Mich del Carmen: In the Falcon’s nest

Amidst all the tension and drama brought about by the ongoing hard court action in the 76^th season of the UAAP, courtside reporters are always present at the ballgames, regularly standing on the sidelines to deliver news updates fresh and straight from the dugout from the coaching staff and the players themselves.

Of the eight young ladies representing the competing schools, two of these charmers incidentally both hail from De La Salle University. Aside from Ina Ongsiako who reports for the Green Archers’ side, there is also Mich del Carmen, who has made a name for herself with her courtside duties for the AdU Soaring Falcons.

A fourth year BS Marketing Management student, del Carmen is not an unfamiliar name on campus. A former Batch Executive Vice President and also a former executive board candidate during the 2012 General Elections, she is known to the La Salle community as a student leader. She has been affiliated with various student organizations throughout her four years in DLSU, and continues to be involved in student government units such as the Office of the President (OPRES).

On top of the play-by-play commentary provided by Studio 23’s sports anchormen, courtside reporters give the juice about what has happened on the bench or in the huddle of teams during tense moments of the game beyond what the camera lens has captured and what numbers and statistics can tell you.

Getting into the sports media bureau

The screening process for courtside reporters is a painstaking process. Applications are usually opened during the first quarter of the year, in time for final designations at the kickoff of a new season. While she was in a student exchange program in Singapore Management University abroad, she applied and with a mix of talent, charm and a little bit of good luck, she was chosen.

She recounts her experience of the screening process as meticulous. A lot of aspirants decided to take a shot, but at the end of the day, ABS-CBN takes the final call.

“May series of auditions siya eh. Parang this year ata mas nag-cut down sila agad based on the resumes pa lang,” shares del Carmen.  

A different team           

“Before I got chosen, in-inform na rin nila ako if willing ba ko mag-[report] sa host school. Kasi siyempre nung una gusto ko La Salle kasi Lasallian ako diba. Sabi nila [ABS-CBN], pressure lang naman kasi host school for this year pero kaya naman,” she shares. “Masaya naman ako kung nasaan ako ngayon. No regrets.”

Although the Adamson team and coaching staff were unfamiliar to her at first, she was warmly welcomed by the community. Although her “new” team was obviously very different from her Lasallian roots – she studied in De La Salle Zobel from grade school to high school – the heartfelt treatment given to her by the team and the coaching staff made it easier for her to blend in.

“It was siyempre culture shock. Kasi ako Lasallian all my life from Zobel and it was a new environment for me, but siyempre [I have to be] professional parin,” she lightheartedly remarks. “In Adamson especially, they really treat you like you’re one of them.”

With a few months reporting for the side of Adamson under her belt, she relates that she has grown to feel like she’s one with the team. “Pag natalo sila feeling mo ikaw rin natalo. Parang maffeel mo talaga that you’re part of the team. You’ll feel like you’re part of the family,” she shares.

Standing on the sidelines at every AdU ballgame, scribbling through her reporter’s notes during timeouts, and always getting ready for her on-air updates, Mich del Carmen feels comfortable working with the new faces from a different territory, working with Soaring Falcons from a different nest, yet never forgetting her Lasallian roots and values.