10th august 2008
Beijing (CHN)

For the second day in a row the Volleyball results and analysis were rightly skipped by journalists. All of them, much more than usual, were interested about everything else but the game.
Yesterday, the media were concerned about the return of Aguero at the Olympic village after her mother's death. Then, late at the night, it arrived the confirmation that the man stabbed to death at a popular Beijing tourist site the day before, was the father-in-law of Hugh McCutcheon, the head coach of US Men’s Volleyball team.

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Therefore, the today’s press conference after the match between US and Venezuela was unusually crowded of journalist from the most important North–American newspapers.

Many times I was shocked by the questions asked after a tragedy.

I sincerely think improper to ask the kin how they feel after such a big lost. But today, I personally attended a press conference where those questions were asked many times: “Could this tragedy affect the performance of your team? How do you manage to keep on focusing the game after a such tragedy? Is it really hard to play in these conditions?” and so on.

The US players and Ronald Larsen, the assistant coach appointed as interim coach in McCutcheon’s absence, answered quietly, mainly pointing out their support to Hugh.

The American captain Thomas Hoff said: “What can I do? What can I offer? The best thing we could do is to come out here and try to play volleyball.”

The former assistant coach added: “I think the best way we can honor them is to do the only thing we can do, and that is to go out and compete every day, and work hard every day, and enjoy and love the game of volleyball. It is a game, you know. And we should be enjoying it and loving it, as he did.”

But many questions remain unanswered and fits both the tragedies which hit Volleyball in the last two days.

Is it right to stop playing under some circumstances?
When does an athlete have the right or the duty to put his own feelings in the first place?
Has the show must go on under all circumstances?

Given that it’s obviously a matter of individual choice, I think that too many times we feel obliged to keep going on without any stop. Only facing extraordinary and tragic circumstances we discover that life is much more important and we cannot rely only on our jobs, even if it is a wonderful job.

I apologize if I’m writing about a subject unrelated to Volleyball, but after two days of tough emotions, when the priorities switch quickly due to unexpected sad events, also Volleyball appears different .
That’s why, now I can better appreciate the playing that yesterday I have taken for granted.

Bye bye andrea zorzi