We’ve Only Just Begun

As I struggled to view the game on our miniature screen and the waves of the sea murmured in the background, there was a change going on in the volleyball landscape.  And like most huge waves, Ateneo’s surge started slowly but ended with a loud bang. SEV SARMIENTA in Inquirer, March 17, 2014

Wild – after an unbelievable season, I thought that I had things already figured out by now. Jumping up and down on the court while the celebrations were going on, I had one purpose for being there. I wanted to thank Mr. Tony Boy Liao once again and congratulate him, for the journey that he began had come to a climactic and euphoric end. Wrong. I had the shock of my life as I shook Tony Boy’s hand and asked, “How does it feel now that your dream has come true?”. To which he simply replied with a very big smile, “ We’ve only just begun!”.
 
Believing in the Journey
Confucius, a Chinese teacher, editor, politician, and philosopher, aptly put it, “the journey of a thousand miles begins with one small step.” Painful and joyful as this step may be, the Ladies Volleyball Team showed the Ateneo community the road to excellence. Often times in practice, I heard Alyssa and Denden saying, “one point at a time, one set at a time, one game at a time and one victory at a time!”
 
These lessons made in and around campus, embody what Rudy Ang, incoming Dean of the Graduate School of Business declared in a speech,  “I love the many individuals who have given the Ateneo a face for me: the alumni whose achievements echo across history, the Jesuits and the lay faculty whose ideas have stimulated my mind, the eager students who have laid their young minds open before me. The Ateneo is its people, and when I love the Ateneo, it is because of its people. We are family here. A real community that I would be hard put to find anywhere else.”

The Lady Eagles this year have proven that Ateneo is a center for athletic excellence! It can develop a sports program integral with and not contrary to academic programs. Student athletes can truly emerge as the nation’s answer for a competitive future.  This program however, is a confluence of visionaries, supporters, fans and most of all the athletes and their coaches! The sum total of all the parts totalling to more than its whole. Team Heart Strong!
 

Generosity knows no bounds

There are no borders to kindness and generosity. True visionaries and supporters of the game have poured resources, time and energy to an endeavor they never imagined would bear fruit this year. Their hearts are pure without any hidden agendas.
 
Mr. Tony Boy Liao has been the team’s manager and main backer for eight years. He never doubted, nor hesitated for a moment, his unwavering support for Ateneo’s Women’s Volleyball Team. He knew his vision would one day bring victory, but as stated on victory night he is very clear on its destiny; “we’ve only just begun!” Look out for that huge heart!
 
The Chairman of a petroleum company was travelling on a trade mission with me in 2006 when he broached the question, "Johnny, how do we keep the fire of idealism burning among our students?". The following year, on behalf of the company,  he made a large contribution to the Ateneo as a whole. However, I feel that it is contributions like this, that have found their way into the schools’ sports program, developing it into what it is now! "
 
The Faces of Our Women’s Volleyball Team Who Made History
Alumni, students, teachers, staff and fans alike are one in asking, who are these great athletes and where did they come from? Scrambling for info I should just ask them. Here are some personal notes as well as their peers’ anecdotal accounts.
 
Alyssa Valdez, the darling of the rambunctious crowd came from UST high school. A humble achiever,  Aly would gladly give equal credit to the rest of the team on winning this year. She remains as her high school classmates in UST say very often, humble as always! Fly high Alyssa. For there where your heart soars, your game succeeds!
 
Denden Lazaro, erstwhile doctor in the making. Breaking bones are not her business but rather getting the job done, pain killer and all, is hers! Colegio San Agustin from where she comes has produced for Ateneo great volleyball players. Without her the team was obviously incomplete because the initial reception stage is very vital to prepare the setter’s next move!
 
Ella De Jesus, I saw this kid two years ago and until now I see her as she is. She is a stout hearted spiker who never doubted her skills against the goliaths. Blocks do not discourage her and getting the ball through the opponents hands is her cup of tea! Somewhere in Malabon is a school named St. James Academy which produced this fine lady eagle!
 
Jia Morado leads this year’s rookies. We never doubted, though that by the end of the season and a champion’s gold medal around her neck, she would kiss her rookie years goodbye! If there is a good libero from Colegio San Agustin, there must be a great setter right behind her! Jia also comes from this fine school in the middle of ritzy Dasmarinas Village. Baby Ju to her teammates, today I would start calling her, Lady Ju!

Mich Morente  like Jia, is another professional playing in disguise as a rookie! JASM is a great school for producing Michelle and giving Ateneo one of its best attackers this decade. Off court she banters as the team’s clown! Seriously, she is the hardest worker among her teammates, and is always in practice an hour ahead of call time and doing her warm up routines on her own time. Kudos to your discipline kid!
 
Amy Ahomiro is my kind of player. Work hard, play hardest! Cheers to you Amy for the huge improvement you have made in your game. The tongue sticking out every time you missed a spike is just emotions passing by! We will raise our glasses to toast for victorious years to come! Brent has once more produced a great athlete that Ateneo can be proud of. Kiwi as she is fondly called, her affection infectiously grows among her peers.
 
Marj Tejada is a product of a grade school volleyball program from San Beda College in Alabang and a coach who saw a soaring lady eagle who one day would fly over her adversaries. An axe to grind with Coach Ramil, your secret is safe with me! Like her superb serves, passing the ACET was a breeze for her.
 
Aerielle Patnongon who also came from UST will remember that after the third finals game against La Salle, I went up to her in the locker room and said, “Wasn’t it all worth it? A chipped tooth was the price to pay for this victory tonight!” Practicing so hard and hitting her face on the floor, besides a better game she gained a new smile on her face despite the pain.
 
Bea Tan is a high school graduate of La Salle Bacolod. She will graduate this year and wants to stay one more year to play her favorite beach volleyball. A JSEC entrepreneur, Bea will most likely succeed in making her first million a year after leaving Ateneo!
 
Ana Gopico according to her will be playing again come June. Having an injured ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) compounded by an MCL (medial or tibial collateral ligament). I am sure she was the team’s biggest fan on the sidelines because a week after her operation she was dragging herself to and from benches to be with her best friend Jia from their days in Colegio San Agustin, much to the surprise of everyone. Panacotta, you are indeed the team’s lucky charm.
 

Kim Gequillana surprised  almost everyone in game two of the finals as she performed to Tai’s delight and momentarily set La Salle off balance with her superb performance. We hope to see your younger and equally talented siblings play for Ateneo in the years to come. St. John’s Institute in Bacolod is very proud of her today as she flies high with the rest of her teammates.
 
Gizelle Tan will always be my cutie on the court, jumping every time she serves the ball. No worries, women are all heart and the height just comes secondary.  She cried the longest with her sister Bea on the court as the confetti dropped. Also from La Salle Bacolod, G. will insure that the team never runs out of great setters.
 
Mae Tajima in her six inch heels during last year’s bonfire made hundreds of heads turn, especially those of the five-peat senior basketball champions. This charming lass from Ateneo de Davao never shed her femininity on and off court. Way to go, Mae! More heads to turn in next year’s bonfire!
 
Tasha Faustino ‘s smile will be missed as she also graduates this year. Always the hard worker with a smile during training, she had in her heart the team’s best interests when she did her best at all times to make her junior teammates follow her example. Her discipline is also rooted in her high school days in Colegio de San Agustin.
 
A Gift From Above
Being able to watch all the Ladies’ games this season (except for two), is a gift from God. I saw the epic struggle as the rookies transformed under the weight of discipline and superb conditioning. Now it can be said that Heart Strong originated from the mantra of Thailand’s Muay Tai fighters. Here is what a batchmate, Gus Tiambeng emailed us from Thailand:
 
*Jai Dee - ใจดี (Dee = good) - kind heart - strong heart* It is one of the best compliments a Thai could give someone. It is also something we believe all our trainers should have. We print these words in Thai on our training shorts for these reasons... and because we hope everyone who steps into the ring, or trains, with us has the heart of a lion!
 
Anusorn “Tai” Bundit has definitely made his mark in the Ateneo. Another face that has made the community believe in itself. More for what it can achieve through hard work and perseverance. That excellence in all things is not an accident but rather a habit to embrace. For no matter how much blood, sweat and tears one expends, life can only become better because happiness is found in committing to be excellent at all times!

Allow me to borrow some words from Fr. Pedro Arrupe:
 
Nothing is more practical than finding God, that is, than falling in a love in a quite absolute, final way. What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination will affect everything. It will decide what will get you out of bed in the mornings, what you will do with your evenings, how you spend your weekends, what you read, who you know, what breaks your heart, and what amazes you with joy and gratitude. Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything.” - Pedro Arrupe, S.J.
 
This year, our girls came to play volleyball and fell in love with the game. They fell in love with it and stayed. It was what woke them up in the morning and kept them awake at night. Absolutely, it was Ateneo’s year to become the Champions of Ladies Volleyball!
 

Indeed a journey has just begun, we have God to praise and give thanks for! Happiness is knowing we have great athletes with big hearts! No one knew except Him that we would be here cherishing the moment and living a dream come true! Ad Majorem Gloria Dei!
 
Johnny Filart is a lecturer at the John Gokongwei School of Management and an avid supporter of the AWVT.