Excellence in unconventional ways

Lasallians are known to be achievers and they excel in almost any possible field, may it be the business world, sports, music industry, or even the world of show business. There will always be Lasallians standing out and it is inevitable that they carry the name of their school with them.

Lasallians are well-known in the field of sports industry, where DLSU has made a name for itself by producing great athletes who have constantly brought home championships to Taft Avenue. However, a person does not have to be a certified “Archer” to have these traits since the Animo is within every Lasallian achiever.

Several students have been making a name for themselves in their respective fields without officially representing the University. Much like the school’s resident athletes, these individuals too have been going through their lives as student-athletes, balancing their studies with practice sessions and game days.

Christelle Peig, Bowling

Christelle Peig (IV, BS-MFI), who is currently part of the RP National Youth Team, is a bowler who represents the Philippines in several competitions overseas and also participates in local tournaments. In fact, her name is well known in the bowling world because of her skill and talent in the sport that prompted a popular chocolate milk brand to procure her as an endorser in several of their ads promoting sports.

Bowling may look like a simple sport where you just have to throw the ball in the middle of the lane and hit the pins, but for professional bowlers, it is more than that. Peig believes that bowling looks past the physical aspect; it is not all about the physical strength of the player. For her, bowling is a 30 percent physical and 70 percent mental sport. Moreover, bowling is more of competing against yourself by staying composed and being mentally tough, she added. There are various lane conditions that one has to adapt and adjust to, and skill comes into place when one knows what type of arsenal to use or how to adjust to a certain condition.

“I began playing years back with my dad when he’d take us to one of the leagues he used to play in before. That’s where my interest in the sport commenced,” says Peig.

Because of this, she started playing under the Milo Bowling Clinic at the age of eight. Two years later, she was already invited to be part of one of the most recognized associations in the country, Tenpin Bowling Association of Makati, and was invited to participate in local tournaments. She was quickly noticed by one of the coaches of the RP Developmental Pool, where she was first scouted and trained to enhance her potentials in the art of bowling. Eventually, Team Prima, one of the most prestigious organizations in the field of bowling, tied up with her by giving her the privilege of being sponsored in all of the tournaments that she participated in.

For her, being able to represent the country is her most memorable achievement thus far. “It has always been my dream to showcase Filipino talent worldwide. More than the awards or perks that I get would be the ambitions that I’ve always had for myself,” says Peig.

When asked about the future of bowling, she sees this as an emerging sport. Peig is happy that she sees a lot of new bowlers every now and then with great potential. Being an avid basketball fan, she hopes that someday it may be as big of a sport as basketball is in terms of popularity in the years to come.

“I just really wish that someday this sport would again be included in the very prestigious Olympic Games,” Peig adds.

Romulo Delavin, Frisbee

A natural born athlete, Romulo Delavin (IV, BS-IE) is an active member of the Ultimate Frisbee community. He participates in other sports though as he was a part of the soccer varsity team back in high school and plays basketball during his free time while he is currently part of Xavier Ultimate, an Ultimate Frisbee team composed of teachers and alumni of Xavier School in San Juan.

He is one of the pioneers of this new sport that gained popularity several years back. He started playing back in the summer of 2009 when he was invited by his friend to try out the sport. Right after, the coach saw potential in him and asked him if he wanted to join the team. Four days later, he played in his first league and he quickly fell in love with the sport.

“For me, what makes Ultimate so unique is that we follow a code of conduct called ‘Spirit of the Game’. This allows the sport to be played without referees and we ourselves call the fouls and any infractions that can happen inside the game,” says Delavin.

In a short span of his career, he has already racked up several awards and championships. He has received two Mythical Seven awards and one Most Blocks award. In addition, he won his first championship after less than a year of playing the sport.

Romulo believes that the future of the sport in the Philippines is good, knowing that more and more individuals are starting to play the sport. In addition, Romulo said that the sport is considered as a possible event in the upcoming Olympic Games.

Macarena Rocha, Equestrian

Equestrian is something out of the norm. It is not the usual sport that the crowd easily falls in love with, but for Macarena Rocha (III, BS-PSYCH), she has fallen in love with the sport. Basically, equestrian is a sport wherein one has to go through a certain obstacle course filled with hurdles on horseback. It looks easier than it actually is and it requires tremendous amounts of dedication and patience.

“I started horseback riding since I could remember,” shares Rocha.

Her first horse ride was in Baguio over a decade ago and ever since, she has always wanted to ride horses around the clock. She had her first lesson when she was eight and up until now, she has stayed with the same coach and team. Her inspiration comes from everyone who is capable of riding a horse because she finds it inspiring that a person can control a 1000-pound animal.

“You have to be able to read the signs and understand what your horse needs and wants, in order to keep both rider and horse safe. You have to maneuver your horse over a set of jumps without knocking a pole. You need to use every single muscle in your body to communicate with the horse, but at the same time look like you are doing nothing,” says Rocha.

She believes that equestrian’s popularity will grow over time, however, she sees the high maintenance costs of horses as one of the hurdles for the growth of the sport. Taking care of the horse itself will already cover a big part of your day, which could be at turn off for others. Rocha also points out that the sport uses up a big chunk of her daily routine, so dedication and patience is heavily required.

Despite all of these hurdles, she has already been asked to be part of the Philippine team in the CSIJ cup in Korea for two years in a row. For her, it was a great opportunity to be able to learn from her fellow riders around Asia.