Sydney Calderon is a woman of vision.
A member of the LGBTQIA+ community, the Savouge owner broke down barriers with her mission to give her fellow queer athletes a fair chance to showcase their talent.
An advocate of inclusivity, the beauty guru, successful business CEO and head coach made heads turn after steering the Spin Doctors to a bronze medal in the 2024 Spikers’ Turf Invitational conference — just a season after their debut in the commercial men’s volleyball league.
What endeared Savouge to volleyball fans isn’t just its meteoric rise in the field dominated by powerhouse teams backed by corporate giants but how it shattered gender stigmas.
“That’s my ultimate goal, to see queer athletes showcase their talents and not be afraid to be who they are,” she told DAILY TRIBUNE in a phone interview.
“I really want to give them a chance, especially the members of the LGBTQIA+ community.”
For Calderon, Savouge realized her dream of equality in sports regardless of gender preference.
“I like what I see because we are not exclusively a team composed of players from the LGBTQIA+ community. We also have straight players who jell really well with them,” she added.
“The inclusivity is there.”
Calderon has always been a go-getter.
She gave up her dream of a college volleyball career to provide for her needs.
“When I was in the call center industry, I wanted to be promoted after six months, and then it happened. I became a team lead and after six months I was promoted again as an operations manager,” she shared.
“After that, since I was directing traffic and knew clients who trusted me that I could work home-based, that’s when I decided to build my own call center business. I hired my friends that I used to play volleyball before. From there, I built the foundation of my call center.”
She, however, faced a difficult challenge.
“Then the pandemic happened. I had to shut down my call center,” she said.
As a visionary, Calderon saw an opportunity in adversity.
“But even then, I noticed that even with the uncertainties of the pandemic, kating-kati ako na magpaganda. That’s how I came up with the idea of building Savouge Aesthetics,” she continued.
With perseverance, Calderon built her beauty empire.
“When I saw an opportunity and potential in the beauty industry, just two months after I opened my main branch in Olongapo I already got my RoI (return on investment). So, I decided to open one here in Parañaque and after two months I opened a clinic in Quezon City and after a month another branch in Pampanga,” she said.
Calderon immersed herself in business. Her love for volleyball may have taken a backseat but her desire to dream big for the sport never diminished.
“That’s three years in the making (building the Savouge brand). I was out of the volleyball picture during that time. I didn’t even have time to play or participate in any volleyball activity and really focused on building Savouge Aesthetics business. I thought, I’ll return once it’s stable,” she shared.
“When I finally got to play volleyball again with my friends after our game, we talked about how we could join the Spikers’ Turf.”
Calderon made calls through some of her connections within the volleyball circle and was able to talk with the league’s management. Thus, the entry of Savouge into the country’s premier men’s commercial volleyball league.
Savouge first saw action in the 2023 Philippine National Volleyball Federation Challenge Cup and finished eighth. It primed the team up for the big stage.
“We started with a collaboration with RTU-Basilan for our debut in 2023,” Calderon said.
The late decorated coach Sammy Acaylar took the Spin Doctors’ reins when they debuted in the 2024 Open Conference. Savouge had a decent finish, landing at fifth.
Calderon took over the following conference as the Spin Doctors shook the balance of power when it defeated perennial title contender Cignal in a five-set decision in the elimination round.
Savouge entered the playoffs and eventually won bronze at the expense of DN Steel-FEU.
Calderon acknowledges that wearing too many hats is a bit challenging.
“From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. I do office work. The moment I wake up I check on my (business) team, I talk with my branch managers, my media and creative teams,” she said.
“After lunch I communicate with my sales report until 5 p.m. Then at 6 p.m. I’m with my (volleyball) team for training until 10 p.m. After that, I’m still up by around 3 a.m. to check on our social media, Facebook ads.”
But she’s not complaining.
“It’s hard but if you have the passion and you really like what you do you won’t feel it’s work.”
Calderon has bigger plans for Savouge.
From recruitment to maintaining a competitive team, Calderon is willing to risk everything to be on top.
“Of course, as Savouge grows so does its financial responsibility but it’s okay since I see my investment work,” she said.
“It was really a good investment from last season,” Calderon added.
“We don’t just develop players, but we try to help them become good individuals inside and outside the court. I think that helped us last season.”