Raul Papaleo
Encyclopedia
Raúl Papaleo Pérez (born October 11, 1971 in San Juan, Puerto Rico
) is considered by many islanders to be the greatest Beach Volleyball
player in Puerto Rico
. He won the bronze medal in the men's beach team competition at the 2003 Pan American Games
in Santo Domingo
, Dominican Republic
, partnering Ramón Hernández
.
and studied Human Resources. In the mean time, he continued playing volleyball.
appearance. In 1992, Papaleo qualified for the NCAA
All-American second team. That year, he also made the Volleyball Monthly All-American third team and helped his team to another Final Four appearance. In 1995, Papaleo won the AVP
qualifier in Denver, Colorado
in Beach Volleyball. That same year, he played in the Pre-Olympic qualifier for Puerto Rico. In 1996 He was named AVP Rookie of the Year.
on August of 2003, Raúl Papaleo and his team mate, Ramon Hernandez
, won the bronze
Medal by defeating the U.S.A. team, represented by David Fischer and Brad Torsone, by 21-17 and 21-14 in 43 minutes. Raúl Papaleo and Ramon Hernandez represented Puerto Rico in the 2004 Olympics which were celebrated in Athens, Greece. This was the first time in the history of Puerto Rico that the island was represented with a Beach Volleyball Team in an Olympic competition
.
Papaleo's total domestic earnings from 1994-2003 were $74,560 and his total international earnings from 1996-2004 have been $34,626 for a grand total of $109,185 monies earned.
high school of Caguas
is named after Raúl Papaleo.
He played the 2006 NORCECA Men’s Beach Volleyball Continental Championship
along with Joseph Gil.They finished in second place, after Gil suffered several injuries playing the semifinals.
At the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit 2008
, he completed an all puertorican podium at the Carolina Beach Volleyball Tournament. He played with Ramón Hernández
On July 11, 2008, Papaleo was contrated by the Guaynabo Mets of Liga de Voleibol Superior Masculino (The Superior Masculine Volleyball League).
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
) is considered by many islanders to be the greatest Beach Volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
player in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. He won the bronze medal in the men's beach team competition at the 2003 Pan American Games
2003 Pan American Games
The 14th Pan American Games were held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from 1 to 17 August 2003. The successful bid for the games was made in the mid-1990s, when this country had one of the highest growth rates in Latin America....
in Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo
Santo Domingo, known officially as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city in the Dominican Republic. Its metropolitan population was 2,084,852 in 2003, and estimated at 3,294,385 in 2010. The city is located on the Caribbean Sea, at the mouth of the Ozama River...
, Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
, partnering Ramón Hernández
Ramón Hernández (beach volleyball player)
Ramón "Moncho" Hernández Cruz is a beach volleyball player from Puerto Rico, who won the bronze medal in the men's beach team competition at the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, partnering Raul Papaleo. He represented his native country at the 2004 Summer Olympics in...
.
Early years
Born in the Ocean Park section of San Juan, to a middle class family, Papaleo is one of three siblings. Papaleo received his primary and secondary education in Colegio San Jose de Caguas and also played others sports like baseball, basketball and motorcross. His father is a coach for an elementary school, were he started playing the sport. Papaleo, attended Indiana University-Purdue University at Fort Wayne after graduating from high schoolHigh school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
and studied Human Resources. In the mean time, he continued playing volleyball.
Puerto Rican National Team
In 1990, Papaleo qualified to play for the Puerto Rican National Team which is governed by the Puerto Rican Olympic Committee. He played Indoor Volleyball and in 1991 he made a Final FourFinal four
Final Four isa sports term that is commonly applied to the last four teams remaining in a playoff tournament, most notably NCAA Division I college basketball tournaments. The term usually refers to the four teams who compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final round...
appearance. In 1992, Papaleo qualified for the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
All-American second team. That year, he also made the Volleyball Monthly All-American third team and helped his team to another Final Four appearance. In 1995, Papaleo won the AVP
AVP
-In popular culture:* Alien vs. Predator, a science fiction series/universe* Alien vs. Predator -In science and technology:* AntiViral Toolkit Pro, the old name of Kaspersky Anti-Virus...
qualifier in Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
in Beach Volleyball. That same year, he played in the Pre-Olympic qualifier for Puerto Rico. In 1996 He was named AVP Rookie of the Year.
International competitions
In the Pan-American Games held in the Dominican RepublicDominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
on August of 2003, Raúl Papaleo and his team mate, Ramon Hernandez
Ramón Hernández (beach volleyball player)
Ramón "Moncho" Hernández Cruz is a beach volleyball player from Puerto Rico, who won the bronze medal in the men's beach team competition at the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, partnering Raul Papaleo. He represented his native country at the 2004 Summer Olympics in...
, won the bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
Medal by defeating the U.S.A. team, represented by David Fischer and Brad Torsone, by 21-17 and 21-14 in 43 minutes. Raúl Papaleo and Ramon Hernandez represented Puerto Rico in the 2004 Olympics which were celebrated in Athens, Greece. This was the first time in the history of Puerto Rico that the island was represented with a Beach Volleyball Team in an Olympic competition
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
.
Papaleo's total domestic earnings from 1994-2003 were $74,560 and his total international earnings from 1996-2004 have been $34,626 for a grand total of $109,185 monies earned.
Later years
When not playing internationally, Papaleo plays locally for the "Caribes de San Sebastián" in the "Liga Superior de Voleibol Masculino" (Superior League of Masculine Volleyball) of Puerto Rico. In 1999, he was awarded the "Gentleman of the Year Award" from the league. The basketball court, where volleyball is also played, of the Jose Gautier BenitezJosé Gautier Benítez
José Gautier Benítez is considered Puerto Rico's best poet of the Romantic Era.-Early years:Gautier Benítez was born in Caguas, Puerto Rico to Rodulfo Gautier and the renowned Puerto Rican poet, Alejandrina Benitez de Gautier. His great-aunt, Maria Bibiana Benitez, was also a renowned Puerto Rican...
high school of Caguas
Caguas, Puerto Rico
Caguas , founded in 1775, is a city and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Central Mountain Range of Puerto Rico, south of San Juan and Trujillo Alto, west of Gurabo and San Lorenzo, east of Aguas Buenas, Cidra, and Cayey....
is named after Raúl Papaleo.
He played the 2006 NORCECA Men’s Beach Volleyball Continental Championship
2006 NORCECA Men’s Beach Volleyball Continental Championship
The 2006 NORCECA Men’s Continental Beach Volleyball Tournament was held from April 14 to 16 2006 in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic.-Final ranking:* A total number of 8 participating couples-References:...
along with Joseph Gil.They finished in second place, after Gil suffered several injuries playing the semifinals.
At the NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit 2008
NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit 2008
The 2008 NORCECA Beach Volleyball Circuit is a North American beach volleyball tour.The tour consists of seven tournaments with both genders.-Tournaments:*Presidente Light Boca Chica Tournament, in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic - 19-24 March, 2008...
, he completed an all puertorican podium at the Carolina Beach Volleyball Tournament. He played with Ramón Hernández
Ramón Hernández (beach volleyball player)
Ramón "Moncho" Hernández Cruz is a beach volleyball player from Puerto Rico, who won the bronze medal in the men's beach team competition at the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, partnering Raul Papaleo. He represented his native country at the 2004 Summer Olympics in...
On July 11, 2008, Papaleo was contrated by the Guaynabo Mets of Liga de Voleibol Superior Masculino (The Superior Masculine Volleyball League).