This is me: Luminita Hutupan-Dinu

THIS IS ME: Luminita Hutupan-Dinu

“Hu-tu-pan! Hu-tu-pan! Hu-tu-pan!” The fans’ chants are really what drove me on every time I was in goal. One needs to understand that this was a different time, a different handball, it was a different moment. But it was still the spur of the moment that helped me become better and better.

I was always very motivated to deliver good performances, to excel, I will tell you more later about why that was embedded into my fibre and into my character. I was even stubborn at times, I was never going to back down until I managed to deliver what was on my mind, what I wanted to do.

And thank God, I really am accomplished, with some excellent memories down the lane, having done mostly all I wanted in handball and in my personal life. However, the way there has been tough, it looked even impossible at times. But for all the struggles, for all what difficulties rose in the way, I got through them all.

Let’s start with the beginning, because I promised you earlier I was going to tell you about my character and why I was a bit stubborn, never backed down and gave it my all in every training session, every match and in every minute I was on the court.

I was born in Piatra-Neamt, which was well-known for producing excellent handball players. But I never heard about handball until the fourth grade, when some physical education teachers came to my class and asked if somebody wanted to play.

Sure, it looked a good way to spend your time, to play with the ball and try to score goals. This attracted me in a way and it also helped that my cousin was playing too. Therefore, I started to go to trainings and to enjoy the sport more and more.

First, I was playing as a back, because, why not, everybody wants to score goals. Then, my coach Ovidiu Toc asked me to play as a goalkeeper, because I was too big for a back. It proved to be an excellent decision, I also played as a back for a few years, until I was 14, but then I moved back to goalkeeping.

But these were tough times. I come from a family with six children, therefore the money was quite scarce. And the hall we were training in… well, it was five kilometres from where we were all living. That meant that when the family was low of funds, and that meant pretty much all the time, I had to walk to the gym on foot.

And, believe me, winters in Romania in my childhood were by no means easy, it was cold and it was snowing a lot. But I think that those moments gave me something. They gave me the will to overcome any challenge, to instil in my head that winners’ mentality, to work harder and harder and harder until the goal is completed.

However, I pushed on and on. I worked a lot, I wanted to become a better player, I wanted to try and forge a path for myself. It was not easy at all, sometimes it looked like it would be better if I just quit. But time and time again, I waited for my chance and this relentless approach and the stubbornness I had helped me.

In 1998, when I was 27 years old, that chance appeared. I was playing at Relonul Săvinești, a team close to Piatra Neamt, when Oltchim Râmnicu Vâlcea came calling. There I was, from a team that was glued to the relegation battle, to one that was challenging for titles and for European glory. At first, it looked hard, but then I started to get used to it and play better and better.

I hated when I was not on the court, if I could, I would have played all the minutes. I was that stubborn, I always wanted to become better and better. So I worked harder. Yes, probably I have told you this too many times. But this was the recipe for me. Head down, work hard, earn medals and trophies.

In 2000, I was already established as one of the top goalkeepers in Romania and I was named in the All-star Team of the EHF EURO 2020, which Romania co-hosted in December. But a few months earlier, I was also in the Romania team which played at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

Therefore, offers started to come. I remember a moment when our president, Mr. Constantin Roibu, said after a match we lost against Dunaferr, that it would have been even worse were it not for my performance. That motivated me even more. I said to myself: well, it seems that I might be really good.

The offer which I accepted was from Krim Mercator Ljubljana and there I was, moving to a different country, a difficult proposition, a different environment, something that I was not used to. It was strange, at times, but, eventually, it worked out for the best.

Because over the next three years, the player who was featuring in the relegation battle a few years ago, was going to become a Champions League winner. 2001, 2002 and 2003 were some of the best memories of my career, especially in club handball, because I won the Champions League three times in a row, two trophies with Krim and one with Kometal D.P. Skopje.

The best memory, is, of course, winning the first Champions League title. It felt surreal, especially for me. We were excellent, I was delivering some good performances and it was a perfect ending of the season. But that only fuelled my hunger for trophies and it went on for two more years.

With Kometal, the next season, I played only in the last games of the season and if I remember correctly, I featured in all of the 180 minutes I had there. Which was something really amazing. Then, at Krim, I extended my contract because I wanted to become even better.

It was also something I did for my and for my family. I told everybody there that I am extending my contract because I want to win, but also because I wanted to take care of my siblings, remember, we were six kids.

Tough times? Sure, who does not have any? I lost my parents during that period and it hurt a lot. But I remembered why I was playing handball and why I had to work even harder, to honour their memory and make a name for myself.

I finally got back to Romania to play for Oltchim, which had huge ambitions, in 2006. In the first season, we won the Cup Winners’ Cup against Byåsen and then we tried to do the same in the Champions League, but other teams were stronger.

But as time passed, I was also thinking about my family. I wanted to have a baby and I inserted a clause in my contract that I could have a baby and stop playing immediately. Fortunately, in 2010, I gave birth to my daughter, Ștefania. It was the happiest moment of my life.

Then, I came back for a few moments in 2012, but my playing career was done. And I could always look back on it and be proud of what I achieved. First, I became one of the best goalkeepers in the world. Second, I won so many trophies. And third, I could connect with the fans.

I said it many times in interviews and whenever I was asked after the games, that they were one of the reasons I always fought and gave my best. Hearing my name chanted on the court, it was spinetingling, really. It was a feeling that I simply could not explain. It was something amazing.

And it gave me that extra boost to try and improve my game, because I could always rely on my defence to keep me well-protected. With the saves I made, I really helped the team, because the goalkeeper is the most important player in a team, in my opinion. I might be biased, but I think it’s 70 per cent of a win in games like the ones in the Champions League.

So once again, many thanks for the fans who supported me throughout my career, it has been a true pleasure. While it might not have been written in the stars, handball was always my No. 1 passion and the thing I loved doing the most.

And yes, it helped me settle, have a family, become better both as a person and as a player. It really gave me everything. And now I am hoping to give something back, because a bit of help, a good word is something that can go a long way in some circumstances.

My daughter Ștefania has also started playing handball and is featuring in youth teams. She is a back, like I also was, but I think she has good reflexes. So maybe she will become a goalkeeper, like me. But I will not pressure her into choosing this position. It should come naturally.

One thing I like, though, is that she never gives up. That stubbornness is inherited from me and she does not back down a second. If she keeps up like that, she will get far, although times have changed and the landscape is totally different from 20, 30 years ago when I was playing.

I am also a goalkeeping coach for the Romania junior women’s national team. I am not trying to discover the new Hutupan, only trying to help young and aspiring players to become better and better. And, who knows, maybe they will become.

The bottom line is, however, easy: work hard, keep your head down and follow your dreams. This is what I have learnt in my career. The recipe does not work for everyone. But you will sure improve your chances.

Luminita Hutupan-Dinu
June 2023