Dek: From the Sidelines is a feature series that seeks to profile talented individuals who work behind the scenes in contributing to the greater success of Ateneo sports. In the seventh installment, we take a look at the journey of Erika Dy from her playing years to now being the Assistant Athletic Director of the University Athletics Office.
FROM ENSURING that teams have enough water to drink during training, to communicating with the different stakeholders of the University Athletics Office (UAO), Erika Dy handles the smooth operations of the UAO. A former athlete and coach of the Ateneo Women’s Basketball Team (AWBT), Dy’s familiarity with the sporting world helps her ensure that Atenean athletes maximize their full potential on and off the court.
An athlete and a coach
Graduating from De La Salle Zobel’s successful high school program, Dy was a highly-touted recruit due to her versatility in playing both the one and two positions. Despite being sought after by the De La Salle University, Dy decided to jump ship and join Ateneo’s cellar-dwelling program due to academic reasons. “I always wanted to be a lawyer back then, so I chose Ateneo because they had good pre-law courses,” Dy admitted.
However, joining an underdeveloped program was not without its struggles. Although Dy bagged the Rookie of the Year award in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines’ (UAAP) Season 63, the Lady Eagles finished the season with a 0-12 record. However, this setback did not hinder her from ingraining a winning culture into the AWBT. Throughout her stay, the program slowly improved, culminating in a Final Four appearance during her senior year.
After graduating from Ateneo, Dy pursued a law degree in California and assumed a clerk position in the Supreme Court of the Philippines for five years. During her free time, she supported the AWBT by occasionally watching some of their games. In one particular game, Dy caught up with then-UAO Director Ricky Palou and AWBT Head Coach Epok Quimpo. Wanting to support the team in a bigger capacity, Dy decided to return to the AWBT as its team manager for UAAP Season 73. After three years on the job, Dy was eventually offered the head coaching position of head coach with Quimpo stepping down after Season 76.
During her time as head coach, Dy took a player-centric approach, giving her players the freedom to make adjustments on the fly. Her coaching method proved to be successful as Ateneo was one win short of securing a Final Four slot in her first year of leading the team. This momentum carried onto her second year where the team reached the finals despite a 3-4 start in the first round. “I always try to put myself back in the position of a player to understand my players better, and also I brought in that perspective of a player in coaching,” Dy mentioned.
Despite her success as a coach, Dy resigned from her head coaching job after Season 78 and took on a new position as Ateneo’s representative to the UAAP and as the UAAP’s Managing Director.
Transitioning to bigger responsibilities
From handling a team of 16 individuals, Dy transitioned to a bigger role with hopes of having a bigger impact on the league. Simultaneous to her UAAP duties, Dy also took on the post of UAO Assistant Athletic Director, where she was responsible for the procurement of the teams’ uniforms, setting training schedules, and tending to coaching staffs’ needs.
With her experience as a former player and coach, Dy smoothly transitioned into her new roles. ‘‘I always know what it feels like to be in the position of those we serve. Because they are the main stakeholders for us, the athlete and the coach, we take care of them,’’ Dy said.
Aside from ensuring the UAO’s smooth operations, Dy also created programs that aided the athletes’ holistic development. After seeing that student-athletes miss out on formation activities such as the National Service Training Program due to exemptions, Dy partnered with organizations like Gawad Kalinga to provide student-athletes with avenues for social development.
‘‘I realize [that student-athletes] are exempted from many activities in the school, [and] they might be missing out on the whole Jesuit education, so I told Sir Em that we have to create opportunities for them,’’ Dy mentioned.
Breeding excellenceWith the cancellation of UAAP Season 83, Dy is ensuring that the athletes can stay in shape through effective online training programs and having a good support system. Apart from her continued involvement with the UAO, Dy pursued her Master’s degree in Sports Management in Columbia University with the hope that the program will equip her with necessary knowledge to improve Ateneo sports teams. From leading the AWBT to its first Final Four appearance in her playing years, rallying them to a finals appearance as a coach, and now serving as the UAO’s Assistant Athletic Director, Dy has successfully created a winning culture in Ateneo Sports. As she continues to serve as an excellent steward of the UAO, we can expect Ateneo sports to continue its dominance in the years to come.
