blade saliva,
Slow and steady.
The University of the Philippines Integrated School (UPIS) Table Tennis team is one of the school’s promising varsity teams. After showing spectacular performances in different tournaments this school year, this team may well be seeing more wins than losses in the near future.
They fell short last season, finishing 6th overall, but it doesn’t mean they weren’t able to improve vastly and gain experiences which will be their keys to future success. They still have experienced players, such as James Ecito who for now is the only senior who is completely sure to come back and play next season. Also, strengthening the core of the team is promising sophomore, Jasper Pacis who won Rookie of the Year in the last University Athletic Association on the Philippines (UAAP) Season 79. They also have a much more improved girls’ team determined to create a name for themselves.
But before they got to this stage, they were determined but underappreciated athletes.
Back then, this team was unrecognized by many despite its potential. With no monthly allowance and little support, they still continued fighting for school pride. They had to train at the UP College of Human Kinetics (CHK) because they weren’t allowed to train in the gym. They had to buy their own equipment because no one provides these things for them. Their rackets, shoes, and jerseys are all from their pockets.
From UAAP Seasons 75 to 77, the team was last in the overall standings. In season 75, Joseph Manal from Batch 2014 was the only senior and the most experienced player on the team while others like James Ecito, who led the team in Season 79, were still new and yet to gain knowledge and experience in the sport. Also during this time, they had a rough training schedule and had to go through a lot of challenges such as an unstable relationship with their coaching staff which resulted into a change in the head coach position. Some players who are determined to improve skill their own skills opted to train with one of the women’s team members during these tough times.
But as the rough stretch wore on, their standings steadily improved. They placed 6th in UAAP seasons 78 and 79 and now the team is hoping to continue the trend by finishing better in the standings and entering the final four.
In school year 2017-2018, there are two potential tryouts who hopefully can help in achieving their goals. If they get in the team, they could be a crucial factor in the team’s development as a whole since most seniors are still undecided if they will still compete in season 80.
Incoming sophomore Pacis has high hopes and trusts his team more. “Parang mas confident ako para sa team ko ngayon kasi feeling ko we can put up a fight,” he stated.
The future is bright for this team, now that they have a stable training schedule and a better relationship with their current coach, Melvin Lava. They are now also provided basic equipment from the school such as tables and have sponsors that can prove to be vital in their success for years to come. It is now up to them to maximize what has been provided.
They have come a long way from what they were five years ago. The potential of this team has improved and still improving big time compared to the previous UPIS table tennis teams. It’s time that this team go to heights they have never even imagined. The future is now and there is nowhere to go but UP. //by Jaggie Gregorio, Nathan Ramos, Blade Saliva
Sports: UPIS Table Tennis: Team of the Future
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| GLORIOUS. The members of the UPIS Table Tennis Team hold up their hands in a "UP" gesture to show their pride and happiness after their final game last UAAP Season 79. Photo Credits: Adrian Bornilla |
Slow and steady.
The University of the Philippines Integrated School (UPIS) Table Tennis team is one of the school’s promising varsity teams. After showing spectacular performances in different tournaments this school year, this team may well be seeing more wins than losses in the near future.
They fell short last season, finishing 6th overall, but it doesn’t mean they weren’t able to improve vastly and gain experiences which will be their keys to future success. They still have experienced players, such as James Ecito who for now is the only senior who is completely sure to come back and play next season. Also, strengthening the core of the team is promising sophomore, Jasper Pacis who won Rookie of the Year in the last University Athletic Association on the Philippines (UAAP) Season 79. They also have a much more improved girls’ team determined to create a name for themselves.
But before they got to this stage, they were determined but underappreciated athletes.
Back then, this team was unrecognized by many despite its potential. With no monthly allowance and little support, they still continued fighting for school pride. They had to train at the UP College of Human Kinetics (CHK) because they weren’t allowed to train in the gym. They had to buy their own equipment because no one provides these things for them. Their rackets, shoes, and jerseys are all from their pockets.
From UAAP Seasons 75 to 77, the team was last in the overall standings. In season 75, Joseph Manal from Batch 2014 was the only senior and the most experienced player on the team while others like James Ecito, who led the team in Season 79, were still new and yet to gain knowledge and experience in the sport. Also during this time, they had a rough training schedule and had to go through a lot of challenges such as an unstable relationship with their coaching staff which resulted into a change in the head coach position. Some players who are determined to improve skill their own skills opted to train with one of the women’s team members during these tough times.
But as the rough stretch wore on, their standings steadily improved. They placed 6th in UAAP seasons 78 and 79 and now the team is hoping to continue the trend by finishing better in the standings and entering the final four.
In school year 2017-2018, there are two potential tryouts who hopefully can help in achieving their goals. If they get in the team, they could be a crucial factor in the team’s development as a whole since most seniors are still undecided if they will still compete in season 80.
Incoming sophomore Pacis has high hopes and trusts his team more. “Parang mas confident ako para sa team ko ngayon kasi feeling ko we can put up a fight,” he stated.
The future is bright for this team, now that they have a stable training schedule and a better relationship with their current coach, Melvin Lava. They are now also provided basic equipment from the school such as tables and have sponsors that can prove to be vital in their success for years to come. It is now up to them to maximize what has been provided.
They have come a long way from what they were five years ago. The potential of this team has improved and still improving big time compared to the previous UPIS table tennis teams. It’s time that this team go to heights they have never even imagined. The future is now and there is nowhere to go but UP. //by Jaggie Gregorio, Nathan Ramos, Blade Saliva
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