Endless waiting

The fortunate ones get to play the sport that they love until time and injury force them out of it. The even luckier ones get paid for playing, and stay in perfect health while they do so. Economics also play a big factor. The less expensive a sport is, the easier to ascend and even compete overseas.

But what if you can’t access the highest levels of your sport, or its cost is prohibitively high? You end up endlessly waiting for things to change, or your sport to become more accessible, no matter how interminable that may be.

Take the case of 24-year old Daniella Sangalang, a newscaster and newly-minted Air Force Reservist from Pampanga. The young businesswoman is also an aspiring equestrienne, training monthly with a group of fellow hopefuls in her home province, though there’s no clear path ahead.  She talked about this and her latest achievement.

“It (military training) was tough, but it taught me something valuable about discipline, teamwork, and commitment,” Sangalang admits. ““Riding horses has given me a sense of freedom and has been a great outlet for my energy.”

Unfortunately, equestrian is extremely expensive because of the price of caring for the horse and bringing it to overseas competitions, quarantine, the support team and so on. Because equestrian events are also exceedingly hard to come by in the Philippines, and even more so in central Luzon, Sangalang spreads her passion over a wide variety of socio-civic pursuits while getting her Masters degree at De La Salle University. She dreams of serving the country as an athlete, but tempers her frustration by pursuing work and projects for youth empowerment, as well.

“Each hat I wear represents a part of who I am,” Daniella says. “By embracing them all, I can contribute to my country and inspire others to do the same. But I really wish I could get a chance to ride for my country.”

What would you do if you were left to wait for the chance to fulfill your dream of doing your sport?