As teeners who started out as just simple youths who can play volleyball with nary an idea on the

THE IMUS INSTITUTE GIRLS VOLLEYBALL TEAM players pose as a unified team, with  coach Luis Llanera (standing extreme left). The author is seated 2nd from right.

basic techniques of the game they so love, we are very much aware that it is not that easy to make a name and carve a niche in this field without putting a lot of hard work.

To prove that we are determined to learn and hone the craft that we are into, we have been through try-outs and summer training.       

We hold our practice on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.  During our loose and free periods, we always go to our school gym to discuss our future plans as a team with the guidance of our coach, with each one of us sharing our own different ideas.  Oftentimes, we assemble for an open forum and evaluation in order for us to become a more solid team.

A DEDICATED COACH AND AN OUTSTANDING TEAMMATE
Our team is very grateful and beaming with pride to have a dedicated coach, Luis Llanera, who firmly believes and thus, instills in us, that time is gold.  For a licensed full-time teacher, sports coordinator of our school and part-time coach all rolled into one, he never wastes time when it comes to honing our skills and strategies in the sport  from serving to tossing, to spiking to blocking. 

A virtuous person that he is, he also never fails to remind us about the importance of humility amidst self-confidence, which, he taught us, are what make us good and strong athletes.

Having won more than 60 championships in seven years Coach Llanera is undoubtedly the ‘winningest’ coach in this side of our province in the volleyball field.

Another thing that we are also happy about our team is that even if we come home late from practices and competitions, we make sure that we keep our academics as our topmost priority.  As a matter of fact, our team captain is running for valedictorian come graduation, which elates and inspires us even more!

SUCCESSES AND FAILURES
One of Cavite's pride in this sport, our team has produced a number of players, some of whom have played in the collegiate level, that have competed in the prestigious Palarong Pambansa.

Among our team's achievements in the past two school years include: championship titles in the District, Unit, Division and Regional Meet; a grand slam championship in both the Cavite Schools Cultural and Athletic Association (CVSCAA) and the Southern Luzon Colleges and Universities Athletic Association (SLCUAA) leagues, to name only some of them.  

But, as they say, life is like wheel  sometimes you're up; sometimes, you're down.  And our team is no exception for this.  Not in every league that we have participated in, we ended up as champions. 

The best example is in the 1st F.C. Toribio Cup , wherein we emerged as 4th runner up in the girls division.  The same went for the Milo Little Olympics wherein we bagged the silver medal for two straight years.

THE WILL TO GET BACK
Those nonsuccesses invoked us that winning is not the essence of any game, but the sportsmanship and that there were still a lot of opportunities to get back.

We must admit that sometimes, we are really downed and losing faith, thinking of the game that we have not won.  But we all were there for one another to help regain strength and overcome the negative traits that were brewing inside our heads.

Still, we are proud to have been exposed outside Cavite and make acquaintances and friends from our encounters.  They have likewise inspired us to never give up and fight for as long as we could.  Most of all, they have only made us more determined and burning with the desire to aim higher and win our next battles.

CARRYING THE FIGHT THROUGH
Being part of the indomitable Imus Institute Volleyball Team is a wonderfully enriching stage and one of the best things that ever happened in our lives as students, especially that we enjoy what we are doing.

Needless to say, it is through this organization that we gain friends that we might consider the best and who are always there through life's ups and downs.  For us, it is a dream come true that is worth cherishing for the rest of our lives. 

The fight is not yet over for us team players, though.  Notwithstanding the saddening reality that we senior athletes will be reaching the end of the line this coming April, all those years that we have stayed in the team  with all the triumphs and hardships  will serve as our battle gear as we face tougher challenges ahead.

(The contributor is a fourth year high school student of the Imus Institute in Cavite.  She is the school volleyball team's assistant captain ball.)