Boskovic and Boskan
Ivan, you are now 26 but you were even younger when you started working for your Federation as Secretary General. Was it a “big thing” for you in terms of responsibility and pressure as you were asked and supposed to deliver a good job?
“Well, you must feel the pressure if you want to deliver something good. It is nevertheless easier for me because I know most of the problems we are confronted with since the time I was still playing. I am really motivated to change things and do something good for Volleyball in my home country. It is a lot of work but I am young and feel ready for this challenge. My primary goal is to raise Volleyball to a higher level. It is sometimes difficult for me to follow my friends and former teammates from the stands as they are playing to make the Finals of the 2015 European Championship knowing I can’t help them. However, my satisfaction stems from the fact that I am working to create the right conditions for them to achieve that goal. I am at their service all the time.”
It has been almost a year since you started this adventure off the Volleyball court. Which are the pros and cons you can take? Where do you still see room for improvement, personally as well as in the management of the Federation?
“My life as a player was easy because I only had to go to the training sessions and then to play matches, I did not have to think about anything else. However, when I took up this job as Secretary General, I realised that there is a lot of work to do off the court before the players square off and play. I am doing my best to provide the players with the best conditions we can offer though it is not always that easy. We have limited resources and we have to live with that. However, things have improved and are improving. As a former player I know that the conditions around a team are extremely important. If they are not there, the ambiance will not be good and players will start to worry about other things, like hotels or similar stuff, thereby losing their focus on the game. Players shall only focus on the matches and on how to beat their opponents, that’s the name of the game.”
Like other countries from the former Yugoslavia, Montenegro seems to have a connection with team sports. The women’s handball team won your country’s first Olympic medal at London 2012 settling for silver there. How would you explain this? Do you think that this trend may have an impact on Volleyball as well?
“Team sports raise people’s spirit and in team sports you can make it to the top also because of the atmosphere you have around, fighting for every single point as if that were the last you play. We achieved some good results at last year’s European League, mainly due to the good atmosphere we had in the team. This is one of the key factors that determine success in team sports. The general atmosphere here in Montenegro is good, so if the players can take it to the court, it has a positive impact on their performance and on their results as well.”
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