More security to dream higher
After years of waiting, the Jove de Tarragona premieres an infrastructure that reinforces safety and drives technical aspirations
TarragonaCasteller rehearsals have changed profoundly over the last decade. Safety nets have become an essential tool for the groups that want to work on constructions of maximum difficulty with the necessary guarantees. While many formations have been adapting their venues to these needs, some have had to live with space limitations that made it difficult to develop modern and efficient systems.
This was the case of the Colla Jove Xiquets de Tarragona. After years of projects that did not quite come to fruition, the lilas have, for the first time in their history, a motorized rehearsal net at the Cós del Bou venue. The new infrastructure puts an end to a long-standing demand and represents a significant improvement in both safety and the technical work possibilities of the group.
The new net was one of the priorities of the candidacy led this 2026 by Gina Fort and Edu Álvarez. According to Álvarez, several previous boards had worked on this project, but the technical constraints and the characteristics of the venue had prevented it from moving forward. "We considered that it could not wait any longer. It was a priority," explains the president of the lilas. From the presentation of the project to its implementation, only nine weeks have passed.
A big step forward
The old net, installed about a decade ago, had become outdated with respect to the current needs of the group. It only had two fixed heights and required structures to be adapted to it. Furthermore, it required constant monitoring to maintain adequate tension. "We needed a net with various heights, that could be moved and was always tensioned – explains the group leader, Gina Fort–. We didn't deserve to have to pay attention to this and it wasn't safe enough".
The new installation, developed by the company Manteniments Rabinad, incorporates a rail system that allows the net to be moved to the center of the practice area and X-shaped mechanical arms that regulate its height. When not in use, it is stored under the ceiling. The system is inspired by the model developed a few years ago for the premises of the Colla Vella dels Xiquets de Valls.
However, adapting it to the Cós del Bou has not been easy. "The difficulty is that the space here is very small. We have had to be extremely precise and reduce the dimensions of the net to adapt it to the premises", explains Lluís Rabinad. The person in charge of the company responsible for the installation summarizes the situation with a forceful sentence: "La Jove builds towers of ten in a premises of six".
Beyond safety, the group hopes that the new infrastructure will allow it to advance in one of the pending issues of recent years: clean casts. "It should allow us to dream of clean casts, which was a shortcoming with the net we had before", assures Fort. The new structure is specially designed to work on the two, the pillar and the four, fundamental constructions for facing this type of challenge.
A great start for the purples
The improvement arrives at a particularly positive moment for the group. This start to the season has been one of the best in its history, with the premature completion of the 2d8f, the 4d8a, the 5d8, the 3d9f, and the pd7f. "Practice is leading us to perform these castles in the square," highlights Fort, convinced that the weekly work is paying off.
Now we just need the venue to live up to expectations
The new network has also served to highlight a reality that the group has been denouncing for years: the limitations of the Cós del Bou premises. "This installation has allowed us to make it clear that the premises we have are not what a large group like the Jove needs," states Edu Álvarez.
For this reason, the integral renovation of the space now appears as the next major objective of the board of directors. There has been a project for approximately a decade, but until now it has not registered significant progress. "The priority was the network. Now it's time to secure this step and look at where we need to go with the renovation of the premises," points out the president, who recalls that there is already a commitment to dialogue with the Tarragona City Council to study the future of the purple headquarters.
In this regard, the group does not set deadlines. For the moment, however, what does seem clear is that the implementation of the new network represents one of the most important advances in recent years at Cós del Bou, which must lead the purples to face future challenges with greater guarantees.