Beyond The Baseline

In case you've noticed, I have been featuring the writing of other people in Bleachers' Brew. This is to give them exposure and to hear a different voice. Vince Velasco is the son of veteran sports scribe and broadcaster Bill who is also a good friend. His son is in my Journalism class in Ateneo. His BEYOND THE BASELINE series will follow Ateneo Team B basketball.

Beyond The Baseline

By Vince Velasco

Part 1: The hazards of the trade

My name is Vince Velasco, I’m a sophomore taking up AB Interdisciplinary Studies at Ateneo De Manila University. The name may not ring a bell, but put me beside a certain someone I will easily be identified. That person is my father Bill Velasco.

To those who may react and make comments like “he has have everything” and make other remarks I say this; yes it has its perks but there are also struggles, contrary to what people believe I am not rich, I can get by, sometimes with less difficulty than others and you will soon come to realize that you do not know me yet beyond the name. I have my struggles and issues to overcome just like everyone else, I am no exception to the rule. However beyond that, so you may get to know me a little more, I enjoy writing, I listen to almost any genre of music, I am fascinated with origins, facts, conspiracy theories, legends, video games, and I love playing basketball. But basketball is just a part of my life, maybe the most important part, but for others like myself, there is s much more linked to it, that is why the title of my entry is “Beyond The Baseline”.

An average day on Ateneo Team B is waking up at 5:15am to get ready for training. By 5:30-5:35 I am out the door and headed for training.

At 6:20 Alec (Rivera) or Kris (Panganiban) call people in and lead the warm ups.

6:30 coach blows the whistle and players come in. Coach Sandy (Arespacochaga) gives his instructions and notes for the morning’s session after which he asks someone to lead the prayer.

Come 8:45 coach blows the whistle for practice to end. We shower and change for our main job for the day -- school.

Most people think that a Team B player’s day just starts early and that’s the only difficulty. A lot of people don’t take into consideration a lot of other factors. For example, at least four players on the team only get to see their families once or twice a year. Some even have to visit other relatives just to have some form of family with them. Others have financial difficulties. I could go on and on about how difficult it can be for some and how great it can be but I hope later people will see these things more than just something cliché-ish.

School. Family. Training. And there’s that sickening feeling of getting cut from the team. Worse, you could be in Team B for almost your whole college life and not even see a glimmer of hope to move up to Team A. You see all the new recruits come in and you feel like losing hope.

The one thing I hope people get to see from this is not just the diversity of the team, not just the difficulty and the triumph, and not just the end result, but what the experience means for us. There is an old famous line that goes something like “but what is triumph without meaning”.

People reading this may wonder what my qualifications are, truth is my qualifications aren’t ones that can be written on a resume. Yet. After all, I am still in school. However, I know the work it takes to be an athlete and the sacrifices you must make. I may not be the best athlete and I certainly could be the worst player at times but I know what it’s like to work hard just to be on that court.

There is a lot of pressure not just from being a student-athlete, but of the status I and other people may hold being their parents’ children and wanting to excel. I guess if experience can be put on a resume I could qualify even if I have a lot to learn. But all of this goes beyond me. Each team, each player, each person, shares and finds meaning in their struggles and triumphs. After reading this, I hope you join me in continuing to understand people and their experiences as well as hear and see things not just through my eyes but through eyes of others as well.