EVERY TIME a new University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) season unfolds, the crowd does not only eagerly anticipate the new players that will be stepping onto the court. The crowd also looks out for the fresh faces that are tasked to roam the sidelines for each participating UAAP school.

Though these courtside reporters may not be participants of any of the tournament’s 15 sports, they remain an important member of their squads, as they take on the responsibility of being their team’s official spokespersons.

This season, Ateneo’s Laura Lehmann will be one of the newest additions to the group of courtside reporters. Standing tall at five feet and nine inches, the Binibining Pilipinas beauty is set on ensuring that her debut for the Blue and White gallery will be one to remember.

Natural athlete

Having spent the early part of her life in the Philippines, Lehmann is the product of a combination of some of the country’s most notable exclusive and international schools. Though she would eventually graduate from the International School of Manila for high school, Lehmann also spent several years studying in both Assumption College and Beacon International School.

“As a child, I was really active in sports,” Lehmann shares. A self-confessed tomboy from when she was growing up, Lehmann spent a lot of her early years playing touch rugby and softball. Perhaps one of her biggest accomplishments in the realm of sports by far would be making the Philippine Softball team that placed second to the United States (US) in the World Series a few years back.

Lehmann’s young athletic career was put on hold when she chose to accept a scholarship from Occidental College in the United States, the same university where US President Barrack Obama graduated. As much as she loved sports, she was not one to make her studies a secondary priority. For a year and a half, Lehmann pursued psychology, neurological science and Spanish abroad. During last year’s Christmas break, an unlikely opportunity presented itself to Lehmann that would have her come home longer than she had planned.

Ticket back home

“I was at a dinner and somebody asked me to join Binibining Pilipinas,” shares Lehmann. “So I just thought, ‘Why not? It’s fun and you get to learn a lot of things.’” True enough, her decision to stay and join the competition was one that paid off. Lehmann, despite being a rookie in the world of beauty pageants, placed first runner-up overall.

It was also this experience that eventually led her to the Ateneo. “[Binibining Pilipinas] ended up being a really good experience, and that required me [to] stay in Manila, so I enrolled in Ateneo,” says Lehmann.

Coming from a family of Ateneans, Lehmann always felt a strong inclination to the university. In fact, she says that had it not been for the scholarship abroad she was offered, she would have found her way to the Loyola Heights campus years prior. It was therefore a natural decision for her to try out to be the courtside reporter of the Blue and White, after some of her mentors from Binibining Pilipinas brought it up to her.

“We’re seven winners for Binibining, but all of the other winners are already done with school, [since] they’re around 26,” continues Lehmann, “I’m the only one who’s still in school, so they suggested that.”

Handling the pressure

Even with pageant experience under her belt, Lehmann admits that the road to being a courtside reporter was one that took almost everything she had, as she went through multiple audition screenings. As difficult as the process was, however, Lehmann admits that courtside reporting is something that she has grown to love.

“It’s really nice because even though I never saw myself doing it, I realized that it was like the best of both worlds, ‘cause number one, it’s related to sports and I really love sports.” Lehman adds that her experience in sports and beauty pageants has helped her handle the pressure. “As a kid, I always played sports and then, number two, it’s in front of the camera, and we did a lot of that for Binibining. So it was like a combination of the things that I like.”

As one of the newest faces in this year’s courtside team, Lehmann is preparing for the worst but definitely expecting the best out of the opportunity she has earned. “I expect it to be really hard actually because I really know Selina Dagdag left a really good mark and left a really good reputation for Ateneo.”

But she shares that much like this year’s Blue Eagles, she is ready to take all criticisms in stride and make all the necessary preparations and sacrifices that will be needed from her. “Coming in especially as a newbie, it’s really hard for me… since there’s pressure to be as good as her, so I definitely expect it to be a hard journey for me.”

She adds that she finds herself motivated despite the pressure of her work. “At the same time, that kind of motivates me to really try my best. I still get super nervous every game, but I really try my best to hide it.”

Balancing act

In between having to fit in photo shoots during breaks, visiting team practices at least thrice a week and attending class, Lehmann does not fail to see how rewarding her journey has been so far.

“With Binibining, I think it’s just learning how to present myself better and becoming more mature,” the psychology junior admits. “A lot of people think that… beauty contests [are just] about looks, but it’s really a mental game, because you have a lot of people talking about you–some [positively], some [negatively]–and you really have to learn to filter that information and control it, and just maintain your composure.”

Lehmann relates this experience as something that can help her when patrolling the sidelines. “Then with courtside, I guess it taught me a lot about reporting and just being able to make substantial reports in a short of time, so it was an educational experience.”

Lehmann, together with this year’s revamped Blue Eagles, is more than ready to embark on this new chapter in Ateneo sports history.