The Ateneo Sports Hall of Fame, Inc. (ASHOF) recognized the Loyola Schools’ two volleyball teams in a ring ceremony last May 22 at the Faber Hall function room.
Members and coaches of both men’s and women’s volleyball teams were celebrated for their triumphs in last year’s University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) season, where the men’s division won their first UAAP crown while the women’s division accomplished a back-to-back championship.
Acting Vice President for the Loyola Schools Maria Luz Vilches, PhD delivered an introductory speech to the event, explaining how the rings to be bestowed signified “wholeness, completeness, and unity” between the players.
The speech was followed by an audio-visual presentation made by ASHOF in tribute to the two volleyball teams. Shortly after, the rings were given to the members and the teams’ coaches.
ASHOF was founded in 1978 by a group in the Ateneo Alumni Association. With Hall of Fame induction ceremonies typically held every three years, the organization has been recognizing outstanding Atenean athletes ever since.
Acknowledging support
The players also expressed their gratitude for the support given to them by the alumni.
Women’s volleyball team captain Alyssa Valdez dubbed the alumni and their supporters as the “seventh man” in the team.
“We get our extra motivation from them. Without them, where are we?” she said.
Team member Therese Gaston stressed that the alumni benefactors “don’t expect anything” from the team. “They just want us to do our best, that’s all that matters to them,” she said.
Ysrael Marasigan, captain of the men’s volleyball team, likewise credited the alumni for the team’s improvement. “It was only now that the [men’s] volleyball program became much better, because of the support [of the alumni],” he said in a mix of English and Filipino.
The teams saw the ring ceremony as a step beyond the ordinary celebration. Valdez, for one, saw it as a “more intimate” event that encouraged players to see the people “behind the scenes” of their success.
“It’s a great way to end [the previous season] and start a new season,” she said in a mix of English and Filipino. “It’s a way of celebrating the past, and this event [is] an inspiration for us to do better.”
“he said in a mix of English and Filipino.” – No need for this, I think.
Puede nang, He said, “It was only now that the [men’s] volleyball program became much better, because of the support [of the alumni]”,