"Those were times of great excitement, of being with friends, of fighting for medals."

Barcelona"The best summers were those during the European Championships for the national team, because of the teammates I shared them with and what was achieved. They were times of great excitement, of reconnecting with friends, of fighting for medals," explains Ainhoa ​​López, a player for Spar Girona. López spent the period from age 17 to 20 training with her teammates before taking on a European or world competition.

"We were the generation of '97. We were champions in the U18 and U20 divisions and runners-up in the U17 world championships. We were a successful generation, we gave a lot of joy, and I have many friends," explains the player, who remembers how she played for the national team and what it was like for those in the first and second divisions. She still remembers the nerves of the first time and the plane rides all together. On the way back, they celebrated on the plane with the pilots and then went to dinner with their families. "There was a lot of coexistence," recalls López, who feels he appreciates it even more with the perspective that comes with time.

Spending her free time in the summer training is far from what one would normally expect from a teenager, but it was what she was most passionate about. "You're very young and you want the best. Sport was everything to us. Obviously, whenever you do one thing, you lose another. Many non-athletic people also miss out on what we experienced. It's a matter of priorities," says the player, aware of the values that sport has taught her.

"The person I am today is thanks to these experiences and what basketball has given me, and living it with these teammates. You always learn from defeats. From victories, too. Everything I experience in sports translates to real life," she concludes.

During training camps, however, the players also found time to rest and enjoy the summer. In this sense, she recalls that the championships always coincided with her and Maite Cazorla's birthdays, and that they celebrated it together along with everything else. She also recalls the 2015 U18 European Championship in Celje, Slovenia, where the Spanish team won the gold medal. The hotel where the players were staying had a water park with slides. "I remember that day in the pools. It's summer. You try to disconnect a little and, at the same time, connect with each other," she adds.