The Mayor's Love for Jai Alai
The mayor of Frontón México, Pedro Andrinúa Santibáñez, shared with La Afición his deepest feelings about what has been an essential part of his life, jai alai. "Our country has always been at the forefront of this sport and will continue to be. We must take advantage of having a sanctuary for pelota like Frontón México."
Similarly, Andrinúa explained that with what has been done this year with the reopening of Palacio de la Pelota, along with the plans that exist to work with both established players and future generations of stars, he sees a very promising future: "My ultimate dream would be to see another golden age in Palacio de la Pelota."
-How is jai alai doing in the world?
Not so well. Today I feel dismayed because the fronton in the Philippines closed. The season ends this month and it will leave 30 or 40 pelotaris abandoned. In the United States, interest is declining day by day, and in the Basque Country they do have pelota, but it is a short summer season. We need to be an example for the world. We have to work hard. The Cosío family has already done the most important thing... reopen it! We all enter there. There are still several things missing, but with work we can bring it to where it belongs. Many people are fascinated. We have attracted a new audience and received good comments. We have managed to rekindle the passion in others after 20 years of drought. Today, the question I am asked every time someone sees me is, when will Frontón México reopen?
-What needs to be done to bring Mexico to that level?
The reopening was a success and made an impact. At first, the attendance was not the best because it had been closed for many years and there was a lack of advertising. But we attracted fans, the word of mouth spread, it was a learning process. In the end, the fronton was packed almost every weekend. I think we should have continued in that direction. However, the pelotaris already had contracts to play in Spain. The company already saw how it works, now it will be the Cosío family who will decide. But with what we did in the first season, with the tournaments and the results, we managed to get fans and media in Spain to pay attention. They talked about the games, about Egiguren winning a championship, about López winning another. There were pelotaris who came to Mexico without being recognized and left with a lot of recognition. Imagine what we would do with more advertising, if we refresh the squad, if we bring some Mexicans who are successful in the United States, if we debut others and give them experience, if we organize more tournaments... there is a lot to do.
-How will you engage the new generations?
With a lot of work. Alejandro Gaona, director of Frontón México, said in a press conference that jai alai is the anchor of this great facility. That left a good taste in my mouth. Likewise, we have to think about how we can ignite the passion for jai alai when looking for talent. We are already forming our pelotaris school, but this will expand. In addition to Mexico City, there are other cities like Puebla, Querétaro, Tijuana, Guadalajara, and Cancun that have started to create schools. That's what we need, every little bit counts.
-Which Mexicans would you bring in 2018?
I have watched Ricky Ruiz, Ángel Egea, Joey Cisneros, and Juan Manuel Sierra play. Sierra was the top winner of quinielas several years ago in Dania. All four are great players, and I would love to have them in the squad, but it will depend on them. They will likely come to the National Cesta Punta Championship, and we will talk. However, I think the season in Miami starts from December to May, which is when we will also be playing, so it will be their decision. Although, I would love to have them. I know these guys are currently training in Tijuana for the national championship, and I'm sure they will do a great job.