UAAP: Green, Lady Tracksters take their mark for Season 79

With the first semester of the season coming to a close, the DLSU Green Tracksters and Lady Tracksters are ready for battle at the UAAP Season 79 Athletics Tournament. Last year’s edition of the competition proved to be rough for the team from Taft. From a second place finish in Season 77, the Green Tracksters dropped to fourth place the following season. The Lady Tracksters, on the other hand, settled for fourth in the last two years.

Fighting on

Both the Green and Lady Tracksters have experienced nagging injuries which have set them back from their progress as a team. During training, Elrica Guro accidentally bumped a hurdle which gravely injured her. In addition, Shaira Hernandez, captain of the Lady Tracksters, tore her Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) in last year’s games and has been in rehab ever since. Hernandez explains what she aims to prove during her comeback this season, saying, “I want to prove everyone wrong about the notion na runner, na-ACL na, they can’t go back again. Kaya ko pa makatakbo, kaya ko pa maka stand-up.” Her main goal for the upcoming tournament is to come back stronger and prove that she is someone to watch out for.

The Green Tracksters’ team captain Michael Del Prado explains, “Kahit sobrang prepared na ako for this event, kung naaalala ko yung strain injury ko sa quad, matatakot ako to push harder, to run harder, kasi baka bumigay.” The team captain believes that despite good conditioning and proper preparation, a negative mindset can hinder a player from performing their best. “Kailangan di nila isipin yon eh, kapag inisip na nila yung negative, ang negative talaga ang maghihinder sa ’yo,” Del Prado says.

The injuries served as the coaching staff’s wake up call. This eventually led to significant changes being implemented, where on the foundational training stages of both teams, the coaching staff shares that they have been more systematic compared to before. “I think we became more concerned [with] safety… I think that’s also one reason kung bakit halos walang casualty aside from mga minor na mga sprains,” Edward Obiena, the DLSU Tracksters’ main coach for the pole vaulters, explains.

With the adequate foundation in training, both team opted to not focus on the downfalls. Instead, they are building on the positives and the challenges that only made them stronger. According to Obiena, “We had a whole year program, the big difference now is we had a very good long foundation stage ng training. During foundation, we try to improve yung posture nila, try to improve on yung mga shortcomings nila.”

Strength and guidance

“May mga expectations na hindi nameet,” Hernandez puts it simply. However, her team maintained their spot at fourth place last season, an already satisfactory feat considering the fact that the other schools’ athletes outnumber them. “As individuals, nag step-up naman kami, that’s why we maintained at that level,” Hernandez explains.

While the UAAP allows 20 athletes from each team to participate, the Lady Tracksters only consist of 10 quality players. After gaining knowledge that other teams have become undermanned as well, they have become hopeful for the upcoming season. Knowing that they are now at the same level with other teams, Hernandez says, “Before, kulang kami [pero] lumaban kami and we reached that level, ngayon kaya na same same lang ang problem namin?”

The coaches of the La Salle Tracksters are very much committed to attaining at least fourth place in the men’s division, while increasing a notch to third place for the women’s in the coming season. Assistant coach Jeoffrey Chua shares, “I told the boys to maintain the fourth place. So we [can] go for the third, [but] if not, maintain the fourth.” The women’s team on the other hand knows that third overall is within reach, Chua states. “We have a better chance this year, it’s just the execution and the proper mental approach to the game itself, para pagdating sa game day, go na sila sa third.”

Del Prado states that the key to performing doesn’t only depend on athleticism, but also on the proper mindset.  Del Prado shares, “Usually, yung iba matapang sa training, pagdating sa game, sobra silang kinakabahan so parang sayang yung training mo for how many months, then matatalo ka lang ng kaba mo?”

Personally, to Del Prado, the key to finishing with a gold is challenging your worst enemy, yourself. “Iba kasi ako mag-isip. Yung iba, think like a champion, pero ako, think like a challenger,” adds Del Prado. “Parang ang kakalabanin mo na ay yung sarili mo. Yung i-pupursue mo ay lagpasan yung best mo.”

As Hernandez admits that the women’s team lacks players, Del Prado can say the same for the men’s team. The latter consists of only 13 players while rival universities were able to send a full roster to compete. Despite also being outnumbered, the team will continue to fight, Del Prado affirms. “Di kami natatakot sa kanila, we’re gonna do our best pa rin. Papakita namin na kahit konti kami, we can fight.”

The Green Tracksters and Lady Tracksters will open their campaign tomorrow, February 8, at 3 pm at the PhilSports Football and Athletics Stadium (formerly ULTRA) in Pasig City.