Beach Volleyball in Las Ventas | Culture

The only thing missing was the sound of the waves, because there was sand to host a whole volleyball competition. The ring, perfect for throwing the ball over the net and spending a fun afternoon at the beach. There was also a cool, sometimes choppy, breeze that added to the spectacle.

The problem was that it was in Plaza de Las Ventas and there was a bullfighting festival going on there. The ground was impassable for bullfights, and even the employee painting the stripes struggled to negotiate the bumps. “It’s just that they didn’t have time to fix the floor,” said a familiar voice with the sneer of someone who knows it was the opening ceremony of the season.

In addition, the wind, which prevented the normal execution of tricks, threw up a constant cloud of dust, so that people returned home to brush their clothes.

In short, a small disaster, inappropriate for the category of the place. It is illegal for gangs to open the door with a potato ring. It’s a good thing Morante wasn’t on the bill because more than one of them would have gotten a serious fight, and rightly so.

As if that wasn’t enough, Fuente Ymbro’s bullfighting turned out to be rubbish; presented very unevenly, tamed on the horses, unloving and putrid behavior, short ride and very uncomfortable for bullfighters.

Between the tons of sand, the sinkholes, the dust, the wind and the oxen, something must justify the three children who made the Paseíllo.

Most notable, however, was Mario Navas from Valladolid, who performed in the capital. He has a bullfighter’s plan, good manners, lightness, a sense of aesthetics and harmony in his movements. And it seems that enough value adorns him too. A few natives stole his first, and they tasted delightful for their length and temperance. He later shone before the sixth, in the bullpen door, with a halfway bullfight with the crutch in his left hand, leaving traces of innate bullfighting.

His partner Álvaro Alarcón, who occupies the alternative on the first day of San Isidro, May 10th, hasn’t lost freshness, firmness or determination, but his lot didn’t allow him any frills and he could only show off with the four of them moderate Verónicas from the entrance to the fifth. As he went in to kill his first, he stayed in the face of the bull, who picked him up and shook him at will. He got up hurt, took a while to put his sword back together, and when his opponent was dead, he went to the infirmary, where the doctors discovered a bruise on his left hemithorax, which didn’t prevent him from continuing the fight.

And the Frenchman Lamothe opened the square, the first to face the elements of sand, wind and fat bulls, reasons that do not justify crossing Madrid without leaving a single trace of his bullfight. He had no favorable animal, but was found to be excessively cold and had little feeling in his wrists. There was a mark, yes, the crushing blow with which he killed his second ox.

It is hoped that on Palm Sunday the floor of the square will be repaired; If not, they should set up at least one net for spectators to enjoy a good game of beach volleyball.