Coaches voluntarily training student-athletes a ‘heartwarming sight’
UC athletic director grateful for commitment of coaches
CEBU CITY, Philippines—University of Cebu (UC) athletic director Jessica Jawad Honoridez is thankful to her coaches who continuously train athletes despite the hardships brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Honoridez, in an interview with CDN Digital, revealed that she is greatly moved by the efforts of her coaches who train the Webmasters’ athletes despite not being renewed for their coaching jobs.
“Our coaches voluntarily train the athletes although they are not paid for it. For me, it is very tough to see them in this kind of situation.” Honoridez said.
“For me, it’s a very heartwarming sight to see that they are still committed to training the athletes.”
She explained that the Webmasters’ athletic department is one of the worst affected by the pandemic.
UC was forced not to renew contracts of most of their coaches because of financial issues brought about by the pandemic.
However, UC is still able to provide 209 full scholarships to their student-athletes from elementary to college levels who decided to enroll in online classes. The Webmasters has more than 400 student-athletes under their fold.
Meanwhile, those who did not enroll are still part of the athletic team and can renew their scholarships once everything gets back to normal or once they decide to enroll in the next semester or the next school year.
Honoridez said that most of the training her coaches are doing are done virtually.
Some decided to train outdoors but strictly following the health protocols.
“We do not allow our athletes who are 15-years old below to join the training. My coaches told me that they have a safe area where they can train regularly while the rest are training themselves at home,” said Honoridez.
She added that members of her track and field team regularly climb the tough Trans Central Highway to train.
“They are not required to train, they just volunteered to train, both the athletes and the coaches so that they will be well-prepared when sports activities are allowed to resume,” added Honoridez.
Honoridez is hopeful that higher-ups at UC will consider providing financial aid to her coaches as a way of gratitude for their efforts to train the athletes despite the pandemic.
/bmjo
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