Ramon Martinez Gion left Dynamo in an unpleasant way to be welcomed with open arms at Lycurgus in Groningen. The tantrum frog has calmed down a bit.
His favorite coach Redbad Strikwerda wanted to sign volleyball player Ramon Martinez Gion to Dynamo for another season. But there was no offer to sign a new contract for the born Amsterdammer. And when that came very late, it showed very little confidence, according to the passer-runner. It was no longer necessary for him. Coach Arjan Taaij of the Groningen team Samen Lycurgus was on the hook, after which the 33-year-old veteran was signed for two years, with an option for a third season.
That is why Martinez Gion, who owes his beautiful name to his Spanish father, will start the Premier League competition at a new club on Sunday. Interestingly enough, this happens in Apeldoorn against Dynamo, where the Groningen team lost 3-2 in an exciting battle for the Super Cup last weekend. His departure from the Apeldoorners and the way in which the Lycurgus acquisition is still high.
I thought it was disrespectful
“I was seriously injured in April by tearing my Achilles tendon,” he says before the training in the Alfa-college Sports Center. “It wasn’t until the end of August that I received the first offer from Dynamo for a contract extension. I live in Apeldoorn and have been training there again after my injury. I was constantly chasing it, but I didn’t hear anything from the club management until the last minute. They are stubborn negotiators at Dynamo. I felt played, just wanted to lengthen and be done. Did they take advantage of my situation, in which I came back from an injury? That could be possible, but I also get it: they are business people. Although I thought it was disrespectful.”
According to Martinez Gion, Dynamo coach Redbad Strikwerda had insisted at an early stage on re-signing the 1.97 meter tall volleyball player. “Redbad really wanted to keep me. I wanted to stay for two years, but the club did not agree. I had done my job properly that season. It seemed normal to me to continue there. I consider myself an important player for a team and worth investing in. But every trick was done to get me, if I could stay, as cheaply as possible.”
I still need a while
Due to Dynamo’s delay, hijackers appeared on the coast for the volleyball player, who largely grew up in Almere, and who played abroad in Belgium, Germany, Turkey, Greece, China, the United Arab Emirates, England and France during his long career. “I had contact with Arjan Taaij a few years ago, where we discussed the possibilities of coming to play at Lycurgus. But then I also had offers from foreign clubs. It is difficult for a Dutch club to bid against that. Arjan could now arrange something nice in Groningen. Of course I’ve known him longer. It was very clear to me what I am here to do and what the club wants,” said Martinez Gion.
He now wants to build the future that he previously envisioned in Apeldoorn for himself in Groningen. That is why he is looking for a home in Groningen. “I want to settle down, but my social career has diminished. And that injury disrupted a lot.”
The volleyball player made his first real playing minutes after his rehabilitation in Lycurgus’ practice match with the German top club Grizzlys. That happened officially as a guest player. After signing his contract in Groningen, Martinez replaced Gion in the fourth set during the Supercup match. He is making progress and is well on his way back, but not yet one hundred percent back to normal. “Redbad (Strikwerda, ed.) said that recovery from such an injury would take six to eight months. That’s the old-fashioned forecast. I found a good surgeon and in the end it wasn’t too bad. It’s now six months later and I’ve played again. The injury has healed, but I still need a while to get into the volleyball rhythm.”
My luck is that I tore my Achilles tendon on the right side
The strength in his affected right lower leg must also become as strong as in the other. “I tore my calf muscle and if it grows back, you start from scratch again. I had so much loss of strength. I have to build this up slowly with strength training focused on my calf. My luck is that I tore my Achilles tendon on the right, because as a right-handed person I mainly use my left leg to jump. It is now possible to play around it, but there is still work to be done to make both legs equally strong again and to really become top fit. The difference in strength in both calves has jumped from 45 percent to 30 a few weeks ago. In four weeks, maximum six, everything will be fine again.”
“There is also work to be done in terms of volleyball. With an injury like that you spend four months rotting in a chair. I did nothing and lost my feeling. I now notice what I still have to do: find my jump serve, the run-up, the way of moving and the motor skills. That’s searching.” Martinez Gion dared more in his first match than he had thought: “It was scary, but I was fitter against Grizzlys than I thought I was. After that injury I thought I was made of glass because it happened out of nowhere. I had no problems and then something so serious just happens. It’s bad luck. Although it also has to do with the fact that I had little rest during that period. Lots of playing and training. But when it just happens, it sticks in the back of your mind. In training I took every step very carefully. But in the practice match I was so focused that I forgot about the fear. I started moving again on my own and I made two steps forward in my rehabilitation.”
My temper once ruined me for a season
Being seriously injured was a new experience for the pass runner. “I’ve never had anything like this before. I was always lucky, but I also do a lot to prevent injuries. It is your own responsibility. You have to keep yourself fit. From the beginning of my professional career, my focus has always been on my knees and shoulder joints. Do my exercises neatly to prevent injuries. That’s part of being a professional athlete.”
Ramon describes himself as a quick-tempered person. “I’m very sorry about that, although it’s less so now. But during training my old self sometimes surfaces. With Dynamo we had a great group last year, who accepted my behavior. It’s something I need to work on. In the past my temper has ruined me for a season. I got angry and that could not go down well. But I could get angry about an action that happened three minutes earlier. They really need to get to know me.”
In the past, Martinez Gion, as he readily admits, really crossed the line. “My attitude was sometimes unsportsmanlike, or rather unprofessional. To everyone. I see my behavior as Nick Kyrgios (acknowledged bad boy , ed.) is playing tennis. I can best compare my behavior with that. I was considered difficult. Often enough I have not received a month’s salary as a punishment because I had done something again, haha. But tennis is an individual sport, while in volleyball you have to do it together with your teammates. I also had a disagreement with a coach, after which I also had a dispute with the board. Now it is less. I’ve gotten older. It was also brought to my attention too late as to what I did wrong.”
In his generation of volleyball players, being fanatical and speaking up was considered a positive thing. “Back then you could still swear at each other. Now I play with a different generation of volleyball players. They are used to it differently. Ten to fifteen years ago you cursed each other out. Then you took a shower together and had a beer. Then it was over. But the younger players now are really sweet in a good way. It is not negative to be too nice, but things work differently in the team now. I had to teach myself to calm down. I call it moving with the times.”
The coach was a jerk
The playing career abroad of Martinez Gion, who one day hopes to play an international match, consisted of small steps, he says. “My first foreign club was in Belgium, Menen. It was immediately difficult personally. I came from Zwolle (with two national titles, ed.). That was such a complete, well-managed club with a beautiful hall. We won everything. I thought Belgium was a step higher, but the facilities were much less. Everything actually. The coach was a jerk. I was really shocked. Then it’s hopping from club to club until you feel at home somewhere.”
That was certainly the case with the Greek PAOK Thessaloniki. “I played there in the Champions League group stage and won all the prizes. We won the national cup. Greece has a beautiful culture, good food and super nice people. Everyone there supported PAOK. Not just behind the volleyball players, but behind the entire club with all kinds of other sports, such as football. The whole of northern Greece is behind it. Many people wanted to do something for the club as a sponsor. My competition shirt was full of sponsorship. The entire hall was covered with advertising and sponsorship boards. As a player you could eat for free anywhere. Because those people supported the club. They were so proud to be ‘family’ of PAOK.”
Martinez Gion could extend in Greece, but did not. “I really regret that.” The born Amsterdammer wants to continue playing at a high level for at least another five years. Then he is 38. “Last season we played with Dynamo in the Champions League against Benfica with players aged 40 and 41. Those two completely blew us away. You never know how things will turn out, but as long as it works out, I want to continue as long as possible. I really enjoy it. Top sport is a great life lesson. When I’m fifty, I’ll look back with satisfaction. I prefer to continue as long as possible. This brings so much life experience and personal development. Volleyball has taught me everything, including a lot of self-confidence.”
Volleyball has made a man of me
“I was very shy as a boy and never dared to say anything,” the player continues. “Volleyball has made a man of me. Without volleyball things would have turned out very differently. I have sniffed so many cultures, even where things are going worse. That often makes me think: what are you concerned about here? I’ve learned what it’s really about. In Greece the favorability factor of the people was so high. In the Netherlands it is a bit stingy. We can learn so much from the Greeks.”