Fair Play: Memories are made of this
EXACTLY 15 years ago today, I and a bunch of teammates sneaked into a cemetery to steal the candles, some of them still burning.
I remember one teammate bragging that he got food from one tomb, but, despite seeing him munch something, we never believed him.
We sure looked funny that time, sneaking in like a bunch of commandos, with one holding point to check for any signs of the relatives, who, I know, wouldn’t take it kindly if they realize players from a rival town have been stealing their candles.
I’ve been to a few meets and aside from the violent games, that scenario is what I always recall.
The commando raid wasn’t just a case of teenagers being mischievous, it was a necessity.
We were staying at some rundown school in Barrio 5 in Tampakan for the Unit Meet, which started on Oct. 31.
The organizers did the usual thing--they made sure the bigwigs of Decs, now DepED, got comfortable quarters, while the athletes slept in a room with no light.
We knew the quarters would be horrible, so we brought a tent, but we forgot to bring any lights, hence the night-time raid.
And after a highly successful raid on that first night, in the second, we snuck out of the school again. This time, we went to a sari-sari store we had earlier contracted to extend her store hours just a bit.
We downed a few Gold Eagle beers, the only one available, and we were singing our hearts out on our way home. Of course, we still managed to go ninja when we got back to the school.
We got killer hangovers the next day and our coach started suspecting that we were up to no good. And like most coaches, his instinct was right. So that night, just as we were about to sneak out again, he went to our tent, ostensibly for an unannounced meeting for the next game. We knew it was a ruse because we were beating the other teams by a mile and we were in competition only with our elementary team as to which could win the most lopsided match. (I think they won, 15-0. And nope, I’m not bragging that we were too good. The other teams were just too darn bad.)
I can’t recall much of the games, but our commando raid is still fresh in my mind. You see, what is often overlooked in multi-event meets is the experience off the field. Sure, winning the games is good, but you forget about the results in a few weeks.
What you don’t forget is the chance to explore the world, on your own or with your friends.
Going to sports events, sometimes, is a teen’s first real chance to stay in a place without his or her parents and sometimes, they get to do stuff without your coach’s knowledge.
Of course, I’m not going to recommend the athletes to go ninja and ditch their coaches, that is just downright irresponsible.
Enjoy the games, but have a blast, off the field, too. The kind of fun that you don’t have to whisper to friends when you talk about it.
I remember one teammate bragging that he got food from one tomb, but, despite seeing him munch something, we never believed him.
We sure looked funny that time, sneaking in like a bunch of commandos, with one holding point to check for any signs of the relatives, who, I know, wouldn’t take it kindly if they realize players from a rival town have been stealing their candles.
I’ve been to a few meets and aside from the violent games, that scenario is what I always recall.
The commando raid wasn’t just a case of teenagers being mischievous, it was a necessity.
We were staying at some rundown school in Barrio 5 in Tampakan for the Unit Meet, which started on Oct. 31.
The organizers did the usual thing--they made sure the bigwigs of Decs, now DepED, got comfortable quarters, while the athletes slept in a room with no light.
We knew the quarters would be horrible, so we brought a tent, but we forgot to bring any lights, hence the night-time raid.
And after a highly successful raid on that first night, in the second, we snuck out of the school again. This time, we went to a sari-sari store we had earlier contracted to extend her store hours just a bit.
We downed a few Gold Eagle beers, the only one available, and we were singing our hearts out on our way home. Of course, we still managed to go ninja when we got back to the school.
We got killer hangovers the next day and our coach started suspecting that we were up to no good. And like most coaches, his instinct was right. So that night, just as we were about to sneak out again, he went to our tent, ostensibly for an unannounced meeting for the next game. We knew it was a ruse because we were beating the other teams by a mile and we were in competition only with our elementary team as to which could win the most lopsided match. (I think they won, 15-0. And nope, I’m not bragging that we were too good. The other teams were just too darn bad.)
I can’t recall much of the games, but our commando raid is still fresh in my mind. You see, what is often overlooked in multi-event meets is the experience off the field. Sure, winning the games is good, but you forget about the results in a few weeks.
What you don’t forget is the chance to explore the world, on your own or with your friends.
Going to sports events, sometimes, is a teen’s first real chance to stay in a place without his or her parents and sometimes, they get to do stuff without your coach’s knowledge.
Of course, I’m not going to recommend the athletes to go ninja and ditch their coaches, that is just downright irresponsible.
Enjoy the games, but have a blast, off the field, too. The kind of fun that you don’t have to whisper to friends when you talk about it.
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