On the Edge
econcepcion@theguidon.com
Last September 30, 2008, the Ateneo community finally held its much awaited bonfire event. According to University President, Fr. Bienvenido Nebres, SJ, during his opening speech, the Ateneo community has five reasons to celebrate: The Grade School Basketball team, Junior Tankers and Lady Tankers swimming teams, Blue Eaglets and Blue Eagles, were all crowned champions.
Indeed, the whole community was there to celebrate. There were kids from the grade school accompanied by their alumni parents. Students from the Ateneo high school who were either with their barkadas or with their girlfriends. Of course, the LS students were also present, eager to witness the famous Ateneo bonfire and in so doing relax from the stress brought by the imminent final exams. People were eagerly writing their thank you messages on the huge thank-you wall. T-shirts flaunting Ateneo’s recent men’s basketball team victory were sold out. Ateneo bands and celebrities were there to entertain the crowd. The atmosphere was just amazing. Every blue-blooded person was there. The night spelled victory. The event was successful.
In the four years I stayed here in the Ateneo, this was the only time I experienced such an event. Compared to the bonfire celebration for the Blue Booters who accomplished three-peat championships, the recent bonfire was grand. It truly brought out the true community out of us Ateneans. This made me wonder, however, why didn’t we do this last year? Or the year before that? I’m thinking, “Didn’t we have any reason to celebrate those past years?” More than the championship titles, I believe that we have all the reasons to celebrate.
We have the reason to celebrate because Team Ateneo (and I don’t just mean the men’s basketball team), fought a good fight in the recent first semester UAAP games. Other sports played during this past semester were chess, swimming, table tennis, cheerleading, and beach volleyball. Every varsity team deserves to be recognized for their efforts. Their training, I believe, does not differ from the champion teams like the Blue Eagles. They also spend endless hours in practice, sacrifice their school work and most importantly, they have the same passion for the school as what the champion teams have.
It was also during these UAAP games that I pondered on the meaning of our battle cry, “win or lose, it’s the school we choose.” If indeed we believe in this saying, how come we only celebrate the teams who made the top spot? If we choose the school, then we also choose the teams playing for the school and that means every varsity team in campus regardless of whether they ended on the podium or not.
Also, if we say that it does not matter if we win or not, why not celebrate when we lose? If in triumph, we are one community, why not in defeat? To see the Ateneo community celebrate amidst defeat would be the least we could do to thank the athletes who have fought for the school. Moreover, it is a nice way to tell them that their efforts were not in vain.
Contrary to this, the sad reality is we do the opposite. We criticize, give our own “better” way of getting the job done, and ask what ifs. We also tend to put the blame on other factors, like the officials of the game, the violations committed and the “unfair” scores.
If we believe in team Ateneo, and to believe is to have faith, and faith is relentless, then the Ateneo school spirit should manifest itself unconditionally.
