ALINA DOBRIN AND MONICA IACOB
TWO STARS OF THE RAPID HANDBALL CLUB

Railway Journal: With the start of the new year, began a new string of competitions both domestically and internationally. Have you started training with the national lot?
Alina Dobrin: Training with the national lot will probably begin in late February, so now I am training with the Rapid team. Since the national Handball Championship has resumed its stages, I can say we have already begun serious training and will continued the plan established in 1999, when the championship began.
R.J.: Do you think the next matches in the championship will cause trouble?
A.D.: If you are not well prepared and are relying only on the fact that your team is considered good, trouble will certainly appear. The National Championship is, in my opinion, fairly strong. I can name a few teams that can offer a surprise: Oltchim Rm. Valcea, Silcotub Zalau and Otelul Sidex Galati. This is why training must not be neglected and, of course, every match must be regarded as difficult and full of surprises, even if you know your opponent is much weaker than you.
R.J.: Last year, in December the City Cup competition started. After qualification, through the victory over the Arkatron team, came, in March, the match with the powerful French team Cercle Dijon Bourgogne. What did qualification in the City Cup mean to you and what are your thoughts for the March match?
A.D.: It was a great joy, because I would like us to make it at least to the finals of the City Cup. The victory against Arkatron positioned us on a superior level, which allows us to play with Dijon, a fairly strong team. I admit it is going to be a difficult match, because the team has good players, two of them in the national lot. Anyway, besides basic training, championship matches also help. I hope to score a victory before the Dijon team, although this match is much more difficult than the one with Arkatron.
R.J.: Tell me, Alina, why do you think you are rated as one of the best players in the Rapid team?
A.D.: From my point of view, what matters is the team spirit. Without mutual help, we cannot assert ourselves. The term “better player” probably started from the fact that I am a member of the national lot. Frankly, I cannot tell which one of us is better. Perhaps from the sidelines one can watch how everyone of us plays. Anyway, I am pleased with the fact that I am rated as a good player, but this will not distract my attention from my daily work.
R.J.: Alina, did your parents trust you could be engaged in two distinct activities at the same time, equally well?
A.D.: Although my parents were sportsmen, they always reminded me that education should come first in my plans.
    Of course they wanted me to go into sports, but they did not want me to neglect school. They saw I could do sports and school at the same time, which gave then a lot a joy. The joy was even bigger when performance started to show up in both directions. They did not expect me to get there. Being the only child, I have always striven to bring them satisfactions. I hope I have succeeded. I wish this year to pass my license examination and close the professional stage as I set out to.
R.J.: What do you hope for in the year 2000?
A.D.: I hope to pass my license exam, as I said, and to make it into the finals of the City Cup.

Railway Journal: Monica, do you think year 2000 will be more difficult than last year?
Monica Iacob: It can be regarded as more difficult because there are more contests. The national championships have resumed, City Cup matches are starting in March, and we must not forget the Sydney Olympics. For all these confrontations, we will have to work, perhaps more than before. We have begun our training already, in view of the championship stages.
R.J.: Rapid CFR Bucuresti is already qualified to the City Cup, after defeating the Arkatron team. How do you think the following matches will unfold?
M.I.: I was very glad for the victory and for our qualification into the second round. In sports, when you obtain a victory, you must expect the other disputes to be increasingly difficult. But if we try to accomplish the training programme, we will certainly be able to win.
R.J.: In your opinion, how much will tactics change in the match with Dijon?
M.I.: Being a match that requires much concentration on our part, there will probably be some changes. But this is for the coaches to decide. Our obligation is to apply on the field what we are asked to. I think it will be harder than in the first stage, because Dijon Cercle is known for its good players. Still, I hope my March we will put our emotions aside, because we have to go through the national championship stages.
R.J.: Do you think there are teams that can serve you a surprise in this championship?
M.I.: Since Rapid CFR Bucuresti is considered a top team in the domestic championship, many teams tend to play hard with us. In sports, there are always surprises. This is why we have never relied on an opponent’s “weakness”. We think all matches are difficult. This is the only way to win. Frankly, I wish we would win this championship and play in the European Cups.
R.J.: Why do you think you are rated as an important player in the Rapid team?
M.I.: I don’t know, probably because my position allows me to be remarked. But you should know that every player is important, because handball is a team sport. If I were to play alone, I would certainly not stand out. Everyone has her role. I don’t think it is relevant that one of us gets more passes and scores. What matters is winning, and the merit will be attributed to the team for the effort put in by all players. We have always relied on team spirit and I cannot say things have been bad for us. In my point of view, many passes bring many goals. Regardless of who scores.
R.J.: Tell us, Monica, who guided you to handball and how hard is it to practise high-performance sports in parallel with studies?
M.I.: With certainty, it was my family’s sporting tradition. We are five siblings, all athletes. Except for my bigger brother who is a handball referee, all others are players: I play handball, as are my other two sisters, and my other brother is a footballer. Our parents are very proud of us. As to education, it has not been easy to graduate from university. Indeed, it is hard to go attend school and practise high-end sports, but not impossible. I think there are plenty of sportsmen in my situation. You need a lot of ambition to succeed. This is what did and, frankly, I do not regret it. You cannot always go into sports, and if you lack a basic profession, sooner or later there will be regrets. So it’s better to make a few sacrifices when you are young so that later you have satisfactions on all levels. I think this combination for me will mean a lot in several years’ time.
R.J.: What wishes would you like to come true this year?
M.I.: I have three wishes: to get my license, make it to the City Cup finals and play in European Cups.

Oana Bran