Playing through the pandemic: The plight of the student-athletes

Art by Vince Julius Balaga

As the country trudges through its 14th month under community quarantine, the future remains uncertain for our local student-athletes. The COVID-19 pandemic has kept schools and universities across the Philippines shuttered since March of last year, and while the academic transition to the online setting has proven somewhat successful, the same cannot be said about the state of Philippine collegiate sports. A year into the global pandemic and two full academic semesters later, the all-important question remains: what has become of our student-athletes?

Undoubtedly, the pandemic has caused numerous disruptions in the sporting community all over the world. While most professional sports leagues around the world have overcome the initial obstacles posed by COVID-19 and remain in operation, collegiate sporting leagues in the Philippines remain in the dark about their return to the limelight.

As the Philippines continues to post record highs in COVID-19 cases, the local collegiate sporting community continues to suffer similar setbacks. The ongoing spike in COVID-19 infection rates has led to the University Athletic Association of the Philippines’ (UAAP) consecutive cancellations of Season 82 and 83. Indeed, another frustrating blow to our nation’s young student-athletes yearning to return to competition, and a stark reminder of the times we are living in.

In the age of the “New Normal”, the dynamic of student-athletes has been anything but. The world of athletics and sporting competitions naturally revolves around the pillars of physical training sessions, team camaraderie, and intense regimens. However, the restrictive world we live in today continually discourages physical gatherings and large sporting events, leaving student-athletes with barely any avenues to hone their athletic skills. Inevitably, this has led to a steady decline in the morale of the sporting community.

Current restrictions on travel and gatherings have forced student-athletes to settle for online team workouts and meetings, leading to a steep drop-off in the quality and frequency of their training sessions. “We only have once a week training,” quipped UP Fencing athlete Vinnie Vinculado. “To be honest, I believe that athletes are slowly getting discouraged from the lack of competitions,” he added.

A number of sporting teams have resorted to “bubble” training camps, hosted privately away from the metro for weeks of regimented training. However, with the lack of funds being an issue for most collegiate teams even before the pandemic, the bubble is but a dream for most college athletes.

“Unless kasama kami sa ‘bubble’ training, sa tingin ko mawawalan na lang din ng gana yung iba na pagpatuloy yung passion nila sa sports,” admitted fellow UP Fencing member Shane Riel. This appears to be the harsh reality for most student athletes; with almost no competitions on the horizon, mounting academic workloads, and virtual training sessions growing stale, the true meaning of being a student-athlete grows more hazy by the day.

While the pressure remains on these student-athletes to stay in game condition, they have a similarly heavy burden to carry: their academics. They face the same challenges all students in the present-day may face; unstable internet connection, a never-ending stream of modules and tasks, heavy extra-curricular work and mental health issues.

On top of all of these, there lies a responsibility to represent their schools in sporting events that may never come. “Pagod na kami sa acads, pero kailangan pa rin namin magampanan ang responsibilidad ng isang atleta,” shared Sports Science major Jely Dayrit, also one of the young stalwarts of the UP Women’s Table Tennis Team. Truly, to be an “Iskolar ng Bayan” and a committed athlete is both an honor and a cross to bear in such difficult times.

As our young student-athletes push forward amidst the pandemic, the hope of returning to the playing field is the fire keeping their sporting dreams alive. For UP Fencing athlete and Sports Science major Dale Gonzales, he too believes that sports will see a revival once again. “As for my sport, fencing, I see my community continue to struggle in adapting to the new normal,” he says.