0
Number of guaranteed minutes most athletes receive; college-level competition doesn’t promise regular playing time for players who started in their own respective high schools. Zero is also the number of people in the stands during practices. 20,000 fans may pack the Areneta Coliseum during an Archer-Eagle confrontation but how many of those fans are there on Tuesday evenings, when the real work is done?
1
Days-off most Ateneo varsity teams have in a week. Most first season teams such as basketball and volleyball don’t have the luxury of having a break from practice.
2
Weeks off from practice the Blue Eagles received after winning the championship last year. Two is also the number of practices the Blue Eagles have in a day during the summer—one morning session followed by a session in the late afternoon.
3
Consecutive championships the Blue Eagles and the Judokas will be gunning for in this upcoming UAAP season. It is said that winning a championship is only the beginning of the struggle; the real test is in defending it.
4
Pounds a typical player loses after practice. Granted, most of this is water weight but this is taking into account that the players try to rehydrate effectively over the course of practice. Four is also the number of hours an average practice takes, not including weight sessions.
15.04
Number of seconds it took Michael Mendoza to clinch his third consecutive medal in the 110 meter hurdles. However, what took Mendoza 15.04 seconds to do, took a decade of commitment to training.
40
All athletes are required to take a full course load during their respective seasons, ranging anywhere between sixteen to twenty hours of classes a week. Given that most teams practice six times a week, that is about forty hours of commitment they have accepted.
H hmmm. Interesting – #2. Isn’t the discipline of mind and body the rationale for sports? Not just the winning… Though of course that is always splendid!
# 40 – Glad to know the Ateneo still demands this time honored credentials from its athletes. So it was at the time of your great grandfathers, grandfathers, fathers and sons. One of Ateneo’s great traditions!