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| The LEILA BARROS Phenomenon She is a 5-foot-10 of a looker, possesses a whistle-bait figure, her big green eyes innocent as a child's, her well chiseled, if not perfect nose and luscious pouty lips would make you think she is on the list to strut on a fashion show in Milan. For a volleyball player, Leila Barros could have been a fine model. Her beauty is different, "exotic" as she puts it, but it never was her plan. She's dedicated herself to the sport; she lives and breathes it, like a child with her favorite toy. Leila Barros could well be one of volleyball's most prized players in history. Though one of the smallest amongst her peers, she can never be under-estimated. She holds a power that endlessly strikes fear on the enemy, she disappears on the sides, and comes out from nowhere to execute her perfect kills. She leaps so high that her feet would reach 80 cm from the floor, her hands hit the ball 68 cm above the net. "With extraordinary impulsion and big arm speed, she is a natural attacker,” said her former coach Bernardo Rezende. Although handball was her first sport, the first time Leila held volleyball, she knew immediately that volleyball was her game. |
| BIO - AWARDS - QUOTATIONS |
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| Her father a mechanical technician, and her mother a housekeeper. Leila and her brother Marcelo enjoyed a healthy, normal childhood. Only that Leila was a bit more than the ordinary girls in her neighborhood. She never liked dolls, she used to pull their heads and leave them to go outside and play ball or go ride a bicycle, her favorite in which she became known among her friends as "Maria Bicycle". She would always arrive home with her knees rasped. "Since I was a child, I was a bit of a mischievous girl", declared Leila. Her home was simple, nothing missing and nothing in excess. Her father Francisco Alves de Barros, earned just enough to sustain the family. She lived in a house of three rooms, and a few luxuries. They had a big yard where Leila started to hit her first plastic ball, using her mother's clothesline as net. |
| However she was never invited to join volleyball games by the other kids because of her height. "Everybody was taller than me, and it was always clear they would put me aside due to my small stature." One time she was playing handball in the streets, when she was hit by a volleyball right in the face, and poor little Leila broke a tooth. She was then prohibited by her mother from playing handball, but even so, she continued. |
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| Playing for the school's handball team, she was approached by a trainer and asked her if she would like to train for volleyball. Naturally she accepted the offer. She instantly fell in love with the sport and immediately left handball. She didn't receive any support from her father, for he believed his daughter wouldn’t have a future in pursuing volleyball as a profession. Much to the annoyance of her father, a particular school in Brasilia, Educational Center Maria Auliadora [CEMA] offered her a free scholarship, just to have her in the school team. Due to her training, she'd often come home very late in the evenings, and her father would be waiting at their doorstep. She recalls her father saying, "Where in the world would you see a girl all alone, catching a bus at 10 o'clock, 11 o'clock in the evening?!!!" For Francisco, it was natural to be concerned and protective of his daughter, his only daughter. |
| But for Leila, she had to follow her dream, because she believed she was destined to play volleyball. Her father tried to control her by cutting her allowance, and sometimes not giving her money at all for the bus fares, just to make sure she would not attend the trainings. But no, as Leila declares, "I used to walk 40 minutes and cross Taguatinga, end to end by foot. He sometimes didn't give me money for snacks so that I would come back home but that didn't workout...,” brags Leila. |
| She found support from a nun named Sister Stella, whom she still keeps close to her heart. She was kind and helpful enough that she would leave some lunch for Leila so she could continue training while in school. In return, Leila would then do her household chores before going to the gym for training sessions. And so, her father gave it up, accepting the fact that his daughter is happy and content playing volleyball. |
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| Her will to excel and succeed brought her to join the Brazilian Juvenile Infanto just after 2 years of training, unfortunately it was cut short due to her height, "A player with her size cannot just attack." quoted their trainer. "She has to know how to pass the ball." But Leila was no quitter, she proved them wrong, she started training harder, she did body building, practiced impulsion and ball passing. "Leila always was a determined person," said Carlos Alberto Villar, her former coach in Minas. Her hard work paid off and brought her to join the Brazilian National team and domestic leagues, among them Unisa Minas, Lacqua di Fiori Minas, Nestle, BCN, MRV and Flamengo. |
| In 1999, Leila Barros landed in the shores of Manila for the World Grand Prix, one of the most prestigious volleyball tournaments. And in a blink of an eye, she became an instant favorite. She displayed excellent volleyball skills, tremendous court presence and she filled the stadium with “Leila-mania” to the |
| rafters. She was awarded the Most Popular Player for the World Grand Prix 1999 and transformed sports journalists into romantic poets. She was featured in numerous magazines, newspapers, TV news and sporting specials. To the Filipinos, Leila was volleyball and volleyball was Leila. |
| Superliga 00/01 Team Flamengo Champions |