EIDE Pedro Díaz Coello: 50 years training champions
- Written by Carlos Alberto García Aballe
- Published in Sports
- Hits: 32
Photo: Alexis del Toro
For five decades, the Pedro Díaz Coello Sports Initiation School (EIDE) has been a setting for learning, sacrifice, competition, and dreams. Generations of athletes and staff members have passed through its classrooms and sports facilities.
Fidel Dagoberto Escalona Gámez, a water polo coach at the center, describes his work at the EIDE as a significant part of his own professional life.
A Physical Culture graduate since 1985, he has amassed 34 years of uninterrupted service at the institution. During that time, he has held various roles, including head of the endurance sports group, lead instructor for the discipline, and department head for 33 years. He has also served as coach for the boys' and girls' school teams, technical director, and a national referee for 36 consecutive years.
Yet, when looking back, what stands out most to Escalona Gámez is the daily interaction with the athletes. "Watching an athlete grow in every respect and sharing in their triumphs is an unparalleled experience," he states.
María Isabel Palacio Alfonso, a History of Cuba teacher, shares a similar sentiment; she concluded her career at the EIDE at the end of the 2025–2026 school year. Her connection to the center began in 1988 and spanned nearly four decades.
"It is an immense satisfaction to have contributed to the development of so many generations of athletes. I retired with the satisfaction of a job well done, and if I had to choose my career path again, I would become an educator a thousand times over. I am confident that the EIDE will continue for many years to come," the teacher says.
Alongside the stories of those who have worked at the institution, there are the voices of those who have known it from other perspectives. On social media, former staff members, families, and supporters have left messages capturing what the school means to Holguín.
Fermín Romero Álvarez highlights the teaching of values and the humanistic spirit of the staff. Liz Zambrano, a student's mother, expresses her satisfaction that her son is part of the institution. Yanetsy Proenza fondly recalls her years associated with the center, while Eliusmani Castelo wishes success to an institution he considers part of the history of sports in Holguín.
The passage of half a century can also be measured in names and results. From its classrooms and training grounds, the Pedro Díaz Coello EIDE has contributed to the development of some of Holguín province's best athletes—medalists at the School Games, Central American and Caribbean Games, Pan American Games, World Championships, and the Olympics.
Behind these results lie years of preparation, pedagogical and athletic guidance, and a training process that begins at an early age, aiming to develop the athlete both for competition and through comprehensive personal growth.
Among the more recent generations is Andrea Fuentes Aguilera, a member of the Cuban rhythmic gymnastics team that won two bronze medals at the Santo Domingo 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games—in the five-ball event and the three-hoop/two-club event. The athlete herself, who trained at the institution from the age of seven, acknowledges the significance of the EIDE in her sports career: "I remember my beloved EIDE with great affection, as it was where I developed as an athlete and where I was helped to achieve the results I have attained in my sports career."
For Fuentes Aguilera, the high standards set by her teachers—along with discipline, dedication, sacrifice, hard work, and continuous training—were essential elements of the path that led her to elite-level competition.
These are different perspectives on the same school. Half a century after its founding, the EIDE Pedro Díaz Coello remains a place where every day begins with a combination that defines its essence: studying, training, and personal development.
For behind every medal lie hours of preparation; behind every athlete stands a supportive team; and behind every generation remain the footprints of those who dedicated their years to teaching. Fifty years later, this is also the story of the EIDE: the story of its athletes, teachers, and staff, and of an institution that has grown alongside sports in Holguín.
