I love this game! UA&P Athletics

The life of a student-athlete is a unique experience. A recruited student gets an athletic scholarship and plays varsity sport/s and will get all sorts of 'perks'- allowance, accommodation, tutor, medical, etc.  A walk-on is someone who is not recruited, but plays on the varsity team. This means the team may no longer offer him a scholarship, but his year with the team will serve as an evaluation point that may merit him a scholarship the following season. He may start off as a student manager/off the bench, and may eventually win a starting spot the next year, depending on his performance. Then, there is the last kind, those that play varsity sports for the love of the game- regardless of being recruited or otherwise. 

In UA&P,  the athletics life is comparable to that of the NCAA Div. III schools. This means, the school and population size is less than 10,000. UA&P has 2,500 students, and to date, has only 1 athletic scholar- Claire Capisonda of the WBT. For it was only in 2009, headed by alumni Nicky Mapa who started the fundraiser for boosting the varsity scene- he envisioned funding for the recruitment of true student-athletes by providing more financial support to varsity sports. Hence, the qualification for the scholarship means that the potential recruit must be a student first. With the stringent grade requirements of UA&P, the search only produced a few, and only one qualified. 

Claire Capisonda of the WBT was chosen because of her intelligence- on and off court. A 2009 honors graduate of LCCM Balagtas, Bulacan, she can also execute a-la AND 1 moves on the court, leaving players in disbelief- inventing her own ankle-breaking moves to piss-off the likes of CSB's and former Mythical 5 member Aice Dadal in their first WNCAA, this season. 

According to my mini-interview with Claire, she was first recruited by Coach Julie to play for the UST Lady Tigresses, until she had a last-minute change of heart and decided to stay with UA&P. Also, she says that she's given a stipend for her living expenses, as she currently lives in a dormitory in Pioneer, Mandaluyong to be near the school. Originally, she lives in Bulacan. 

Grade-wise, the girl is doing well, and is in 2nd year college. She said she's interested in taking up Management, but in this school- it is only in your 2nd year that you apply for the course you like. But I have no doubt that she will make it. She adds, all I have to do is follow the retention policy. 

I don't know how the scholarship goes, but it seems to me that Claire may keep it as long as she makes the grade. Hence, it will be a fruitful 4-5 years for the WBT, plus she graduates with a Management degree from UA&P. 


Definitely, the school should support this endeavor to help deserving student-athletes get quality education and compete at the highest possible level.

Overachievers

It has been a long time since I've posted, but I am overjoyed with the UA&P Lady Dragons. 

From champions of Div. B in both basketball and volleyball, both squads have been elevated to 

the ultra competitive Div. A, wherein the likes of Lyceum and CSB for basketball have made the finals event their own. Meanwhile, the volleyball scene is not much different, with Lyceum and RTU squaring off in the finals for a few years now. 

However, I am not here to talk about the top teams, but rather comment on the vast improvement of the UA&P Dragons. Coming in to the season, not much was expected of our girls since going up a division means facing tough and seasoned opponents. I think a modest goal would be to stay in the division at least. 

Coach Julie of the basketball team faced a dilemma with at least 3 players exiting the squad- graduation and academic commitments. This meant digging deep in her bench to elevate them as starters, and relying on recruiting new and current students in the university. 

As I watched the team play, I was surprised at how much the bench players have improved- skill-wise.

Plus, they were not scared of committing mistakes and learning from them by defeating SSC and LCCM in close games, I knew the team had to build its killer instinct since its best players were now gone, and losing a heart-breaker to RTU, which could have given them the 3rd seed in the semifinals.  Although they lost to Lyceum and St. Benilde by big margins, it did not matter. Ending up as 3rd runner-up on their 1st year, the team went above and beyond what everyone expected of them. They simply responded to the call and I can't wait for another season, wherein the newbies will be more mature.

Kudos to Coach Julie for instilling the right attitude to the players- for dedicating their hearts and minds to the game. Because you may have the hops, the skills, but not the attitude, and you will never reach the altitude you're aiming for. 

Meanwhile, the volleyball team was also elevated to Div. A. I think there were more expectations from them because the core of starting 6 is young, with only 1-2 gone to graduation, and some of the bench has shown glimpses of what they could do, like Jaja Gonzales whose serve is lethal. Though I wasn't able to watch any of their matches since basketball games were held in Lyceum and volleyball games at SSC and on-going at the same time, I know that the team is in the capable hands of Coach Oliver, who believed in this team the most, when we as fans, had our doubts. 

The season may have started off on the wrong foot, with 2 straight loses to perennial finalists Lyceum and RTU. With their backs against the wall, the Lady Dragons hacked out a 5 set win against MC. However, they lost their last elimination game in straight sets to SBCA. With only 5 teams in Div. A, (CEU is supposed to be the other team, however, CSB did not field a team this year. So, to balance out the teams, CEU remained in Div. B, in spite of the bridesmaid finish last season).

After the eliminations, the quarterfinals scene was set, with UA&P vs. SBCA. The lady Dragons managed to win with a 5 set thriller, with the 5th set, going the Dragons way at 15-13. The final score: 25-16, 22-25, 23-25, 25-21, 13-15 the girls have a flair for the dramatic, which reminds of their win against CEU in the finals last year. The win pitted the Lady Dragons against the Lady Pirates, with the victor facing RTU in the finals.

Is Selina Artadi still with the team? I think she would have made some difference, but the journey ends here for the Lady Dragons, falling to 3 straight sets to Lyceum. UA&P finishes 2nd runner-up on its 1st year in Div. A. Well done!

Award-wise, UA&P didn't reap individual awards this year, but what's more important is that both teams have overcome expectations and overachieved. A 3rd and 2nd runner-up on Div. A is no easy feat. I'm upbeat for the 42nd season that both teams will continue to work hard and mature. Truly, both teams have showed us what it takes to be successful on and off court.