TAP YOURSELF ON THE BACK

I was on the women’s football varsity team in all the schools I’ve been to. I even tried out to be in the national team in the Philippines but failed to agree to the number of hours I have to train and be on the field. I was a striker and I was really good. In the early years of my football career, I spent 2 months on the bench and made it to Team A right away. I did not require any residency period to be able to play with the big guns because I was that good. I was one of the 3 youngest players who made the cut. I received college scholarships left and right because of my skills. Everyone wanted me to play for their teams.

In the middle of my 3-month try-outs for my college applications, I sustained a serious knee injury from a tournament that my team won. It turned out that I had an ACL injury and will need months of therapy and rest. Meaning, I will not finish my month-long college try-outs and I will miss practice. My world fell apart and at that time, playing football was the only thing I believed I was good at, and that I can never do other things. I was 17.

Doctors and health coaches from my team gave me a therapy plan that will last for 6 months and when they presented it to me, I told them, “I do not have 6 months. I am really really really good at what I do so you need to fix this fast.” At that age, my mom was not surprised that I would say or demand something like that but she was kind of taken aback by the way I said it. “Everyone knows you are good but at least be a little humble about it?”