MANILA, Philippines — Mike AdvinculaI, team captain of the De La Salle University swimming team, almost drowned — ironically! “I didn’t know how to swim then but I was interested and curious about how it felt to be swimming in the deep, so I just jumped. After that incident, that’s when I pursued swimming,’’ says Mike, who took up Industrial Engineering and Service Management, and a dean’s lister at that.

Now 22, Mike is taking up his master’s studies in Entrepreneurship. But a triathlon is well in his sight as he is into swimming, water polo and running. Yet when not training, Mike prefers studying, listening to music, writing poems or just plain hanging around with friends.

You have been given the three “B’s”— beauty, brains, and brawn. If you were to choose just one, which would you rather have?

Definitely, brains. ‘Yung brawn, nawawala, tumataba o pumapayat ang tao. Ang beauty, tumatanda ang tao. Ang brains, on the other hand, ay tumatagal. Magandang investment talaga ang brains.

Have you ever showed off for someone you like during a game or tournament?

Of course! I have to show off especially when my parents are there. Of course when my girlfriend or someone I like is watching. That’s the best time to show off what you got (laughs).

Who do you think gets more admirers, the athlete or the model?

It would be the athlete. Models have this certain aura that girls crave for but find unreachable. Athletes, on the other hand, are celebrities in their own way but they’re still students whom you see in class, whom you still get to talk to them during break time. I guess girls would like the athletes more, they are more down-to-earth.

What is the worst stereotype of athletes and models you've heard of on campus?

The number one stereotype about athletes is that they excel only in sports but when it comes to studying, wala na, hindi matalino, or tamad sa pag-aaral.

Do you have any rituals before a game?

I pray first, and then I psych myself. I go to a quiet place, with my iPod that plays rock music, and then I visualize my event and live with it, all the time.

What’s your craziest experience with a fan or an admirer?

Fans would be people who admire me as an athlete, for the sport that I do. Admirers, on the other hand, are people who do not care about what I do but they only care about example, my face, my body. That’s the difference, for me. My craziest experience was when someone threw a swimsuit at me while I was walking towards the diving block, much like when rock stars get bras thrown at them! There was also an admirer who drew my caricature, ang galing- galing, ginaya nya ‘yung ginawa ko tapos binigay niya sa akin ‘yung drawing niya. That’s pretty crazy na for me!

What is the most childish thing that you still do up to now?

Computer games. I can play Dota for hours!

Which ocean would you most likely swim for a girl?

Pacific Ocean definitely, because the Atlantic is really cold. Saka pag Pacific, mas madaming tropical country na nakapalibot.

A dedicated student athlete, 21-year-old Luis Miguel Celdran makes it a point to balance his studies and his love for football. A midfielder for the De La Salle Green Booters, a part-time model, and a full-time senior student of AB Behavioral Sciences in De La Salle University-Manila, Luigi often gets his hands full with various responsibilities.

His mantra in life is that everything is manageable because there is a time for everything.

You have been given the three “B’s”— beauty, brains, and brawn. If you were to choose just one, which would you rather have?

Brains. If you have the brains, in the future, it’s going to be important.

Have you ever showed off for someone you like during a game or tournament?

In high school, at a game in San Beda. The San Beda crowd had girls, kasi they had fans — kami, we didn’t have anyone. When I scored, I ran in front of their fans, I just stood there, looking at everyone (laughs). Wala, ‘yun lang!

What is the worst stereotype of athletes and models you've heard of on campus?

Stupid - that’s how they treat us in school. Someone bashed me, but I was just like, Okay, fine. Us athletes we try to bounce back and get higher grades— at ang sarap ng feeling when we do!

Do you have any rituals before a game?

I have to eat even one banana before a game. If I don’t, I just get weak. I started eating the right food in college.

What’s your craziest experience with a fan or with an admirer?In high school, my ID and my jerseys were all stolen! I’m not sure if they were taken by a fan or someone else, but it was an out-of-town tournament. I just lost everything, except for the shorts (laughs).

What is the most childish thing that you still do up to now?

I’m not sure. I still play video games (laughs). Well, of course, I play FIFA, football. But I play every game. I play Pokemon for reminiscing. Kasi di ba, people would play Pokemon before on their Gameboy.

Daniel Claudine "Coleen" Ortega-Garcia, 18, has been seen in several TV commercials, the most popular of which was the Nestea ad where she played “Matina.” An incoming freshman at De La Salle University – College of St. Benilde,

Coleen will take up a course in Multimedia Arts. She is part of the television series Good Vibes, playing Sam Concepcion’ s ex-girlfriend Monique, an achiever, an active student and a soccer player, a role not very far from her real life. She regularly spends time playing and developing her passion for her sports, a trait she probably got from her.

You have been given the three “B’s”— beauty, brains, and brawn. If you were to choose just one, which would you rather have?

Brains. You can easily use beauty and brawn with age, but brains will always be there. Society is filled with beautiful and strong people, but intelligent people are way harder to find.

Who do you think gets more admirers, the athlete or the model?

Models get more attention these days because of the very small industry where everyone knows everyone. If you’re a model, even with a few projects, you’re already known. Being an athlete, you have to work harder. It’s a risk to play if you also model because it’s hard to juggle knowing that you can get injured. I like to do both but for now I’m focusing on modeling, because a sport is too much to juggle when it comes to health.

What is the worst stereotype of athletes and models you've heard of on campus?

People typically associate models with anorexia. I find it really shallow that people lose weight that way. I just eat healthy and there’s no fast way, only the healthy way.

Do you have any rituals before a game?

Just warming up. I try to relax, practice, and focus.

What’s your craziest experience with a fan or with an admirer?

Fans have good intentions. They can be shocking and surprising and sweet, but not disrespectful.

What is the most childish thing that you still do up to now?

Almost everything I do is childish. I will always be child at heart. The way I play with my brothers and the way I interact with people, I’m rarely very serious, unless I’m in a bad mood. I bully, sometimes. I even tend to punch guys. (laughs)

How much of Matina and Monique are you?

I can’t really see myself as Matina. I’m more of Monique because she is not girly, she is sporty. She doesn’t easily accept things in her life because she was traumatized with her experiences before. I am a lot like that because I’m very guarded. I find it hard to make people in my life although I easily make friends.

What's the worst move a guy has made on you?

There are lots! (laughs) One time I was at a club with my friends, and he tries to get my attention. And then he punched me! I didn’t even know that he did, my friends just told me. I didn’t notice because I don’t really entertain guys. Sorry, but I didn’t feel it.

It all started when he signed up for membership with the Athletics Council in the Ateneo High School. Their aim was to create awareness about the various sports high school kids could play aside from basketball. The love for sports never died since then.

Today, 20-year-old Franco Agustin Imperial is a member of the Ateneo Blue Tracksters who runs fast in the race for both his passions: studies, where he is currently working on a degree in AB Management Economics; and sports, particularly track and field.

You have been given the three “B’s”— beauty, brains, and brawn. If you were to choose just one, which would you rather have? Brains. Kasi if I have the brains, I can manipulate other stuff to have beauty and brawn also (laughs).

Have you ever showed off for someone you like during a game or tournament? In third year high school, I was playing for a certain girl. I’m sure she watched naman. Once lang, but now, wala pa naman. I went to her after running. ‘Yun lang, nothing cheesy.

Who do you think gets more admirers, the athlete or the model? I think athletes.

I don’t really do modeling seriously naman talaga. Athletes train everyday. Almost every two months, we have competitions. I think they know me more as an athlete than a model.

What is the worst stereotype of athletes and models you’ve heard of on campus?

That athletes are dumb. That’s the worst. I haven’t heard of personal attacks though. In breaking the stereotype, my greatest achievement as a student athlete would probably be when I landed the Dean’s List while training for track and field at that!

Do you have any rituals before a game?

Two to three hours before a game, I listen to relaxing music, R&B, chill songs. About 30 minutes before a game, I have to warm-up so I start to listen to pump-up songs, hip-hop, rock, the upbeat ones to make my adrenaline right.

Before a game, others would usually have thoughts like, “Oh, have I trained enough? Is it enough training for me? Did I get enough practice?”

Usually, I just shove it away. I focus lang on the starting line then on the finish line, focus on the gun, on the race, and not on your opponents. I clear my mind. That’s the way I focus more.

What’s your craziest experience with a fan or with an admirer?

Maybe people creating accounts on Facebook? Nothing really crazy.

What is the most childish thing that you still do up to now?

I sleep with the baby pillows which have been there before I was born. My friends know it na, when they come to my room, they ask, “Oy, nandyan pa ba ‘yung baby pillows mo?” They’re cute, baby ones. They’re all alive, but they’re ripped na. You know the hotdog? Then there are two small, rectangular pillows. I have four — two medium-sized hotdog pillows and two rectangular, soft ones. They’re soft and old ones, older than me. I can’t sleep without them. Like when we go out-of-town, I bring the rectangular ones. It puts me to sleep until now (laughs).

Recently “retired” spiker of the UST Men’s Volleyball team and Industrial Design major, Julius Anthony “Ja” Sioson has always prioritized his being a student athlete. Yet, this down-to-earth artist has gotten a lot of projects and callbacks ever since he was unexpectedly pushed into the modeling scene when he was a senior in high school.

You have been given the three “B’s”— beauty, brains, and brawn. If you were to choose just one, which would you rather have?

I’d choose brains because it’s the one thing that will last. Beauty and brawn fade with age.

Have you ever showed off for someone you like during a game or tournament?

No, never. You need to focus during a game and the coach will reprimand you if he or she sees that you lose your focus. I think the closest thing to this that I did was to glance at the girl I was into when I saw her in the crowd.

Who do you think gets more admirers, the athlete or the model?

Definitely the athlete. Based on experience, there are more fans in the sports scene. In modeling, you get a lot of competition so it’s more difficult to get noticed. In sports, once you stand out, they’ll remember you.

What is the worst stereotype of athletes and models you’ve heard on campus?

People think that athletes don’t study, but they do. Usually the professors misjudge us athletes. When this happens, I just prove them wrong by studying more. I show them na may utak ako.

Do you have any rituals before a game? I pray for guidance. I pray for the strength to win.

What’s your craziest experience with fan or an admirer? There was this one fan who was always there every game. Boy na laging nanonood. At first, I thought he was a stalker because he’d do things like message me on FB before every game. He eventually made friends with my friends. In the end, ok naman, ok pala siya kasama.

What is the most childish thing that you still do up to now?

I collect action figures, but I guess that’s not childish since there are many toy collectors. There’s this one thing… when I go home, I still sleep beside my mom. Volleyball is perceived to be a girl’s sport. What can you say about this? Sanay na ako kasi since high school, I’d get teased about this. Palagi naman, I don’t know why people see volleyball as a girly sport. Probably they don’t know the skill and discipline that goes into playing the game. Maybe it’s because it’s not a contact sport, unlike basketball.