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MANILA, Philippines – At a time of turmoil, the Adamson Lady Falcons are putting on a brave face and will keep on fighting.
Team captain Mylene Paat was unable to stop herself from turning emotional when asked to discuss how Adamson’s women’s volleyball team is dealing with the sudden resignation of 4-year coach Sherwin Meneses.
But through hot tears and the mark of a star stamp with the letter S in the middle fading on her right arm, the 21-year-old emphasized the embattled team will trudge on.
“Nandoon pa rin yun. Pero kailangan namin labanan e,” Paat said on Saturday, March 12 of dealing with pressures and expectations that she admitted has long been surrounding the team. “Yun na lang yung tanging puhunan namin, yung lumaban talaga. Yung labanan kung ano man pressure na yun.”
(That’s still there. But we need to fight it. That’s all we can do, to fight. To fight whatever pressure there is.)
“Ang mindset itong game na ‘to gagawin namin lahat, iaalay namin para kay coach (The mindset for this game was to do everything we could, and offer it all to coach),” she broke down at the mention of dedicating their match against the UP Lady Maroons to Meneses.
“Kaso yun nga, talo. Pero nandoon pa rin yung gusto pa rin namin lumaban. Hanggang sa huli lalaban pa rin kami.” (Unfortunately, we lost. But we still want to fight. We will fight until the very end.)
Meneses, 34, abruptly resigned on Thursday, March 10 reportedly due to the different directions he and the management want to take regarding the team.
The school tasked men’s volleyball team head coach Domingo Custodio to handle the women’s team on an interim basis for the remainder of the season.
“Sobrang emotional pa rin kaming lahat. Medyo hindi pa kami maka-move on (We’re all still very emotional. We can’t move on yet),” said 19-year-old hitter Jessica Galanza.
“Ang sinasabi lang sa amin kailangan namin i-set aside muna yung mga nangyayari, tapusin namin itong season ng maganda. Pero hindi naman daw maiiwasan na maging malungkot kami pero basta focus muna kami.” (We were told to set aside what’s happening, finish the season strong. But they know we can’t not be sad but we need to focus.)
Galanza said Meneses first informed the seniors of his decision on Wednesday, the night before he submitted his resignation letter.
“Nagmi-meeting pa lang kami parang alam ko na yung sasabihin niya. Sa akin natulala lang ako na ganoon na pala nangyari,” Galanza shared. “Sinabi lang yung mga problema, kung bakit siya wala. Hindi naman daw niya kami iiwan. Nandiyan lang din siya lagi, hindi lang siya laging pupunta sa training tsaka sa laro.”
(We were meeting and I already knew what he was about to say. I was left stunned about what happened. He told us the problem, why he was leaving. But he assured us he wasn’t leaving us completely. He will always be there, but he won’t always attend trainings and games.)
Meanwhile, Paat shared there was also some crying as Meneses broke the news to them.
“Nandoon na rin yung pagpigil namin na ‘coach, wag niyo kaming iwan kasi sa inyo kami kumukuha ng lakas e’. Pero kung ano man yung decision niya and yung dahilan niya, ni-respeto na lang namin kasi para yun sa kanya at sa team.”
(We tried to stop him saying ‘coach, don’t leave us because we get our strength from you.’ But whatever his decision and his reasons we respected that because it’s for him and for the team.)
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Missing ‘a father’
The team was quick to pay tribute to Meneses on Saturday as they all had stars stamped on their arms with the letter S right in the middle. Both Paat and Galanza said it was something the entire team agreed on doing for Meneses with the idea suggested by veteran Erika Alkuino.
“Kahit wala si coach, kailangan namin lumaban. Lahat ng laban namin para kay coach,” said Galanza. (Even without coach we have to fight. Every match is for coach.)
The Lady Falcons have struggled through UAAP Season 78, winning their first match but going on a 4-game losing streak before picking right back up. They have lost back-to-back outings to start the second round and are now 3-6.
Galanza shared how she saw Meneses and what she will miss most about her mentor since her rookie year.
“Para siyang tatay ko (He’s like a father to me),” she said. “Sobrang magaling na coach, talagang tututukan ka niya, at sobrang maintindihin si coach, tsaka pagtatanggol ka niya hangga’t maaari. Mami-miss ko yung jokes and yung mga tinuturo niya. Kahit pag galit siya sa akin mami-miss ko rin yun kasi yun din nakaka-motivate sa akin.”
(He’s a very good coach, he’ll focus on you, he’s very understanding and he will always protect you. I will miss his jokes and everything he teaches us, and even when he gets angry because that motivates me as well.)
“Yung maririnig mo sa kanya na ‘kaya mo yan. Matapang kang bata e.’ Yun yung huli niya sinabi niya sa akin (You’ll hear him say ‘you can do it. You’re a strong kid.’ That was the last thing he told me),” Galanza added.
“Bilib pala siya sa akin pero ako nag-doubt ako, yun pala malaki yung tiwala niya sa akin (He has faith in me. I doubt myself but he trusts me).”
The Lady Falcons, who trained for the first time with Domingo a night before the Saturday match, have 5 games left to pick up the pieces and see how far their fortitude in the midst of crisis can take them.
“Mahirap talagang tanggapin na wala na si coach e. Pero magiging okay rin ang lahat. Naniniwala naman ako (It’s hard to accept that coach is gone. But everything will be alright. I believe that),” Paat was defiant as she covered her face and let the tears flow. – Rappler.com
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