Passion, fire, grit: Ateneo volleyball players and their love for the game

In 150: The Ateneo Way, the late Fr Jose Arcilla SJ wrote:

Before the Manila shoreline sprouted with modern cafés and restaurants or multi-storey hotels like the Manila Hotel, the Ateneo boys had their bath house when they went swimming in the bay. Later, when the American Jesuits took over from the Spanish, organized sports were introduced.

Ateneo’s long standing love affair with sports goes as far back as the 1910s. In 1917, soccer was the sport on everybody’s minds. By the 1930s, it was tennis, baseball, volleyball. A smattering of novelty sports during wartime Manila: the Ateneo Marble Tournament, the Ateneo Air Derby Tournament, the Hand-Alai Tournament, and the Ateneo Yoyo Tournament. In the 1950s, the school, which had then been elevated to university status, solidified itself as one of the top contenders in collegiate basketball—a sport that, to this day, remains one of the most uniting traditions among Ateneans, whatever generation they may be from. 

“The school’s commitment to sports is a testament to the old Roman saying, mens sana in corpore sano,” said Roman A Cruz Jr  in the 1959 edition of the college yearbook, Aegis. Throughout time, Ateneo has stayed true to that saying, forming students—and student-athletes, especially—who understand what it means to be healthy both in mind and body, and to attain that delicate balance of mental and physical capacity as they juggle the demands of their academics and their sport. 

Physical education remains deeply embedded in Ateneo’s culture and traditions. In college, PE classes are mandatory, with a bevy of classes and electives to choose from. There’s circuit training and aerobics, basketball and tennis, taekwondo, arnis, and a variety of dance classes: tap, belly, ballroom, street. From the multitude of sports teams that the university has assembled across its long history, volleyball is just one that has gained immense popularity both within and outside the Ateneo campus. 

With UAAP Season 87 fast approaching, three volleyball players talk about their dreams, hopes, and reasons for being in this sport that they, and many others, love. There’s Jihan Chuatico, excited for her rookie year in the Women’s Volleyball Team, as well as Lyann de Guzman, who has chosen to return for another season to sharpen and refine her skills. Lance de Castro, another returning player, is ready to take on another electrifying season as a member of the Men’s Volleyball Team. 

On dreams and aspirations

“I really want to be a UAAP champion,” says Lance, 5 BS-CTM with a Minor in Development Management. “I think that’s also the reason why I’m coming back for another year, for my last year. It’s really hard to move on to another phase of your life knowing that you have something you weren’t able to achieve.”

“At least this time, coming back for another year, kahit na sobrang hirap, what keeps me going is my passion, my grit, and the dream of getting that UAAP Championship. Come this year, I’ll just let it be. I’m going back without any expectations but I’m gonna give my 110%. So whatever happens at the end of the day I can tell myself that I’ve exhausted all my efforts, my options. If things don’t go as planned, [I can move on to] another phase of my life saying [to myself], You did good.”

On giving back

For Lyann, her family is what keeps her going and what continues to inspire her. “Grabe ‘yung support nila sa akin since grade school. Mabibilang mo lang sa isang kamay [kulang ilang beses sila] naging absent sa games ko. Kahit ano mang decision ko, sobrang supportive sila,” she says. After Lyann chose to stay for another year instead of going pro, she explained to her parents why, and they were happy with her decision, because they know it’s something Lyann loves. “Ok lang sa kanila, basta love ko ‘yung ginagawa ko, happy ako, hindi ako naii-stress. Siyempre, I really want to give back sa family ko kaya pinu-push ko ‘yung limit ko para pag ready na ako sa pro, mabalik ko naman sa family ko ‘yung binigay nila sa akin.”

On the challenges of the sport—and how to overcome them

“Something that I do find challenging is definitely maintaining consistency. While learning a new skill or technique can be easy, performing it perfectly every time is hard. I overcome this challenge by having a strong mindset, as emphasized by Coach Sergio [Veloso] during our trainings,” Jihan says. “Mental toughness and a positive attitude also help me face these challenges head-on.”

For the three of them, volleyball began as an extracurricular that they enjoyed. For Lance, it happened in grade school, when he followed in the footsteps of his older brother. It was the same with Lyann, who began playing volleyball in the third grade as part of a school club. For Jihan, her time in Bacolod Tay Tung is what led her to where she is now: a flyer encouraging students to play sports piqued her interest, intrigued by the varsity players in her school. 

Today, they represent not only Ateneo in the one of the most anticipated annual games in the country, but also themselves—their ideals, their goals, their aspirations. Volleyball has become a sport that has helped them grow as individuals; something that continues to guide them in life. Lance, for instance, calls the sport his guiding path, his compass in achieving his goals. For Lyann, it has taught her the value of accepting failure: that failing does not equate to being weak. And for Jihan, who is about to kickstart her career in collegiate sports, volleyball offers endless opportunities for learning. “The sport is vast, and I constantly get to pick up new techniques, skills, and values, along with meeting new people and personalities that [will help] shape me for the future,” she says.

In the booklet On the Wings of Blue, filmmaker, National Artist, and founding member of the Blue Babble Battalion Lamberto V Avellana said: “The Eagle—fiery, majestic, whose kingdom is the virgin sky, is swift in pursuit, terrible in battle. He is a king—a fighting king.” To this day, it is a creed that every Atenean believes in, especially those who dare represent their alma mater in any field, anywhere in the world. In sports, in academics, in any profession, but most especially in life, the Eagle, fiery and majestic, knows that mind, body, and spirit must all be balanced and tended to, in order to be truly whole.

Archival photos from 150: The Ateneo Way, published by Muse Books (2009)