By Darwyn Daguman
The excitement for the upcoming Goodwill Games has never been this thrilling for every Thomasian who defied the long wait to see various colleges collide once again to prove who will dominate among the rest.
The Nursing army, as always, is eager to start. They unfolded their preparations for the upcoming games by taking their training to a whole new level of intensity and competition in the basketball court, in the football fields, and in the volleyball training grounds.
Blood, sweat and tears are laid on the line as players struggle to achieve honor and glory.
Nursing Women’s Basketball Team builds up for the Triple S
Things are heating up for the UST Nursing women’s basketball team as the days draw near for their upcoming game this November. Each training conference is worth anticipating as they try to build speed, stamina, and skills.
Krysteene Cruz, 18, has a lot to say with the beating they are taking to catapult their way to strength. “Tuwing Tuesdays at Thursdays lang ang training around 6-8 pm, pero kailangan sa labas ng school magpa-reserve ng court No reserved court means jog na lang sa UST and Frisbee,” Cruz said. Frisbee, as Cruz said, is perfect for coordinating team movements and synchronizing each player’s playing style.
“Stretching exercises and jogging every training for 10 minutes. No laps, just jog for 10 minutes,” said Cruz. Achieving lightning velocity is never easy for the team; but, they do it with thunderous passion. “For speed, we usually do sprinting, for example, ihahagis nila yung bato tapos hahabulin mo.”
Speed, stamina and skills go simultaneously to assimilate momentum in the game working well with bone stretching warm-up exercises, while repeatedly mastering the art of dribbling, passing, throwing, jump shots, and lay-ups.
Headed by Team Captain Lena Cruz, the squad strives to reload their machine gun offense and add adhesives to their defense as these two are vital strategies to team play. “2-3 or 3-2 zone, box out before rebound for the big man,” said Cruz. The whole battle ground is filled with the team’s backcourt and frontcourt cards ready to be laid down for a cause. Training is more than just upgrading skills; it’s about being one with the team, true to what Cruz had expressed, “Training isn’t only on improving skills but training to get to know each other as well.”
Nursing Men’s Basketball Troop suite up for War
Last August, tryouts opened and positions in the team were up for grabs to complete the battalion left by previous stars. Now, time is running fast and the clock is ticking for the Nursing Men’s Basketball Varsity and its new recruits, and each tick means gold that must not be wasted.
Kyle Fontanilla, a junior cager, takes the same pressure as the rest of the team, as he engages in rigorous training from field jogging to evening scrimmage at the court.
“As of now, syempre, nasa understanding each player and getting-to-know stage pa kami,” Fontanilla said. “Dapat may self-initiative and masipag ka. Kapag hindi ka masipag, una hindi ka gagaling at yari ka sa grades mo. Hindi pwede ang mayabang and at the same time, be thoughtful.”
Taking the training to extreme measures is not usual for varsity players. From the Mayon court in Rotonda to the Perpetual School Basketball court, going around for about 2 hours of play and drills like defensive laterals, ply metrics, and “Planting rice”, these hungry stars offer their own souls to intensify conditioning. “Our training takes place three times a week, MWF from 7:00 – 9:00 PM and it’s an alternate court training. Kapag court training puro play kapag field, usually jogging only,” Fontanilla said.
Preparations aren’t easy. Finding and assigning places and positions is of utmost importance. “In the court, we train our skills and team play by having an offense vs. defense style of game. Of course one team focuses on offense while the other focuses on defense, usually ten minutes per quarter,” he stated.
Behind the sweat and blood which these men offer in training, unity or oneness is always important for them to finally raise their fists in victory. “Yung mga strengths and weaknesses ng players makikita lang naman kapag nasa court na. More on adjusting pa lang kasi, syempre sa team, hindi pwede pasikat. Kapag hindi okay sa isa, hindi okay sa lahat. In the team, you got to be one”.
Nursing Football Varsity Intensifies Training
Going against the ground, getting mud on the face, it’s all a part of the Nursing Football club’s training in preparation for claiming their bragging rights in the upcoming games.
“Yung sa routine, magkahiwalay yung babae sa lalaki sa skills training, and kapag maliit lang yung babae, eh, pinagsasama ko na sila ng boys,” says Coach Simeon Dalisay also known as “Coach Sims”, the football club’s head coach. “I see to it that hindi lalampas ng two hours ang training. If ever wala ako, I see to it na may outline akong ibibigay sa team for them to follow, eksaktong 2 hours lang dapat ang training.”
On choosing his artillery, the coach emphasizes endurance more than speed. “Kung puro speed ka lang pero walang endurance, eventually mapapanis ka in no time.”
Training involves knowing the strengths and weaknesses in each player and Dalisay sees to it that they are aware of their own music and broken notes. “Yung mga basics dapat nila malaman before the more advanced techniques. Kung sa evaluation, during the game, yung hindi nila nakikita, nakikita ko. I see to it na lumakas yung endurance nila so I give them additional drills and exercises after practice games,” says Dalisay. “It’s not about the gender or who is more experienced, it’s about the game. When it comes to men and women, the training intensity is the same, kapag training, training talaga.”
Nursing Volleyball Vultures build the powerhouse
Thunderous spikes and vigilant senses make the perfect combination for victory. These two are the main focus as the Nursing Volleyball Club trains to be an elite force designed to bring forth havoc in the battlefield.
Stress and anxiety is building up for the team as the days draw near, squeezing out every second that counts, exploiting every chance to train and fortify each player. “May training nga kami ng 9 – 11 p.m,” says Martin Dacles, a nursing netter.
Dehydrating jogs and nerve-straining exercises are usual routines done by the team before going to the main course. “Nagjo-jogging din sa field, tapos sa drills naman, tossing, passing, and spike,” Dacles said.
Training combines diverse exercises and extreme drills such as the endless ball tossing, lightning fast spikes, stunning offensives and structured defensives; pain and exhaustion is hardly felt with all the intensity building up inside every player’s body ready to explode.
Each player is jam-packed with different specialties for each position to which they are assigned, making them versatile when it comes to offensive and defensive strategies in the game plan.
The countdown has already started; it’s only a matter of time before the real fight begins. In every team, the struggle to survive intense training and conditioning is only a mere fraction of what they are going to face when they come across the different colleges face-to-face. Now the question remains, who will emerge victorious in the end?
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