THE BONDS of a family are believed to be the strongest of all human ties—as the adage goes, “blood is thicker than water.” For Ateneo Judo team captains and siblings Elijah Claravall and Yzabelle Claravall, an instant teammate in life is provided at birth, and this happens to be the case in more ways than one.
The unique brother-sister duo at the helm of their respective squads hopes to use their familial kinship with one another to guide the Ateneo Men’s Judo Team (AMJT) and Ateneo Women’s Judo Team (AWJT) to great heights. Under one shared vision, the Claravalls look to lead the Blue and White to the promised land in University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 86.
Family business
The Claravalls’ distinct role as sibling captains should not surprise those familiar with the brother-sister tandem. Both siblings entered the realm of sports at a young age, with Elijah and Yzabelle starting off with backgrounds in karate and gymnastics, respectively.
Elijah, however, served as the catalyst of the Claravall family’s judo journey. Upon seeing a catalog of sports offered at his former school, the 12-year-old Eli was intrigued by judo and asked his father to describe it. “[My father] told me, ‘Oh, it’s a sport where you throw people,’ so it sounded interesting [to] me, so I started joining. [After] one session, I instantly liked it,” he recalls.
After bringing his skills to the Ultimate Judo Fighters Club (UJFC), Elijah was recognized by Coach Robert Divina, who offered him the opportunity to study at the Ateneo and pursue competitive Judo as a member of the Ateneo Judo Association (AJA).
Notably, whether for leisure, health, or competitive purposes, memberships in the UJFC are open to judokas of all masteries and ages. Thus, after Elijah had been part of the said club for a couple of years, his father joined as well. “’Yung tatay ko, gusto may ginagawa siya and bumalik din sa exercise (My dad likes staying active and returning to exercise),” explains Elijah.
With two of her family members now judokas, Yzabelle believes their influence sparked her interest in joining the sport. She stresses that her gymnastic training in balance and flexibility facilitated her transition to judo.
Since then, Yzabelle—who was likewise recruited to the Ateneo’s high school team—has joined Elijah in university-level competitions a year subsequent to her brother’s UAAP debut.
Sibling dynamics
When considering the norms of sibling interactions, it is instinctive to assume that Elijah plays the “overprotective kuya” role. Elijah, however, sees Yzabelle to be independent on and off the mats, as he claims that a trusting bond allowed them to deviate from such an orthodox arrangement. “Considering that we both are martial artists and practicing at a high level, I’m pretty confident that my sister can do fine on her own,” he says.
Noting Elijah’s skills, Yzabelle regards her kuya as a role model. She fondly adds how much closer they grew when he showed her the ropes of competition preparation via weight training and technique-honing. “Sa training, sobrang bilis niya, so I wanted to be the same as him (In training, he is so fast, so I wanted to be the same as him),” she recalls.
Pushing further into the siblings’ dynamics on the mats, their appointments as captains only enhanced their relationship. Being leaders for both the men’s and women’s teams necessitates a great deal of collaboration between the two.
“It is easier to achieve the proper communication and cooperation simply because I’m talking to my own flesh and blood,” the Men’s Captain says. The Women’s Captain agrees, claiming that because they both know how each other thinks, shared visions for the team are relayed more effectively.
It goes without saying that the siblings’ relationship outside of judo is critical to maintaining affinity as co-captains. As a result, the Claravalls enhance their bond through doing recreational activities together, such as working out. “My sister would always go 10 kilos below the weight that I’m currently lifting. I would always push her to her limits and help her surpass a certain weight so that she can progress to heavier lifts,” Elijah explains.
Outside the gym, Yzabelle shares that they enjoy traveling and spending time with friends and family.
Building camaraderie
Within each team, one of the most important aspects that captains have to work on at the start of every season is molding the group’s overall chemistry. Apart from the in-game preparations, Elijah emphasized the importance of building a “family bond” off the mats.
“We try our best to hang out with everyone. Coming into the UAAP, we’re able to try to hang out with [everyone] and do some sort of activities. I remember one time, we went bouldering and it was very fun. I was with one of our seniors, and some of the recruits were also there, too,” he shares in a mix of Filipino and English.
Apart from the planned team-building activities, the senior also noted the significance of small events, including team dinners after training sessions. According to Elijah, these efforts come a long way in keeping the bond between him and his teammates tightly knitted.
Likewise, Yzabelle finds that integrating her teammates in extra workouts is also another effective way to strengthen rapport within the squad. “We would invite them to join us in jogging and in our weights training. We also push them safely to go up the weights and become stronger individuals,” she says.
A shared vision
With both captains having attained remarkable achievements throughout their Ateneo stints, bagging multiple medals collegiately and competing internationally, their eyes are now fixed on sharing their winning pedigree to galvanize their respective squads.
Having been far removed from their last overall podium finish, Ateneo’s Judo teams are hungrier than ever to soar to the top. According to Yzabelle, her hope is for the AWJT to play with all their heart and use their upcoming experience as a learning process moving forward.
While instilling a never-say-die attitude to her teammates, the younger Claravall asserted that the team must remain humble throughout their journey. As the new UAAP season rolls around, Yzabelle also expects that her troops will not give up during their matches while also striving for more beyond the mats.
Meanwhile, Elijah echoes the same sentiments for his side. “I expect that everyone in our team will fight the good fight and play [with] the heart of a warrior. We’ve been training so long and so hard,” he shares.
Now in his final year, Elijah has high expectations for the Blue and White. The 21-year-old is not just envisioning a podium finish, but a potential title as well. “We would like to bring it back [to the Ateneo]. With the team that we have now, I think we have the chance to do so,” he adds.
With years of judo expertise fortified by the perks of a brother-sister duo, the Claravalls are able to trust one another in their decisions and approaches when pushing their respective teams. As these co-captains take the helm through the upcoming UAAP season, they acclaim the potential of their judo family to thrive even further than before.
