Romania’s former Volleyball star Adina Salaoru shares her desire (and concrete way) to give back to the sport

Adina Salaoru, who many may remember at the former captain of the Romanian women’s national team, has transitioned more than successfully to her post-competitive life – and she is currently busy running a very ambitious project in Târgu Mures whereby she hopes to help grow the next generation of talented Volleyball players from Romania – and even from further away.

“Throughout my journey in the sport, I had a few people around me always reminding me that this path would end at some point and therefore, I should always have a ‘Plan B’ and that I should invest less passion into it, especially due to potential injuries. Despite this, playing Volleyball has been my biggest and dearest passion since I have known myself. After one year of recovery due to a right shoulder injury which led me to surgery, I realised that going back to play at the same level as before was impossible. The rule in my career was that I should stop when I reached a plateau,” Adina recounts. “As I was realising that my career was over, I started looking for new opportunities to develop myself. It was then that the chance to work for CSU Târgu Mures appeared. I accepted the challenge to understand how things look from the other side of the fence. I was driven to it especially because CSU had the only centre of excellence in Volleyball across Romania within its structure, the National University Centre of Excellence in Volleyball (NUCE).”

Founded in 2011, the main goal of NUCE was to create an environment with high-level professional staff to work with the players regarded as of national interest. “Returning to Târgu Mures felt like returning home. I have known this club since 2007 as it was the first club where I played at a senior level, so the adaptation process was smooth and easy. Having experienced high-level competitions, playing a Champions League Final Four tournament in Bucharest in 2018 with C.S.M. Volei Alba BLAJ, playing in teams with a lot of valuable national and international players and having the experience of playing for more than 10 years in the Romanian national team, helped me better understand the Romanian context and motivated me to conceptualise initiatives that could contribute to the development of Volleyball,” Adina recounts. “I understood early on in my career that the most important thing for a player is to have a solid foundation of technical and tactical knowledge and understanding of the volleyball game. Besides this, remaining constantly inspired by the best and having the possibility to be connected to them have always been game changers. This is why the International Volleyball Camp project started from the desire to motivate Romanian coaches and Romanian U21 players to evolve and reinvent themselves by being connected to some of the best coaching practices in the world. The idea has evolved ever since, and the project opened itself up as an opportunity for any volleyball passionate in the world.”

The International Volleyball Camp (IVC) focuses on exploring different schools of Volleyball, creating the opportunity to grasp the best ideas related to technical and tactical practices, sports nutrition and psychology and applying them for seven days in a row. “The IVC is designed as a camp specifically because it was intended to offer the amount of time necessary to explain in detail to the coaches and players attending the event the very specifics of each technical element and tactical conception, try new approaches, have the possibility to make mistakes in the learning process and ask questions along the way without having the pressure of competition,” Salaoru explains. “Moreover, by having the possibility to connect to the best, IVC creates an environment that encourages networking, sharing ideas, an open-dialogue attitude, and grows beautiful friendships.”

But why shall international players and coaches wish to join and what would they gain from the experience? “This event is worth attending because, first of all, it brings in Târgu Mureș the best coaches in the world to share their experience with the participants. This means that every player and coach are able to experience the approach of different schools of Volleyball. The 2023 edition brings together the Italian, American and Brazilian schools of Volleyball for a week. On top of this, we are focusing on all the important aspects that affect the life of a volleyball player and that should be permanently under the supervision of coaches. Thus, we have invited guests specialised in nutrition, psychology, and mental coaching to join the camp, because being successful is not always related to what you know, but also to what you believe and how you see yourself in the game. Above all, although IVC focuses mainly on improving all the skills related to the volleyball game, there is plenty of time for socialising as every evening has its special activity for relaxation and bonding, both for coaches and players. I like to think that people learn much more in an environment where the growth is organic, where I must do is replaced by I want to do, that is why IVC is not forcing anyone to do anything but hopes to bring participants into a state of mind where they want to engage in our activities.”

Last year, renowned Italian coach Giuseppe Bosetti was the star headliner of the camp. “As a former player, I admit that one week was not enough for me to assimilate all the information I received about volleyball skills, ways of developing a volleyball club, the importance of having as many children as it is possible practising volleyball in schools in the towns where we live and maintaining the connection between specialised coaches and sports teachers. We all know who Mr Bosetti is and his incredible value and experience. In spite of this, I was surprised by the simple way in which he talked and treated us in such a friendly manner. It was an incredible experience to attend his theoretical and practical workshops and I was pleased to see 127 Romanian coaches attending the camp last year. Coaches had the opportunity to see how information can be applied in real-time as he talked during the practices.”

“On the other hand, players were challenged to see what it takes to play at an international level, they received individual feedback and were guided on how they can faster improve their skills. They were physically evaluated and confronted to deal with the emotions they experience during a game while having a better understanding of the teamwork benefits. During the evening they socialised by singing, visiting the town, playing different games, dancing, and many other bonding activities,” Adina recounts.

The International Volleyball Camp 2023 will be taking place between July 23 and 30. Special guests are Giuseppe Bosetti and Franca Bardelli, the famous couple who trained the youngsters from VakifBank ISTANBUL and are well known for founding the Orago club in Italy. “From the USA, Mr Mauro Grasso is joining us this year. Two-time champion in the Brazilian Superliga with Baespa and Minas, a former volleyball player with an experience of over 35 years of coaching young athletes from four continents, having worked in the last years in the USA, he comes to share his experience about the American way of training,” Adina continues. “From Brazil, the country where Volleyball is the most popular sport, and part of the CSU team, Mr Paulo Milagres de Tarso represents one of the best volleyball schools worldwide. Paulo has won the title of national champion in all youth categories: U21, U19, U17, U16, and U14 in Brazil. He has succeeded as well to win the Copa du Brasil in 2015 with Esporte Club Pinheiros with a senior team. For more than 10 years he has contributed significantly to the development of Rwandese volleyball as head coach of the national team of Rwanda.” Representing Romania and part of the CSU Team is Istvan Bokor, multiple champions in the U18 and U16 categories with CSU Târgu Mureș and head coach of the U16 (2021, 2022) and U18 (2017) Romanian national teams.

The event will be held in Târgu Mureș, a beautiful town in Transylvania which has well preserved the specific beauty of a burg. During the seven days, participants will be able to visit the old citadel and the surroundings filled with history, enjoy social activities every night and discover the surprise events prepared for the guests. To join the International Volleyball Camp 2023, click here https://csu.umfst.ro/en/inregistrare/ 

Click here for a detailed brochure.