Wis

HedCen is once again participating in anpther RIFA tournament. And now, it’s been held this summertime.

We had two games yesterday: one was against the girls who were competing in the Dana Cup and the other was against Miriam. To say everyone was tired is a big understatement because we played with exactly nine players and no subs to top it off. Plus the fact that Marsha and Riana were in the opposing team because they were playing with the Dana Cup girls. But after practically an hour of playing with them, we tied the game with a 1-1 score, Mary Rose scoring the goal and Apaule and I supporting her. Partida na nga lang because we had no subs and our team captain was in the other team. And their goal was a tsamba pa. But hey! It just shows that we don’t count on Marsha to win. Mary Rose and I are doing the 1-2 passes that Coach Juaqui taught us and it does work.

The second game was less more harrowing than the first. We won it, 4-0, 2 goals apiece for Mary Rose and I.

Coach Juaqui’s rigorous training helps a lot. Mind you, without it we wouldn’t have been able to last an hour without gasping for breath already. And jogging for 25 minutes without walking had shown its pros yesterday. So kids, enroll now in Coach Juaqui’s summer soccer training where you meet new friends, learn more techniques and improve your skills. Tried and tested, 100% effective!

The twenty-sixth of March, 6:30 am. A car honked outside our brown gate. I bid my parents goodbye (as they were eating breakfast) and hurriedly grabbed my red jug so as not to make the service wait.I opened the door and caught sight of a blue FX parked outside, waiting for me to board. My nerves were not calm: whether out of dread or out of excitement I don’t know but I was, indeed, nervous. It was the first day of the summer soccer training and I didn’t know what to expect. Sure, I’ve seen Coach Juaqui’s rigorous varsity training during my school days but I never imagined myself to be the one in it.

The window of the vehicle was open and a cool breeze entered the otherwise confined space. My still wet hair clung to the fabric of the blue HEdCen Redwoods shirt I was wearing so I made a move to tie my hair, only to drop back my hands when I felt the dampness of the strands. I stared outside as we passed by a school adjacent to a factory, whose gates were not yet brimming with the usual load of workers. There’d only be a few girls, none of which would be a person who I may at least have a decent conversation with, was the mindset I had acquired on the way to school. It was the mindset I had until I entered the red gates of HedCen and put on my soccer gear. True enough, there was another girl who was there to attend the summer soccer training too. But she was only a person who I knew as MacMac’s litle sister, Tin-tin Capulong. No friendly feelings, attached.

 Oh well. Better make the most of it.

 A car parked outside and the kids, Jamy and James, were ecstatic to recognize it as Raja’s. In the back of my mind, I was wondering if Riana would be training too but I dismissed it immediately as another figment of my demented imagination. To my great surprise, however, she alighted the car muttering something under her breath about not wanting to be there at all and…evil, annoying little brothers?

I didn’t quite hear what she was saying (she was muttering, after all) as I waved a hand and enthusiastically called out, “Riana!”

We pretty much became pals after that, talking about extraterrestrial stuff which I’d rather not mention.

But anyhow, Coach called us to the big field to start on the very first day of training. I picked up my jug and waited for Riana, as she was still putting on her soccer gear, then we went off together.

The decorations of the previous Saturday’s Culminating Activity were still in the small field, hence our utility of the bigger one. We started out with a few drills, some heading exercises, shooting then finally a game. I was beat up after that, tired and exhausted. As soon as I arrived home, I unpacked my things and went to sleep. But before finally catching my much needed rest and relaxation, a thought crossed my mind:

 This soccer training isn’t that bad, after all.