Before we begin our trip bound to a year from now allow me to ask you something;
Raise your hand and put a finger down if you missed the Intramurals 2019 (as in missed that you were not able to attend for some reasons).
Put another finger down if you spent your Intramurals at the Library, Canteen, or spending your allowance for one week buying milk tea, shawarma, and fries at TAC Hall.
Put a finger down if you were just cheering for your team but did not even know what was going on, you just want to scream.
Put a finger down if you were too busy following your crush that you did not know what was happening at all.
Put a finger down if you were absent because you were supposedly “sick” yet you managed to have a straight A+ attendance *winks*.
If you are forming a fist or even put a single finger down by now, join us with our ride to October 2019! Don’t worry because this is a safe space for all the sneaky Normalites out there that lowkey wanted to relive the moment! This article is specifically made for everyone who did not know what happened despite being physically present or just purposely absent last Intramurals 2019.
Here’s Ang Huwaran’s list for the 10 headliners last Intramurals 2019 (in no particular order tho!)
#1 Water Shortage
Yup, our list does not even start with the Intramurals itself but the water shortage. I know you remembered going into the toilets and had the ugliest frown when the toilet would not flush whatever is in it. Certainly not cool, right?
Chessa Reponte from Tourism Management even said that “last year's Intramurals was fun until I have to go run through the bathroom only to spot an aesthetic view of yellow and brown pastels floating in the toilet. So, I was left with no choice but to ask my friend who's just living near the campus to let me use their bathroom” (apologies for anyone who is eating! We just put whatever she said)
However, it was not the same for Estrella Icalina from Secondary Education (Science) because she happened to be staying in a nearby boarding house at that time, “as for going to the CR, mopauli ra sad jud ko. Di man kay ko kanang sige og pangihi hehe”, she said. Lucky for her!
What if there is no pandemic right now and we are having our annual Intramurals, would there still be a water shortage? We asked staff from CNU and they said that the water works perfectly fine.
What a timing! The water is abundant now that students were not in campus. We hope that the water would still be working for next year’s Intramurals. No more yellow and brown pastels floating!
#2 CTE vs CAS
Despite being champions for nine years, College of Arts and Sciences once again failed to bring back their streak as College of Teacher’s Education defended their title as champion for two consecutive years already.
You see, there were actually five teams competing for the title as champions however the friction between the two was just more intense than the rest. Each venue was majority filled with students in blue or red, yelling their cheers at the top of their lungs and answering. It was a sight, honestly.
When asked about her comments about CTE bagging the title once again and CAS department’s failure to grab back the name as champions, Aubrey Basabe from Secondary Education (Social Sciences) jokingly said, “Dili mo kabout sa tao ug nganong ma champion, natural maayo gyud mang duwa, with proper training and discipline, ug gipangandaman gyud na. Extra palaban lang jud and spirit sa CTE!.”
As response to this comment, Val Christian Hermosisima from Psychology said he “might as well just be happy for them and for our own team kay we all did our best and just apply the value of sportsmanship. Nalingaw raman kaha ang kadaghanan nato? ...Bawi ra niya ta CAS puhon. Laban tanan departments”.
According to him natural skills, talents, judges’ and contenders’ competence, venue, and access as well as the availability of the resources should also be taken into account.
Hmm, I guess some people did not only missed the event but the tea behind Val’s comment.
Anyway, the past is past and we can only expect next year’s celebration of Intramurals, right?
We also asked someone from the last placer for the Intramurals 2019, John Villarin, a basketball player from College of Nursing said that they had already expected to lose since they lack players and time to practice. “overall, we were mainly just playing for fun and did not have high expectations for the outcome”, he answered when asked what he felt losing despite preparing for their games.
#3 Ms. CAS Collapsed
Without The Clockworks Publication’s coverage on this matter, we would not know about it as this happened mostly behind the stage during Miss Intramurals 2019 talent showcase. This news was spread by mouth the morning after the program, so we did not know what really happened.
According to them “Ms. College of Arts and Sciences 2019, Alekka Cabalhug from the Communication department was medically assisted by the College of Nursing and stand by medics as her left leg is severely injured”
Alekka explained that she fell because she was already suffering from an ankle injury and she can still feel the pain even though she took painkillers. She was not able to endure it anymore that is why she collapsed and fainted.
“Honestly, I felt a lot of pressure kay a lot of people expected me to win and do well, and I hate letting people down especially with all the support I was given at that time. I'd say I was all - mentally, emotionally, physically pressured.”
Having that as a memory for a special night, we asked her if she still have plans joining pageants in the future. “I honestly don't know if I'd join pageants again. I enjoyed the experience, but I didn't plan to be part of it in the first place. It was a blessing in disguise kay I met a lot of people, but I'd like to take it slow next time.”, she answered.
Speaking of the pageant, let me take you behind the story who brought home the bacon the same night this happened;
#4 Balamban dominated talents’ night
Even though Balamban is a smaller campus in terms of population than the main campus, this did not hinder their confidence in bagging different awards in the talents’ showcase for Mr. & Ms. Intramurals 2019 especially that it was also held in the Main campus’s home court.
Fernan Estrada along with her partner for the competition, Erika Roselyn Adlawan, was pressured, “grabe mi ka pressure that time. Seeing other competitors coming from the main and Medellin campus (it) goes with the idea of ‘can I really do this?’ “, he recalled.
They had to choose between Pangalay or Sayaw sa Bangko for their act. At first there were problems in choosing their act for the show. For starters, Erika has fear of lifting, then she almost had an injury while practicing for Sayaw sa Bangko since that was the one they chose at first for their act. At the end, they had no choice but to opt for Pangalay to be safe which granted them two days since they have to start from scratch.
Even given with only a limited time (two days) to practice for their act, they still managed to be included in the Top 3 Best in Talent title among 20 candidates.
Looking back, Fernan said that “the efforts that we push through was all worth it and that's a great achievement! After all, we would give our massive ‘thank you’ to our mentors who are really there to support us. Without them, we would never reach that far”
#5 Reigning Mr. & Ms. Intramurals
If there was one lesson she learned last year, it would be having fun on top of preparation. “Intramurals is meant to celebrate sports and it is for us to take a break from academic pressure the same way that exams are meant to push us to learn and help us become better in our respective fields”, she said.
Jade Mikaela Agot, a third-year college student from the Nursing department who was also part of the University Swim Team and running the University’s emergency team felt overwhelmed with pride and joy when she was crowned as Miss CNU last Intramurals 2019.
On the other hand, Justine Requisitado, from Secondary Education (Science) who only agreed to join the competition because of his organization, said that the greatest lesson he learned at that time was “being better every single day”.
He added that “looking for a way to progress each day that passes, for a test or an exam…being better than yesterday might sound selfish but it isn’t, you are what you want yourself to be, and if you want to be the best then progress and be better.
When asked about the cancellation of the State Colleges and Universities Athletic Association (SCUAA-Regionals) because of the pandemic, Justine said that “I do feel kind of disappointed, though I am not prepared, I was still looking forward for it, but I can’t really do anything, all I can do is hope and pray for everyone to have a safe quarantine.”
The same way goes for Jade, “Of course, I was a little disappointed given that I had already begun my training for it. However, I am continuously choosing to look on the bright side of it. At least now, I have more time to prepare for the next one.”, she said in an interview.
Are they going to represent next year’s SCUAA since this year is canceled or the next pair of Mr. & Ms. CNU will? I do not know but one thing I sure hope is that this pandemic should end already!
#6 Record Holder: Langeline Hermoso
This girl singlehandedly broke three records that have been a record to beat for years in one event. Langeline Hermoso, who was a freshman Psychology student at that time aced the women category and even broke three records!
She beat the 2013 record, 1:38:37 in 100 LC Meter Butterfly with her own record of 1:27:37. Not only that, because she also made her name known in 100 LC Meter Backstroke by breaking the 2012 record, 1:41:01 by her own 1:24:50. The last record she was able to beat was in the 100 LC Meter Freestyle category from 2017’s, 1:29:10 which she did for only 1:15:10 last Intramurals.
Did I forget to tell you that one of those previous records were made by her own cousin? Well, it seems like being good at swimming runs in the family. Will this record be for long or another neophyte will break it?
Humble as ever, Langeline told us that she does not know, “nga naay mo break pero daghan man sad kusgan nga swimmers, possibly if naay mo sud sa University ma break ra guro to nila ako record”
Langeline who was competing in Swimming since she was younger said that she already expected to win and break some records since she had watched Intramurals in CNU before. However, she did not expect to win all of the categories and broke all the previous records.
We asked her if she did some conditioning until now to maintain her fitness and strength, she said, it’s hard for her since pools are closed because of the pandemic, “I'm trying new sports like biking to condition my body like for endurance pero lahi gihapon if I would be able to swim.”
To all aspiring swimmers out there, you either square up or run when you see in Langeline in the same pool because it’s harder to beat a prepared, humble and confident athlete at the same time.
#7 Saved by sports
(Trigger Warning: Suicide)
We were inspired by this Futsal player’s story who made his name to Eye.Talk page last year.
Neil Dulcero, a fourth child of nine in a poor family and a Tourism Management student from Balamban campus compromised his dreams of becoming a mechanical engineer to study at a nearer and affordable University (on top of the possibility of being in a broken family). This caused him to doubt his existence and attempted to commit suicide multiple times.
As his last option, being enrolled in CNU-Balamban was a blessing in disguise for Neil Ducero as it introduced him to the world of Futsal and sportsmanship.
“It was a challenge for me before kay introvert jod kay ko pagkataw, then to the point na nag abot na ang problems sa akong family and here comes sports, ni start kog duwa og football sauna then as my engagements becomes successive, didto nako na feel na worth to live and to enjoy pajod diay ang life. Then up until ni start najod ko enter sa CNU, mao to join ko futsal, kay one the closest sport sad ni nako”
Last Intramurals gave him a chance to share his talents and skills in playing Futsal. The event made an impact on him as it taught him that “camaraderie comes in many forms from just a simple act of kindness up to forming a genuine friendship”.
According to him, “camaraderie can make a significant difference upon one another and how important it is in forming the true values of being not just an athlete but also to be a better individual upon traversing with life's hurdles"
The experiences he had last year contributed to where he is and what he had right now. Even though it was just only a memory, those lessons he reaped during those times will always leave a “footprint on his heart— untouched and worth keeping”
#8 Sing-In-U champion
His grandmother just passed away, his one-year relationship just ended, not to mention a fever starting to kick in, Armandave Ochia who was a freshman from the Communication department took the gold in a new singing program, Sing-N-U.
Armandave was not new to singing contests but performing on a stage still made him nervous. But this did not stop him from doing his best and giving his all for everyone who supported him.
“My fellow Communicators and friends from other departments really helped me overcome and win the contest. I had the entire department behind my back and it was an awesome feeling”
You see, Armandave had the full support of the whole Communication department since he is known and does a lot for the department, too.
#9 Hakot awardee: Medellin
I think it is safe to say that most of us did anticipate Medellin (or any team that is not from the main campus) to win all the awards on the opening of Intramurals.
The rest of the competing teams were caught off guard when our brothers and sisters from Medellin campus bagged not only one award but all special awards on the opening such as; Biggest Delegates, Most Colorful, Most Lively, Most Disciplined, and Best in Saludo.
At the final ranking, Medellin also placed first next to College of Teacher’s Education who was the champion last year.
“To be amazed by how much the Medellin athletes trained hard last Intramurals is such an understatement jud ay. I remember their president telling me na usahay uban nila athletes magduwa ug 3-4 sports or events, pero still makahakot gihapon silag daghan wins. Blessing na kaayo to basta makaabot mig finals unya Medellin na ang kontra kay sort of nag face na mi sa dagko na mga bosses”, College of Arts and Sciences Governor, Mary Lance Dela Cruz said
When asked if she is confident in confident in CAS to win as much as Medellin did, she said that, “it is also important for everyone to be physically there aron mu show sa imo support sa imo classmates or friends na nagduwa because it is really a contributing factor pud sa success sa mga athletes. Mao to, naka realize mi na dili ra ang athletes ang magdala sa ato kadaugan kundi apil pud ang suporta ug cheers sa tanan (CAS) students.”, she answered.
*giving the side eye for all the students who are the target group for this article*, Listen to her!
#10 Intramurals coverage
Wondered why there were a lot of students carrying their DSLR cameras during the entire celebration of Intramurals?
Those were now third-year Communication students who were working for their respective online publication. They were gathering information for their news stories and feature articles to fulfill their coverage last Intramurals 2019. They even have to spend hours under the scorching sun and stay late at night to attend programs and finalize their papers.
Not many people actually noticed them but they were the reason why moments during last year’s intramurals were frozen in time. Because of them, new Normalites and people who were not present in those times have access to memories last year. Under the scorching sun, they were there to give us a blow by blow report of the games and events.
Even though it was hard, Jay Mar Baynos from Communication Department said that if he will have to go back in time just to experience it again, he will do so because “nindot sa feeling nga maka serve ka sa mga tao. Mahatagan nimo sila'g news and real-time updates nga angay nila mahibaw'an.”
He also advised the future Communication students who will one way or another experience what they did, to “be patient. As a group, naa man gyud nay times nga things won't go according to plan, for example, na assign imo kauban ana nga event, nya wa pa siya naabot kay na traffic or unsa ba, dapat dili dayon ma disappoint, dapat andam mo shoulder ang groupmate nga free para padayon ang flow ninyo as a group.”
For us, the event was just Intramurals but to them, it was a job along with the academic pressure to do well in their outputs as it was a requirement for their Journalism classes.
It was just a year apart but the memories we had last year feel like a distant memory from long ago. We did not realize that the simple things we had last year would be too hard to do now. Last year, talking and cheering with our friends was not a problem, now it is difficult just to be with them because of the pandemic.
Lesson learned. The saying “Enjoy the moment while it last” could not be more specific. We cannot always revisit the past— it is even difficult to replay memories without forgetting something. So, the next time an event is happening, we have to be reminded that nothing is assured in the future, it may be your last time to experience such a situation or we could not have a better one in our lifetime. You have to choose what makes you happy in the end.
So, for all the people who were absent despite being physically present or who were purposely absent during last year’s Intramurals, it is okay as long as you made memories you can always replay in your head that makes you feel sentimental.
After all, we have no choice but to occasionally re-track our trails for the past year to feel something again.
I hope that this article was able to unlock some nostalgic memories you had last Intramurals
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