AS THE University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 84 came to a close, the athletes of the Blue and White have turned inadequacy and heartbreak into desires of greatness for the upcoming Season 85.
Last year’s active Blue Eagles look to rebound from their shortcomings, while Atenean athletes absent from Season 84 anticipate a busier athletic year.
Grounded flights
The Ateneo’s finest athletes who suited up in the previous season saw their tireless efforts to top the competition foiled by the season’s end. All nine Blue Eagle teams that bannered Katipunan in specific events of Men’s Basketball, Women’s Volleyball, Men’s and Women’s Chess, Cheerdance, Men’s Beach Volleyball, Men’s and Women’s 3×3 Basketball, and mixed poomsae returned home without a single gold medal.
Within the set of unsuccessful teams was the Ateneo Men’s Chess Team (AMCT)—a six-man faction that sank to the bottom of the Season 84 Chess Tournament standings.
Joshua Tan, a rookie for the AMCT last season, shared the same grateful outlook as other athletes who were called on to play for Season 84. Beyond his initial bliss, Tan was forced to face a reality check: The Men’s Chess Team was chained to cellar-dwelling finishes far before he was even a Blue Eagle.
Tan and his teammates were optimistic about planning training sessions for a fruitful campaign, however, the uncertainties brought by the unorthodox Season 84 setup posed a challenge. “[In] our preparation during that time, we weren’t aware [of] what the plans were gonna be for chess. We were just trying to improve our game, [so] we weren’t really prepared for that kind of setup,” Tan said.
Confusions brought by such an unconventional format impeded quality in training sessions for the Men’s Chess Team. This consequently led Tan to feel the agonizing effects of fatigue from the frantic season’s unusually condensed schedule that consisted of multiple hour-long games.
“In the first [few] days, I didn’t really feel fatigued. [Things changed] a couple of weeks after; I would sleep extra long and do nothing else,” he said.
Despite their best efforts, colossal challenges overwhelmed Tan and company, plummeting the team to a dead last with a 1-9 win-loss finish. While Tan and other active Blue Eagles were struck by deflating defeats, other sportsmen within the walls of Loyola also grieved over their own missed opportunities.
Forced into dormancy
For some, excitement with the return of UAAP turned to dismay when it was revealed that Season 84 was going to be held in a limited setup with only seven sports as opposed to the regular season with 18 sports. For a selected few, it meant finally returning to play with their peers, but for most, it meant being benched and sidelined for the meantime.
Basketball, one of the sports included in the limited setup, has always been followed by passionate fans, and with Season 84 on the horizon, it was reasonable to expect all basketball divisions to finally make their return. As a result, when the Men’s division was cleared for resumption, their female counterparts echoed disappointment in the holdout of the Women’s division.
“I’ll be honest, I was frustrated. I was a bit jealous because we all have been waiting for the same amount of time [to return],” explained Ateneo Women’s Basketball Team (AWBT) Captain Jhazmin Joson.
Ultimately an athlete’s growth is largely dependent on consistent play, so a season’s worth of hiatus could be ruinous. “I’m not gonna lie, I was actually thinking of quitting [the sport] already,” Joson said, citing the difficulties brought by the inactivity of full-court Women’s basketball.
Joson, however, credited her teammates and her coaches for talking her into persevering through the break. She shared that the team has found a new sense of patience with one another—a vital step in improving the team’s overall chemistry. The captain also emphasized that she and her fellow teammates had each other’s backs, even stressing that her teammates made basketball exciting for her again. “Going to training is like a piece of pie. Like I don’t mind waking up to train with them at six in the morning [because I] just love their presence,” shared the veteran.
In their time away from UAAP 5-on-5 basketball, the Blue Eagles looked elsewhere for an opportunity to further polish their craft. Joson joined the UAAP Women’s 3×3 basketball tournament with teammates LJ Miranda, Dyna Nieves, Ylyssa Eufemiano, and Alexandrea Gastador. The team finished fourth among six other UAAP schools, a difficult result following a one-point loss in the semifinal matchup with the defending champions National University Lady Bulldogs.
In addition, the star point guard Joson shared that the Blue Eagles have not stopped training during the break. She knew it was only a matter of time before the Women’s division would make its return, and it would not make sense to simply let time pass by.
While the break has given the AWBT a timeout from the UAAP stage, the team still found ways to continuously work on their development both as a unit and individually. All athletes at the collegiate level can only play for so long, and grabbing every chance to hone their skills can help in making the most out of their competing years.
Into the fray
Joson describes the culture of the team to be different and exciting, pointing to their work ethic and fearless mentality as examples. The subpar finishes of the AWBT in previous years seem to be a thing of the past, as the captain is keen on propelling the Blue Eagles towards the coveted crown. She adds that breaking into the Final Four simply is not enough and doubles down on her aspirations to finally earn a championship ring for Ateneo.
Meanwhile, a few months after the season ended, AMCT’s Tan has now found himself catering to team captain duties for a youthful—yet determined—unit. Introducing a paradigm shift into the team has been his top priority, brought by productive learnings from their past mistakes and struggles.
“One big word for us now is culture. We have been too relaxed. It’s been my goal to lead the team to the culture that we want,” Tan explained.
Among the plethora of cultural overhauls that Tan spearheads are greater efforts in cultivating time management, stamina-building activities, disciplined training sessions, and intensified analyses on the intricate moves of the game. With their unwavering dedication, Joson and Tan are setting unprecedented standards for their performances in Season 85.
“[We don’t just want to be] in the Final Four,” Joson claimed. “We want to get that banner.”
“Seeing how hard our team has been working to improve our game, it’s hard not to expect a big improvement in our placement,” Tan added.
The stories of Tan and Joson during the previous season make it abundantly clear that an athlete’s battle for glory happens well beyond the court. Behind the scenes and in the dugouts, athletes traverse a playing field that often goes unnoticed and undervalued. For any athlete that relates to setbacks and heartbreaks like Tan or Joson, Season 85 is not just a simple return to the competitive stage, but another shot at that unquenchable pursuit of greatness.
