Alyanna Ong: Balance and sacrifice

Holding training workload constant, college athletes have it tougher compared to their professional counterparts. Unless your name is Chris Tiu or any other athlete known for diverse interests, professional players are usually on the court 24/7 absorbing plays and game tape like a sponge.

College athletes on the other hand, have to split time between work on the court and in the classroom. Imagine running from baseline and back for two hours then heading on over to your majors class in the evening. It seems daunting and even impossible, but that’s the norm for athletes like DLSU Lady Archer Alyanna Ong.

“Actually, I had to drop so many units so that I could fit the schedule to the training schedule [be]cause our training is [from] one to four [in the afternoon] originally,” Ong shares, adding that as a result, she had to drop her afternoon classes.

An Applied Economics and Management of Financial Institutions major, Ong continues to balance being a member of the defending UAAP champions and finishing up her thesis requirements for her economics degree. Aside from the rigorous training for basketball and the brain draining thesis requirements, Ong is also taking her major subjects for her finance degree. “At first, it was difficult because when we do the thesis it’s at night and sometimes I’m tired already,” she says. “So it’s difficult to do it but eventually we found the time to do it together or to divide the work properly.”

Aside from the trimestral system, the Lady Archers compete throughout the year, with the FilOil tournament, the UAAP, and the Fr. Martin Cup among the tournaments in which they ply their trade.

Amidst all the challenges that come with being a student athlete, Ong remains committed to finishing her studies and at the same time defending the crown that they won as a team against the NU Lady Bulldogs in the UAAP 76 finals. Along the way, she has learned how setbacks can be overcome with the right mindset and most of all, finishing strong.

“It was really kind of depressing because our standings went down [early in the second round] but we just continued to play and to do our best, and things happened that put us to the top,” Ong says when she remembers last season.

Basketball may have been a part of her life since grade school, but Economics is something the Lady Archer finds fulfilling. From the surprise she garners to the lessons she gains every year, Ong knows that all the work she puts in the classroom has been worth as much as the effort she and her teammates have put on the court.

“I’m taking it [Economics] [and] it’s fulfilling because when people say that you’re taking Economics and playing basketball, it’s fun to know that they think it’s great,” the fourth year player says.

Athletes heading over to DLSU or any other college choose a course that would as much as possible maximize their time in the school both on and off the court. Their choices rarely include Economics and Finance, majors which not only require math for the most part, but also a lot of time devoted to reading papers, journals, and other academic materials. Yet even with all the demands that come with both courses, Ong looks to her experience last season to help her get through the grind of being a double-major student-athlete.

“I think it’s just the resilience that I won’t stop and even if it’s difficult I’ll still keep going,” the Lady Archer says.