I think there is nothing more to say except repeat the things that were said after the Ateneo Blue Eagles received their third championship trophy in men's basketball. As everyone said, it was so far the hardest yet most wonderful ride that the Blue Squad has taken so far.
And I, for one, found it as such, but perhaps not as passionate, not as emotion-filled compared to those who spent their Ateneo days basking in the glory of winning the basketball title and having the bragging rights starting their freshman year.
What the Ateneo Blue Eagles have gone through this year came close to that one way back in 2006, where, as a freshman, I was able to experience the greatest sports heartbreak I ever experienced. During that year, the Blue Eagles failed to secure a championship that could have been theirs to take if not for bad decisions and grisly circumstances. Instead, the UST Growling Tigers took a hold of it.
The following year, as we were waiting for someone to step up and take on the role of the leader for the team, was more of a transitional one, a time to hang on and, in a way, let others still feel the presence of the Eagles as a competitive force in the UAAP. Yes, we managed to defeat La Salle during the eliminations, but we lost the most important battles which could have put us a notch above them during that season. Later on, it was La Salle who got the championship after getting two Finals wins against the 14-0 UE Warriors.
And for those who watched these games, who followed the Blue Squad through and through, those were heartbreaking experience. Those were losses that seemed to be never forgotten, as they were opportunities that slipped from us, that could have been earlier moments of victory.
Out of these painful experiences, we learned to treasure wins and leads the hard way.
Maybe that's why our lot would want so much wins during the next three years. Perhaps that's what fueled us to get out, watch, cheer, and expect for the win. And finally, I believe, it was what made us savor and make the most out of these last three years of watching and appreciating basketball.
Out first two years of college taught us a lesson, and if there is something to be learned in these last three years of cheering for the Blue, it was the value of presence, of being there, in joys and pains, in losses and gains.
This might be the most obvious thing that Team Ateneo has, although the message is clearer and more internalized for us than most, who were just there because of the fact that Ateneo is a winning team these past three seasons. It resounds in every game, and each and every one of it reminds us of what we have to risk, gain, and lose in each and every game.
But right now, we won, and we have the right to celebrate. Maybe, it will be different next year, as the Blue Eagles will eventually get better and, rest assured, own the UAAP season. But for us who have gone through everything just to get over the past and work our way towards the win, what gets to stay is our passion, our presence, our determination to unite as one.
United towards One Big Fight.
