Clearing the hurdles

Track and Field is one of the most under appreciated sports. People have this notion that it is only running, but it is not. As low-key as this sport may seem, a bunch of guys have developed a burning passion for the game.

When one’s an athlete, it’s not always about the winning although it sure feels good to win. And the taste of winning for the very first time is always the sweetest. This year, the DLSU Green Tracksters experienced just that when they bagged the UAAP championship for Track and Field in the men’s division – a first for De La Salle University which joined the UAAP in 1986.

In our chat, the rather enthusiastic – and relieved – assistant coach Jeoffrey Chua, who has been coaching the team for nine years now, was finally able to let his hair down (even if his ‘do is semi-kal). He said, "The school was just waiting for us to win, though the pressure and frustration has been there since I have been coaching for so long. But we finally made it, and it feels good pala when other coaches from the other teams are the ones congratulating you."

Before writing this piece I knew nothing about track and field, since the only sport I’ve ever focused on was swimming and maybe a bit of soccer. While writing this piece I felt like a fish out of water. But after spending an afternoon with the winning team just talking, I realized it wasn’t that hard to get immersed in the sport and develop an interest in it. One thing notable when I first met these guys was that they were not the college jock stereotype, but were simple, down to earth, and quiet. Their coach was wacky, with a light and youthful aura. He didn’t seem like a terror coach. At first, one would have a hard time distinguishing the coach from the players. He must also have been able to motivate them exceptionally well, which is why the players had the heart and determination to win.

He said, "The real heroes here are them, (pointing to the guys), I was just a spectator in the bleachers enjoying popcorn if I was holding one, but I would be too nervous to eat it."

For the majority of the players the primary reason they went into the sport was just to ditch CAT/ROTC in high school and college (obviously the excuse of every athlete), but later on they simply fell in love with their sport. "We just got hooked on it. It was impossible to turn back," said Track and Field MVP Ralph Soguilon.

What these guys went through to get the championship is no laughing matter. There was more to it than just running. "Try running for 30 minutes without stopping and find out what it feels like," said Benjo Bantugon, a team member. When he said that, I remembered the pain I felt way back in varsity days, when we ran. We hated it; swimmers aren’t really good runners.

Coach Jeoff narrates, "I was never a believer in giving heavy workouts, for they will just burn out the athletes. They would just doze off in class if I did, but I do believe in training every day." Burning out their athletes is the mistake of some coaches.

Their typical training day starts at 6 a.m. The warm-up begins only when they’re complete – a small but crucial detail that keeps the team intact. After the warm-up come the drills, where the coach divides his players according to their events – jumpers, runners and throwers. And that’s not even half of it, for endurance training they run 12 to 18 kms. a day – that’s like the length of Luneta in Manila to Coastal Road in Parañaque – enough stretch of asphalt to use up all your curse words as you run, thanks to the traffic.

You say they must be such masochists for wanting all that physical pain inflicted on thems on top of regular schoolwork. But they do get a lot of perks. An athlete’s life might be hard but it’s a good one. Good thing De La Salle supports its athletes well, including free access to the gym with good equipment. The athletes’ expenses are well taken care of – running and spike shoes, free physical therapy, compensation when injured, expenses going to venue competition, even free vitamins.

But more than these, the memories one builds with one’s teammates are priceless. When asked why they’re still with the team, they all had one word for it – bonding.

The sport also teaches them to be physical and mentally tough. Such benefits will be quite useful later in life.

And when asked about their memorable experiences before and during the championships, coach Jeoff narrates, "UE was our biggest rival. I was more confident this year because I had a stronger line up. The fourth and last day was the most tense because we were neck and neck. And the deciding factor was the very last event which was the 4 x 400 meter relay. If we hadn’t won that event there was really no hope for us to catch up."

It was indeed a photo finish. They tied with UE on the last day, but the problem now was the committee had two weeks to decide who the winner would be, it didn’t feel right to have two champions. Then came the waiting, the tension and frustration, but in the end De La Salle was proclaimed the sole champion because they had the most number of gold medals.

This competition works on point system, out of eight competitors in an event, with the first placer awarded nine points, second placer seven points and so on. "So this was really a team effort because even if you were last, you still gain a point and these points counted a lot so I’m entirely grateful even to the last placers," coach Jeoff added. All their sacrifices indeed paid off, for they even spent their Christmas break in Baguio away from their families just to train.

So, how do they cope with their newfound attention? "It was weird. All of a sudden, the alumni keep on treating us to dinner, and they are still doing so," Benjo said. Yes, the ultimate prize for every champion team is to pig out.

However, coach Jeoff admitted, "In school there is little or none much attraction for track. ‘What’s it with track?’ is the overall question."

But this coach, who is an IT systems professional, has full dedication when it comes to coaching the team – "Only part time by occupation, full time by heart and mind."

Let’s never underestimate the underdog sports. With a strong heart, sheer hard work and dedication, people who love it turn into champions.

The DLSU Tracksters would also like to acknowledge and thank their head coach, Romeo Sotto, for his help in this year’s UAAP Track & Field championship.

* * *

E-mail/Friendster the author at ketsupluis@hotmail.com.