The Ateneo High School Football Field

My favorite place in the Ateneo campus is the High School football field. I love hanging out in this place because of its endless gusts of cool and calming breeze. I also love its great view over the streets and buildings of Marikina City. But more than that, I can personally describe the Ateneo High School field with three words—agony, serenity and happiness.

Agony: Since last summer, I have spent many hot days in the football field for training. I struggled lots of times  and came close to quitting because of the hard and rigorous running and sprinting that my coach prescribes. Every time I step into the track oval, my knees tremble because of the agony that I would go through each training day. However, this track oval also reminds me that I am capable of enduring hardships, going through obstacles and tough situations.

Serenity: For me, the football field is generally a calming and soothing place to be. The cool wind, the breathtaking view, the tall trees, the many birds, the green grass, and the blue sky have a calming effect on me. Whenever I get too worked up with school, or I am experiencing some amounts of stress, I go to the field to clear my mind. I go there to breathe in the fresh air in order to forget all the stress and problems that I have. I just stay there and take in the aura of serenity that seems to reside in the place.

Happiness: I’m only halfway through my journey of high school but I already have so many cherished memories in the football field alone. I have spent many happy years in this place. These memories include playing football during lunch with my classmates, playing in the yearly intramural games, filming videos for a class project and spending an afternoon with my best friend, just talking about everything and forgetting all the school-related stress.

Honestly, the high school field isn’t just my favorite place in the Ateneo, it’s one of my favorite places anywhere. I think the high school football field gives me a glimpse of how life will be: there will be a lot of agony and hardships but at the same time, there will be times of joy and serenity as well as moments that will take your breath away.

Gabriel Martin S. Cruz  at the AHS Football Field. He is an incoming 3rd Year student at the Ateneo High School and is a member of the Ateneo Juniors Basketball Team.