt; and other quinielas, as backcourt. When I played as zaguero, I did not reach to the seven, je, je”. Imanol also knows what is to change the position in the fronton, because once, Chato Agirre “put me as frontcourt with Zubeldia to play against Hormaetxea-Etxabe. In Acapulco, I played an exhibition with Valdés, the backcourt. He told me that he could not serve, so I play as frontcourt and we won. Now, I'd play in this position, but against someone who would not enter to the resto, je, je”.

Mexico and United States are not the only countries that these puntistas have visited, because during the conversation, Enbil speaks about under 22 World Championship wich he played in Cienfuegos (Cuba). Where none of them has competed is in Asia, where “we would like to play a ten days tournament”. In fact, there are several puntistas from Zumaiarra who are friends of this three men and who have trained several times with Imanol López, given that some of them are of the same age.

The conversation continued during the afternoon to dusk taking the advantage of the long days of the summer and the pleasant breeze which runs in Zumaia, in whose beach Goikoetxea had been working when he was fifteen, as Imanol confesses. None of them has still children, but the son of Enbil, with year and a half, “has already a small cesta”. However, the aita tells us that “he will do what he wants and we do not know if he wants to do sport or another activity”. “I am sure that he will be a sportsman”, predicts López. If it happens, maybe I will have to interview him after a game of cesta punta in the fronton of Zumaia. Who knows.

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Text: Juan Luis Ibarretxe Marcos

Photograph description: López, Enbil and Goikoetxea, in Zumaia, with the sea and the Flysch behind them