PRIDE AND GLORY. Although not a part of the UAAP, the Ateneo Rowing Team takes pride in representing the Ateneo and the Philippines in international competitions. Photo by Kat A. Mallillin and Miguel R. Santiago

AS UAAP’s Season 75 gets underway, the excitement brought about by school spirit will soon catch on like a fever. However, while all are ready to run amok at the first sight of anything related to Team Ateneo’s iconic blue and white, there are those teams excluded from the UAAP who are quite unknown to the general community.

Even though these teams do not represent the school in the prestigious collegiate league, they are just as tough, competitive and exceptional as those who are part of the UAAP. These teams train as hard, fight as viciously, and yes, they do win just as gloriously.

Non-UAAP varsities

Out the 15 sports accredited by the College Athletics Office (CAO), five are non-UAAP teams: arnis, rowing, golf, bowling and the Ateneo Rifle Pistol Team (ARPT). These teams have been granted varsity status by the CAO and are officially recognized and sponsored by the school as athletic teams.

Although they don’t have a strong fan base like their UAAP counterparts, they make up for it with skill, hard work and victory. Most of these student-athletes have had the privilege of representing Ateneo and even the Philippines in their respective competitions.

Rowing Team Captain Andrew Tan says, “It gives us a lot of pride and a sense of responsibility carrying flags of both the Philippines and the Ateneo.” The rowing team represented the country in the Varsity Boat Race and the University Tun Hussein Onn Cup in Malaysia, and the Asian Cup in Singapore.

The bowling team was the first to bag a gold medal for our country in the Asian University Games, besting older players who competed internationally. “It was a really big feat for us,” shares Team Captain Carl Lim.

The Blue Golfers have bagged awards as well. The women’s team brought home the bronze medal back in 2008 in the Asean University Games in Kuala Lumpur. They also participate in the National Intercollegiate, where games are held every weekend in the member teams’ home courses. Team Captain Rocco Sumabat says, “We usually head up there on Saturdays to practice and sleepover in Tagaytay for the Sunday game.”

The ARPT has also attained glory in tournaments both on the national and international level. They compete in games sponsored by the Philippine National Shooting Association, the Southeast Asian Shooting Association and other national games and opens. In fact, Ateneo is the only UAAP school with a shooting team. “We’ve been featured a few times in newspapers nationwide, but rarely in Ateneo,” Co-captain Cherry Chris Calvelo shares.

The arnis team recently nabbed multiple trophy honors in the Paclibar 5th Invitational Arnis Tournament and the Baxafra 1st International Arnis Invitational Tournament last summer. The team trains for three hours three times a week in the Martial Arts Center near the Loyola Schools (LS) covered courts.

The outliers

There are Ateneo teams that are neither part of the UAAP nor accredited by the CAO. These teams may not receive the same recognition as their accredited counterparts, but they are just as passionate about their sport.

The futsal team compete in an average of six tournaments per semester. They compete in the Alaska Cup and are part of the Philippine Futsal Club. Despite having to fund their own events and activities, their love of the game stands out.

Muay Thai Ateneo also incorporates passion of the sport to their advantage. They train four times a week for an average of two hours a day in the Martial Arts Center. Veterans Mikko Banaag and Paul Amistoso believe that the sport not only molds their physical being, but also develops their mental character.

Pride and glory

These athletes don’t believe that the pride of being an Ateneo athlete is limited to the UAAP. In fact, many of these sports are high-maintenance—venue-, equipment-, and logistics-wise—and these athletes shell out expenses from their own pockets. These acts show the community that they are, indeed, determined to bring pride to our alma mater.

The golf team trains every Tuesday and Thursday at City Golf Ortigas just to work on their swing. The rowing team, on the other hand, spends an average of P800 a week.

“I don’t mind that I’m not part of the UAAP. Though it would be an honor to be part of the UAAP, it boils down to a lack in athletes and teams who partake in the sport,” says Tan.

“Not enough schools are participating in the sport [for it to become a UAAP sport],” Lim adds.

“There is always pride in playing for something bigger than you,” Futsal Team Captain Fritz Mendoza explains. “We like playing.”

ARPT Co-captain Leonardo Garingan shares that aside from their strong bond that keeps them together as a team, they are very fond of their head coach, Danny Flores. Flores has coached the ARPT for more than 20 years and is a SEA Games silver and bronze medalist.

“We feel that every victory is a contribution to the glory of Ateneo,” shares Arnis Team Captain Daniel Bernas. “Not being in the UAAP only robs us of the limelight, but not competitiveness and Filipino pride because Arnis is our national sport.”

Rigorous process

CAO Coordinator Benjamin Afuang explains that an existing local or international intercollegiate tournament and competition as the group’s purpose for playing the sport are the basic requirements for accreditation.

To be accredited, a team has to formally submit a proposal to the CAO, which will be deliberated upon on several levels. The requisites, mixed with the discussion on budget allocation for the team, make accreditation a difficult process.

“Of course they are athletes as well, but, without any prejudice to these sports,” says Afuang, “it’s not an overnight process.”

The Ateneo spirit does not only manifest in the stars of the UAAP. There are stars right under our noses, working just as hard. As Ateneo student-athletes, they are all one and the same.

They play the game, they work hard, they are humbled by defeat and they celebrate success. These are the unsung heroes of Team Ateneo. Although there will be no confetti or bonfire in their names, it is their very fight for the Blue and White that makes them stand victorious.

With reports from Noelle F. Sanidad and Roman C. Mirasol