OPENING DOORS
Opportunities to join volleyball camps were scarce for Alyssa Valdez growing up.
The volleyball superstar is making sure kids nowadays will have that luxury.
“My goal is for these kids to experience amazing opportunities,” Valdez said in Filipino. “These camps can open doors to incredible things they never thought possible.”
The Creamline captain got an opportunity to run a camp last Sunday at Gatorade Hoops Center in Mandaluyong, in front of a diverse group of participants who were MVPs in the barangay grassroots program organized by Gatorade.
“We are incredibly proud of her for sharing her talent with the kids,” said Creamline coach Sherwin Meneses, who was present during the camp. “As you know, Alyssa is a kind and humble person. We hope to see her conduct more camps in the future.”
The participants were elementary and high school students, some of whom barely cleared the bottom of the net while others tall enough to tower over the group.
‘Humbling experience’They were united by their shared goal for the afternoon: Learning everything they can from the three-time UAAP and four-time PVL MVP herself.
For the 31-year-old Valdez, mentoring young athletes has been a “humbling experience.”
“It brings back so many memories,” she said. “That’s why I’m still willing to learn and listen to the coaches because these kids remind me of who I was when I was a kid.”More than just technical skills, the Cool Smashers veteran hopes to instill the value of discipline in every camp participant.
“Skill is one gift, but being disciplined and knowing how to play as a team are also gifts that we can teach them. I hope they carry these with them when they leave this camp,” she said.
For Cy, a 13-year-old aspiring athlete from Brgy. Marulas, Valenzuela, that message resonated. Cy began playing the sport at the early age of 7, with the encouragement of her parents who were both volleyball players in their youth. Valdez is her personal idol, she said.
“I’ve learned to always be humble on the court,” the Grade 8 student shared. “As a team, we shouldn’t blame our teammates if they make mistakes. Instead, we should lift them up.”
The afternoon kicked off with a warmup session led by the coaching staff of Creamline. After the warmup, the trainees immediately dove into ball drills.
Valdez was very much hands-on during the camp, constantly circling the court to demonstrate proper positioning for receiving and tossing the ball.
Valdez continued to personally interact with the players during scrimmage, offering them pointers before they reentered the court.
Before the awarding of the players’ certificates, the former Ateneo star gave a short pep talk, underscoring the importance of maintaining a good attitude on and off the court.
“Sometimes, it’s not all about winning. What matters is the attitude of each person, especially if you want to flourish into someone you eventually want to become,” she said.
The former national team stalwart now hopes to inspire more people to engage in volleyball and sports in general.
“I really just want to show the youth that through sports, you can meet a lot of people, you can learn a lot. Five to 10 years from now, I hope that more camps like this will grow,” Valdez said.
“Hopefully, we’ll see [our trainees] playing in the leagues or even representing our country, with the help of all the brands willing to support these kids,” she added. INQ
By Karl Henry Agbugay
