Breeding ground of volleyball stars

In the recent 7th Milo Little Olympics National Finals in Santa Cruz, Laguna, a group of giggling, exuberant and playful girls mounted the top of the podium to receive their gold medal for elementary girls volleyball. Visibly,  the girls clearly owned the coveted spot and loved their entrusted sovereignty over it.

Meet the girls of the Catmon Integrated School (CIS) formerly Catmon Elementary School, undoubtedly the most feared volleyball players in the country today who own a rare grand slam in the Palarong Pambansa and five straight crowns in the National Milo Little Olympics. They are like sisters united by a common love and passion whose fierceness on the volleyball court is matched only by their ferocious loyalty to each other.

Elementary volleybelles from Cebu’s Catmon Integrated School represented Team Visayas in the recent Milo National Little Olympics in Sta. Cruz, Laguna. The team has won five straight crowns in the annual national multi sporting meet. (CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON)

Catmon IS first hogged the sports headlines in 2009 when Cebu Daily News featured the school’s champion girls volleyball team. Six years later, and  the winning tradition still remains.

Indeed the wards of Vilma Veloso, the motherly coach who nurtured their love for the sport in the early 2000s, have gone a long way from their unornamented start.

During the 7th National Milo Little Olympics, the young girls again rode on the wings of their powerful mantra: “Treat each game as a championship game.” And their battle cry paid dividends.

Veloso’s girls won all their matches in the two-day meet organized by Nestle Philippines, drubbing North and Central Luzon’s (NCL) Ucab Elementary School of Baguio City, 25-3, 25-6 and

Mindanao’s Xavier University Grade School of Cagayan De Oro, 25-8, 25-7 before trampling NCR-SL’s Pacita Complex Elementary School, 25-11 and 25-13 in the championship match. The shining gold medal also contributed crucial points that enabled Team Visayas to end NCR-SL’s three-year reign and catapulted the Bisdaks to their first overall crown since 2011.

BREEDING GROUND

Not a few have wondered how a remote and sleepy town like Catmon could have produced such talented and fearless athletes whose hearts and fighting spirit defy their small and elfin frame.

Whose jovial spirit instantly turn to fierce, cunning and predatory persona once the umpire’s whistle blows.

Their winning formula though is quite simple: work hard, sacrifice, learn and dream big -– essentially quite similar to those observed by just about every other top athlete. But what sets them apart?

Quite a lot.

First, the girls get massive support from the local government of Catmon which shouldered their expenses when they competed in the Palarong Pambansa and the Milo Regional Finals in Iloilo City.

Second, they get unconditional backing from their respective families with some mothers getting loans just so they could accompany their daughters to out-of-town competitions. “It does not matter if I’m loaded with debt as long as I am at my daughter’s side win or lose. I will always be cheering for her,” said Mary Ann Pono, one of two mothers who went to Laguna to witness her daughter play.

Third, and perhaps the most significant of all, is the girls’ motherly coach, who did not only imbibe important volleyball tips to her young wards, but also the more salient aspects about sportsmanship and preparing for life’s bigger and more bitter battles ahead.

“Of course there’s a sense of fulfillment each time my girls win. As a coach, it’s always a big thing when your players win. But it’s a bigger fulfillment seeing them transform into well-rounded individuals. Because like I always tell my girls, you can’t be a good player if you’re not a good person. Someday, I hope they will appreciate this simple lesson.”

Veloso also revealed that top universities from Cebu City and Manila are expressing interest in recruiting her players.

Currently, some of Velosos’s former players are now mainstays in the University of the Philippines (UP) Lady Maroons including Justine Dorog and Isabel Molde who are making waves in the ongoing UAAP competitions. She also has wards playing for Southwestern University (SWU) and University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R). USJ-R incidentally, topped secondary girls volleyball in the 7th National Milo Little Olympics.

“Watching them on television being interviewed for being the best player of a match is always a proud moment for me,” said Veloso.

UPCOMING STARS

From Veloso’s current players, 12-year old Maxim Czarina Estay is a cinch for volleyball stardom having won the “Most Outstanding Athlete (MOA)” award in the Milo Nationals. There, Estay got the attention of National University (NU) scouts who approached her and Veloso asking if they could recruit her after she graduates  next year. Veloso also revealed that the scouts are coming over to Catmon to watch the girls train.

And they might be in for a big surprise in Catmon, especially when they see first hand, that part of the girls’ training is doing scrimmages against older and taller male opponents. A practical, if difficult way to mild champions who are fully aware that every game is a step closer to the shining metal and a brighter future.

Now, are you still wondering why Catmon’s elfin spikers are soaring high? Stop. Because as the Milo jingle goes, “Great things start from small beginnings.”