๐ฃ๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ท๐ท๐ฒ๐ท๐ฐ
When I was in grade school, my mom always encouraged me to engage in social and extracurricular activities. I was a timid and quiet girl, and she wanted me to break out of my shell. With that in mind, she enrolled me in a dance sport program at school. However, my time there was short-livedโI only lasted one week. I felt awkward having a boy as a partner, and the idea of being touched or performing "sexy" moves made me uncomfortable. Thankfully, my mom didnโt force me to continue (thank God!).
When I reached high school, we were encouraged to join academic clubs. I found myself drawn to journalism and radio broadcasting, which became my main focus. But there was another activity that caught my attention: Arnis, a traditional Filipino martial art. To be honest, I never took Arnis seriously as an extracurricular activity. I joined more for the fame (if you can call it that) and the exercise. Winning a district meet? That was never on my radar.
Everything changed when I entered college. Initially, I planned to focus solely on academics and avoid joining any organizations or sports. But life had other plans for me. The monotony of daily routines and staying within the four corners of my room started to feel suffocating. I needed something more.
It was the summer of April 2023 when I saw a poster that would change my life. The universityโs Arnis team was looking for new members. I stared at the poster for a while, thinking, "Thereโs no harm in trying. Besides, Iโm getting bored just sitting here every single day." With that thought, I messaged the contact person on the poster and learned about the training schedule.
I showed up to the first training session without any prior experience in Anyo (the exhibition form of Arnis). Little did I know, I was about to face a level of pressure I had never experienced before.
๐๐ช๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ท๐ฐ ๐๐ธ๐พ๐ซ๐ฝ๐ผ ๐ช๐ท๐ญ ๐ก๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฒ๐ท๐ฐ ๐๐ซ๐ธ๐ฟ๐ฎ: ๐๐ ๐๐ป๐ท๐ฒ๐ผ ๐๐ธ๐พ๐ป๐ท๐ฎ๐
When I joined the Arnis team, I quickly realized how out of place I was. All of my teammates had been Arnis players since elementary school. They had competed in local and national tournaments, bringing pride and honor to their communities. And then there was meโa complete novice, a non-achiever in comparison.
On my first day, I met our coach. He asked me why I decided to join Arnis, and I replied plainly, "I just got bored." He smiled bitterly at my answer, probably expecting a more passionate response. But then he asked me one more question: "Do you promise to never leave this team?" Honestly, I didnโt feel good about it, but to keep the conversation short, I simply said, "Yes, okay."
๐ฃ๐ฑ๐ฎ ๐ข๐ฝ๐ป๐พ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐ธ ๐๐ช๐ฝ๐ฌ๐ฑ ๐ค๐น
Two weeks passed, and I started learning different techniques and memorizing the Anyo (the exhibition form of Arnis). Our coach grouped me with two other players who had been competing since elementary. I was the youngest and the least experienced. While they could perform the hard exhibitions effortlessly, I struggled. I was afraid of hurting myself and couldnโt keep up.
Two months before the competition, our coach made a decision: I would be one of the players representing our university in a prestigious competition against other state universities in Mindanao. I felt a mix of happiness and worry. My university had a strong reputation in this competition, and I feared I wouldnโt live up to expectations. I tried to master the hard exhibition, but my fear of failure held me back. My teammatesโ doubts didnโt help either. I could feel their skepticism, and it made me question whether I deserved to be on the team.
One day, one of my teammates told me, "Iโm afraid youโll be the reason for our fall." Those words shattered me. I held back my tears in front of them, but as soon as I got home, I broke down. I blamed myself for being useless and wondered if they were rightโmaybe I would be the reason for our failure.
๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ญ
I confided in my parents, and my father was furious. "You better quit," he said. "If thatโs how they treat you, then quit." His words stuck with me, and I took a three-day break from training to rethink my decision. On the fourth day, I talked to our coach about quitting. He was shocked and assured me he would address the issue.
The next day, the atmosphere in the gym was tense. My coach had clearly spoken to the team, and the silence was deafening. During our meeting, he emphasized the importance of lifting each other up instead of tearing each other down. He looked at me and said, "Never give up. Work hard and prove yourself."
๐๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐๐ญ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง
When the tournament day arrived, I gave it my all. I poured every ounce of strength, energy, and focus into my performance. I prayed, "Lord, please guide me. Never let me make a mistake."
In the end, our team placed fourth and God answered my prayer, I didn't have any mistake rather than being praised by my other teammate that I performed very well during the team Anyo, but the fourth place wasnโt enough for recognition. But there was a silver liningโI won a bronze medal in my individual category which is the sparring category and what's even amazing was I won with Technical Knock-out. And the teammate who had doubted me? They didnโt win any medal both trio and individual category.
๐๐ฒ๐๐๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฑ
This journey taught me the importance of resilience and self-belief. Despite the doubts and challenges, I proved to myself and others that I belonged on that team. Winning the bronze medal wasnโt just a personal victoryโit was a testament to the power of perseverance.
To anyone facing doubt or criticism, remember this: You are capable of more than you think. Donโt let anyoneโs words define your worth. Keep pushing forward, and you might just surprise yourself. Nevertheless, after the competition, my team and I remained friends. Iโm always thankful for my coach, who never doubted me, and for my past self, who stayed resilient and passionate despite the setbacks and discouragement. Their support and my determination remind me that even in the face of doubt, we can rise above and achieve something meaningful.