Coach Lauro Crisostomo: Following The Calling

One’s purpose in life may at times come from the most unexpected places. Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist talks about how the universe has the ability to conspire with events in such a way that they all swing in favor of one’s destiny. Circumstances like these often occur in sports. A casual stroll onto the court could lead to the start of a long and storied career. If not that, a trip to a new place could lead to the discovery of a newfound appreciation for a sport. Such was the story of DLSU Table Tennis Coach Lauro Crisostomo.

“Before kasi soccer player ako, nag-vacation ako dito sa Manila, tapos sa tinitirahan namin naglalaro yung kapitbahay namin ng table tennis, so pinanood ko,” Crisostomo recounts. “Nung umuwi ako ng probinsya, yung kaibigan ko na soccer player rin naglalaro ng table tennis so na-convince ako sumali sa kanila.”

That trip was well worth it as Crisostomo grew more and more accustomed to the sport, eventually becoming part of the national team. After his time with the team, he began to look for opportunities to continue plying his trade. As fate would have it, the next chapter in his life would take him to Taft Avenue.

“Nung napasok ako sa national team, yung isang teammate ko naglaro para sa La Salle. Dati ko pa gusto mag coach dito, pero puno na ng slot ang coaching staff,” he says. “Sabi ko sa kanila gusto ko magcoach pero sabi nila full na, pero kung may bakante mag-apply ako. Tapos nung 2008 nalaman ko na bakante tapos nag pasa ako ng resume tapos tinawag ako for interview.”

Crisostomo’s early success rubbed on easily to his teams as the past two years have been nothing but successful for both the Green Paddlers and the Lady Paddlers. Both seasons have seen a championship and a runner-up finish for both teams, an achievement he admits is what makes up the best moment of his career as a coach in DLSU.

With Season 77’s table tennis tournament right around the corner, another opportunity for a championship is up for grabs. Both teams are poised to be contenders this year as the Green Paddlers look to build on last season’s success while the Lady Paddlers are hungry to avenge last year’s heartbreaking defeat in the finals.

“Pipilitin naming mag double champion,” he says when asked about his expectations from the team this year. “Kasi last yearyungsa women’s team dapat double champion [peronatalo] kami [kahit may] thrice to beat kaya sayang.”

Like in every other sport, the road to the championship is never easy. In the previous season, Crisostomo states that their main adversary in the women’s division was the University of the Philippines. This season however, he noticed the recruitment of promising players in different schools, a sign that everyone else was starting to get stronger as well.

“Sa men’s team FEU, UST, UP, marami din halos lahat lumakas. Sa women’s team last year alam namin na contender yung UP,” he explains. “Ngayon maraming lumakas dahil sa recruitment maraming pumasok na galing Palarong Pambansa na kapag recruit yung FEU, UST, UP medyo lumakas na rin.”

But despite this, he remains confident in his players. Acknowledging the fact that each team they will face is one to look out for, he firmly believes that both the men’s and women’s teams are capable of defending and reclaiming the championship respectively.

“Kailangan na maging disciplinado ang pag-handle sa kanila,” the decorated mentor says. “Kailangan sa training dapat on time, pag training dapat 100% para hindi masayang yung training.”

Crisostomo always sees to it that every player from both the Green Paddlers and Lady Paddlers, regardless of whether they are a rookie or a veteran, will comply with their practices. He mentions that the newcomers, especially those coming from the province, are culture shocked by the environment and lifestyle in DLSU and are quite a challenge to mentor and train. Nevertheless, before recruiting, he makes sure that these potential players are able to adapt to both the educational system of the University and their training.

“Yung attitude nila, lalo na yung magagaling [sa] probinsya. Nagkaroon kasi ng culture shock, natatakot sa environment at lifestyle dito,” he explains. “Yung aral parang mabilis kasi [ang] trimester. Tinutulungan naman sila ng mga seniors. Sa training medyo gina-guide ko sila bago i-recruit binibigay ko yung idea na ganito yung training namin, ganito sa La Salle para pagpasok nila medyo makaka-adapt sila kahit papaano.”

The pressure to stay on top is high for the DLSU Table Tennis team, but La Salle fans need not worry, for both teams are not going to let the victory slip away. This UAAP season 77, expect a stronger and more confident team with Coach Crisostomo at the helm.