Unsung heroes

Over the past few months, I have written a lot about my family, my coaches, my current and former teammates and my friends.

The PT are the unsung heroes in any sport

But there are special people who also deserve credit. They are the people who are effectively doing their jobs quietly and without fanfare behind the scene. They make athletes look good and feel good on and off the court.

They are the physical therapists (PT), strength and conditioning coaches and team utilities.

The PT are the unsung heroes in any sport. They help develop the program and treat the injuries of players. They also have a voice in the locker room as they have the last say if players would be capable of playing on top of their game or not.

They have deep knowledge on players’ body performance, movement and healing process so they can perform at their best.

In short, if a team is an orchestra and coaches are the conductors, the PT are the men and women at the backstage whose job is to make sure that all instruments are playing smoothly. Quite a tough job, isn’t it?

At Petron, our PT are coaches Jessica Lavarias and Alyssa Mallari.

I can say that I’m very close to coach Ica and coach Alyssa not because I always have an injury or complaint, but because I always annoy them (LOL). Seriously, I’m very close to them because they are so efficient and they address our injuries right away. They are the best in the business in making athletes perform well.

I really appreciate their gesture of asking us “how do you feel right now?” or “can you play today?” It shows their deep concern in your performance and they make you feel that they will definitely help whenever you need something.

Our physical therapists – coach Alyssa Mallari (left) and coach Jessica Lavarias – always make sure that we are physically and mentally prepared to compete.

There was a time when I was sick and I needed medicine. After giving me the prescription, they asked me to take photos and videos of me taking the medicine to make sure that I was following their instructions. Even if I’m mature enough, they still treat me like a kid because they want to make everything right.

But don’t get me wrong; their job isn’t easy.

Aside from studying for almost five years, they also underwent internship and survived all the paperwork before passing the exams and becoming a licensed PT. Whenever my teammates are chatting about all the hardships of being student-athletes, they also have their own share of stories and difficulties before becoming what they are right now.

And it’s really hard. Although I’m not really privy with medical stuff, I can imagine the difficulty of their job and their role in the life of an athlete.

The recovery of an athlete from a serious injury depends on them. The future and livelihood of an athlete is in their hands.

That’s why they are trying their best to be very patient with every athlete, especially those who are not cooperative, because they know what is at stake. They always cheer us up and push us to our limits so we can come back stronger and in game shape.

Well, I want to say “thank you” to all the PT I worked with during my volleyball career. Thank you for taking care of us, for helping us become better players and making sure that we are at our best inside and outside the court.

I also want to say thank you to my previous strength and conditioning coaches like coach Marlon and Sonny Montalvo and coach Jay Futalan for being so patient with me and pushing me out of my comfort zone.

Special shoutout goes to Sir Jasper and all the interns of Metafactor Wellness Center for being so accommodating and welcoming to Petron players.

Also, I want to extend my gratitude to our utilities in Petron, Noel Cedeno and Kevin Collantes. You are also part of our journey.

Thank you for all your dedication and hard work. You inspired us to do our best and reach our goals.

Every time we are on the brink of giving up, you’re always there to remind us of our goals and push us beyond our limits.

For me, you’re more than just part of our team.