At some point in every person’s life, change can be a double-edged sword. Whether it be the start of something new or the end of something good, change is as exciting as it is intimidating. For rookie Green Tanker Marc Paderon, change isn’t something to be afraid of; in fact, he embraces it.
“Adjusting is something different from any usual thing that you encounter in life,” says the rookie Green tanker. “But I can say that I’m kind of used to adjusting because when I was grade five, I started moving around.”
Paderon began moving homes often in his youth, one of the things he credits to his easy adjustment phase come college.
“In grade five, I came from La Union, then I moved to Ilocos Norte,” he explains. “Then, in first year high school, I moved to Laguna. I started living alone, starting first year high school til third year high school, then fourth year high school, I went back to La Union , and [now I’m in] college here [in Manila].”
Fresh off a podium finish last season that saw them finish second to ADMU, the Green Tankers are poised to avenge their loss with a tough summer training program and with the bringing in of rookies who will infuse life into a squad that is raring to win a championship.
He may have moved around several times during his formative years, but once it came down to choosing a college, his choice was crystal clear. “I chose it (DLSU) because the number one reason [is] that I really love this school, and my father graduated from DLSU, so I chose this school,” he shares.
Swimming is more than a sport he can do for the school; it has taught him lessons he can apply to his life off the pool and perhaps, even give him a new perspective on life. When asked what he learned from swimming so far, he shares, “It’s really the discipline when you wake up every morning when it’s time to train, and the time management. Swimming for me is a life lesson.”
For Paderon, the best thing to do at the moment, with the UAAP season approaching, is to get down to work. “I don’t think anyone can tell the future but if I can say one thing about what I can do for the UAAP,” he says. “I’ll just do my talking in the water.”
