Following a couple of top three finishes last season, the Green and Lady Paddlers are looking to regroup to wrest the Season 75 UAAP Table Tennis championship.
The Green Paddlers are hoping to rebound from a third place finish last season behind UST and FEU. The team roster is still intact this season despite a graduating player and no new recruits.
The Green-and-White Paddlers started training since the start of the year; the team also joined preseason contests. “We joined a lot of preseason tournaments this summer, and the results of the tournaments look promising,” shared Green Paddler co-captain Earvin de Pedro.
The Paddlers are, however, not without hindrances.
The Paddlers pointed out that academic priority, alongside mental and emotional stressors, are crucial factors that could make or break the team’s season.
“Last year we could have won it all, but in the end, we let the nerves and pressure got to us,” referred de Pedro as he ponders on last season’s squandered twice-to-beat advantage that the team obtained in the semifinal encounter against UST.
It will be another close encounter between the Green Paddler, defending champions UST, and reinforced FEU, UP and UE squad for the men’s title.
Meanwhile, the Lady Paddlers are hoping to bounce back from a finals defeat last season. They underwent the same intense training that the Green Paddlers took, and are poised for another championship run.
“We also joined several tournaments since summer to see if there are improvements, and to see what else are lacking, which we can incorporate in our succeeding trainings,” told Lady Paddlers captain Kimberly Medina.
The Lady Paddlers recruited Donna Gamila from UE as the team’s sole newbie.
As soon as the tables are set, the Paddlers are out to vie for the championship title.
Green Paddlers Captain Ted Bryan Yu vowed, “If we just stick to our training programs and do well each day, our hard work would pay off. For me, I can say that we can get the championship if everybody in the team would play their 100 percent in the games during the UAAP.”
