Before they were crowned champions of the UAAP, the Ateneo Blue Tankers were either the cellar-dwellers or the dark horses. We were the perennial underdogs; the odds of landing a podium spot, let alone a championship, were, more often than not, not in our favor (though they were never overwhelming as the quote implies). Seventy-five long years it took (the latter ten of those I can personally vouch for) before the Blue Tankers were finally the kings of the UAAP swimming pool. And that makes the laurels on the heads of the boys sweeter to behold.
After receiving news that the Blue Tankers won their very first UAAP Swimming Championship last Sunday, September 30, a wave of emotions ran through me—the two most familiar and poignant were pride and regret. I was overwhelmingly proud of the Blue Tankers for having made history after seventy-years of heartbreak and frustration. And it is such a blessing that I got to swim with the current seniors and juniors of the team during my days as a Blue Tanker. After all that they have been through, I can honestly say that they have earned the euphoria of being champions.
Yet, as proud as I am, I regretted two things last Sunday. I will expound on the second thing later but the first was that I was not at Laguna. I would have wanted to witness the boys standing a top the podium making history before chaos ensues with bodies flying everywhere in a futile attempt to avoid being thrown in the pool good-naturedly. But that is the beauty of hindsight. I live with the knowledge of not doing something I should have.
As a former Blue Tanker, the championship the boys brought home means so much to me—as well as my fellow alumni—as it does to them. Not that I am attempting to get some of the glory the boys swam for. Absolutely not. Besides, I had no part in winning the championship; that was all them. In the last decade, I have witnessed and eventually experienced how the Blue Tankers transformed from a consistent cellar-dweller to a dark horse to eventual champion. I have deeply rooted personal ties with the team after all, despite graduating from college a couple of years ago.
If you would indulge me, I will share the history of FAST through my eyes. It will be a brief history lesson; I will be focusing on how the championship transition happened through a decade’s worth of trials, tribulations and recruiting and assembling the best UAAP team possible year in and year out.
The
Frustration Years
When I first
swam for the Junior Tankers (that’s the Ateneo High School swim team) back in
2003, though I have been training with some of them when I was in Grade 7 in
2002, the Mens’ Team was not a force to be reckoned with, let alone taken
seriously. They had more than capable swimmers do not get me wrong. They had
butterfly and sprint specialist Andrew Leong. They had breaststroker and future
coach Ryan Tan. They had distance swimmer Joms Ortega. Leading them was the ever-dependable
team captain and breaststroker Mark Sui. But UP, UST and DLSU had national
swimmers, record holders and even Olympians. As such, finals appearances were
rare; medals, even in the relays, were rarer. But our guys were fast and tough as
hell. My teammates were fighters—they never gave up on anything. It was just that
their opponents were of a different caliber in a very different league.
It was not until
2005 that the state of the Mens’ Team began to improve. Now boasting of veteran
Raem Puno (who, by the way, won the only individual medal for the Seniors the
previous year with a silver medal in the 200 butterfly) and reigning Juniors
MVP Jonas Ramos as well as national athletes MM Danila and Janjan Chiu, the transformation
of the Tankers from cellar-dweller to dark horse was beginning. With the four
aces complemented by distance swimmer (and baritone-voiced) Kevin Barrios and
breaststroker (and current FAST assistant coach) Aldo Tong, the boys put on a
tougher fight than they did in the previous years. But alas, even with the
addition of these top guns, team depth was the weakness they could not overcome
in the end.
The following
year was the first time the Mens’ team landed on the podium. With the seasoned
roster reinforced by national athlete Evan Uy, NCAA Juniors MVP Jan Formalejo
and breaststroker Bruce Sing, the guys got third place. At that moment, the
future was looking very good.
My Initial
Blue Tanker Days
While all of
these were happening in the Mens Team, my high school teammates and I had just
won our first UAAP Juniors Swimming Championship in 2005 and defended it the
following year (Congratulations to the Junior Tankers, by the way, for bagging
their 8th straight title!). I was a senior during our repeat as well as team captain. I was
eager to join the Mens’ Team for the 2007 UAAP campaign but after an eventful
summer, I quit the team and swimming altogether. As I heard, they put up a good
fight but missed third place by the slimmest of margins. However, the guys were
finally improving on their depth problems as evidenced by their becoming a medal
contender in the relays. 2007 also marked the first time in Ateneo Swimming
history that all four swimmers qualified in the finals of an event. What’s
more, the aforementioned four swimmers finished as the top four of that event—also
a first and a record which persists up until now. If I recall correctly, Janjan, Evan, Jonas and Raem finished 1st, 2nd, 3rd
and 4th in the 50 meters freestyle respectively.
I returned—or
rather the team accepted me back—in 2008 refocused and ready for the battles of
the seniors division. With the past behind me, I was eager to swim again and
face competition against some of the best swimmers in the country. We did not
have a prized recruit that year and DLSU’s Enchong Dee was the undisputed King
of the UAAP Pool while UP’s Ken Uy had a rightful claim to the sprint and
middle-distance freestyle crowns. Evan, Janjan, Jonas and Jan battled these two
swimming behemoths in their respective events but both Dee and Uy had too much
firepower. We finished 4th once more by the slimmest of margins. Yet,
one event encapsulated why the ADMU Mens’ Team should be feared. Jan, Bruce,
Janjan and Jonas broke the record in the 200-meter medley relay on route the
gold medal—the Mens’ Team only relay gold. It was the first relay record in the
history of the ADMU Mens Swim Team.
For my part, I did
not perform up to standards. I was way
off my best times in all my events, failing to qualify for the finals for the
first time in my swimming career. My two consolations was that I swam the 100
fly with a 1:06, two seconds off my personal best and that I still brought home
a bronze medal in the 400-medley relay with Jan, Bruce and Jan Changco.
By this time,
frustrations were mounting after another fourth place finish. In fact, the
frustrations were at an all time high. It came to a point that we (at least I
was) were dangerously close to becoming bitter at the whole thing. While we were
proud and equally joyous that the Women’s team won their first championship in
history, I would be lying if I said that our egos were not bruised. In the
darkest corners of our souls, we all felt insecure—even just a bit—when we saw
the ladies honored on stage during the Victory Bonfire while us guys brooded (but
cheered for them, of course) at our table in the muddy Bellarmine field. However,
we did have hope for the following season. Jonas and Janjan (as well as Nikki
Santiago of the Womens team) agreed to come back and swim for one more year. Aldo
was also returning for his last year of eligibility. To top this of, Juniors
MVP’s Adel Barlisan and Sean Tan were incoming freshmen. A strong and
formidable team—second only to the current UAAP Champions this year, in my
opinion—was materializing for the first time in ADMU Swimming history.
A point of clarification is in order here.
You must think that the Mens Team accomplished nothing other than losing. Sure,
we missed out on the podium on consecutive years but we did not lose entirely.
Evan, Jonas, Janjan and Jan Formalejo were always medal contenders in all of
their events. Our “support crew” which included myself can always sneak in the
finals and contribute points. Also, we “support crew” guys were fast enough to
always be in medal contention in the relays—a testament to how much our depth
has improved in just three years. So we were winning, you see. It is just that
we never actually won.
The team had a
rather eventful interlude in between seasons that year. Both the Mens and
Womens teams were invited to participate in the University Games at Dumaguete
City over the sembreak. The ladies won; we did not. And though it was yet
another disappointment in the pool for the guys and myself we did get a chance
to bond outside the pool. Over the next seven days after our two-day competition,
we were inseparable. We watched and cheered for the other varsity teams, ate out
constantly, played Counterstrike, drank, partied and went to the beach. Some of
us even trekked up a mountain for three hours to visit a waterfall and river
that are major tourist sites. Those were breathtaking to behold, mind you. Team
chemistry was at an all time high, aided probably by the fact that we were
still on UAAP-high. In more ways than
one, those bonding moments served as the foundation with which the following
year’s UAAP team was built on.
ADMU Swim Team
becomes FAST
Perhaps it was fate that Coach Archie Lim
encouraged us to formally change our name from the politically boring ADMU Swim
Team to FAST in 2009. Whether or not Coach Archie had the gift of foresight, 2009
was the debuting FAST Blue Tankers’ year in the sun. After a grueling four days
exacerbated by Typhoon Ondoy, we finished second place—the highest podium
finish at the time. As our team captain Chico Gueco put it, “Second place never
felt so good!” And he was dead on.
Sean and Adel gave us much needed
reinforcement as Janjan, Jonas, Evan and Jan went to work earning points and
winning medals. But it was not just our stars that carried the burden. Everyone
stepped up his swims with almost everybody qualifying for the final heats with
personal best times to boot. We owned the relays winning all but one—the
800-meter freestyle relay. Yet, that was a victory in itself since Adel chased
down UST’s anchor swimmer for the dramatic silver-medal finish. Lost in that
race was the fact that UP broke the record in that relay; Adel’s intense chase
down overshadowed that feat. But nothing can match the drama of the 200-meter
freestyle relay. In a spectacular anchor swim, Jonas chased down both UP and
UST anchors—both of whom dove a half-second before him—for the gold medal. The
margin of victory was only a couple of milliseconds. It was truly a blessing to
have been part of that relay (I swam the first leg). The drama and intensity of
that moment is beyond words. The race may have lasted only a minute and 45
seconds but I think I speak for Jonas, Jan and Chem Ocampo that those moments
will stay with us for the rest of our lives.
I came home with
3 medals that year—all of them gold and all of them won in the relays (in
addition to the 200 free relay, I also swam the butterfly in the 200 and 400
medley relay). Minus the 50 meters butterfly, I got my personal best times in
the 100 and 200 fly but of the two, the 100 fly holds a special place in my
heart; my 1:02 more than exceeded my expectations for that meet.
Though the aftermath of Ondoy
spoiled our triumphant homecoming, the FAST Blue Tankers were no longer the
dark horses. We were now title contenders.
My Final Year
2010 was my 7th UAAP Swimming
Championships—my 3rd in the seniors. It was also my last year in the
Loyola Schools as a senior BS Management student. The real world was waiting
for me but before I walked into her arms, I still had one year of swimming left
to do.
But the team I was returning to
was no longer the same. Janjan, Jonas, Jan, Chico, Bruce and Aldo were gone.
This made our chances of moving up the rankings let alone defending second
place very slim. But Evan was still around as were Sean and Adel. We also had
national swimmer Lawin Dacera coming in so there was a glimmer of hope. Lest I
forget, we acquired the versatile Islau Dapat from Elizabeth Seton High School
and freestyle specialist Benjo Ramos from De La Salle Zobel. Incidentally,
Benjo, an accomplished and outstanding swimmer in the UAAP Juniors, is the younger
brother of Jonas Ramos.
Within the
team, my teammates saw the void left by the graduates as an opportunity to
shine. David Santos—our resident gentle giant—had improved exponentially over
the summer so much so that his times in almost all the sprint events can crack
the top eight in the UAAP. Freestyler Karlo Lim was still as consistent with
his middle and long distance swims as ever, making him a mainstay in the 800-meter
freestyle relay. My batchmate Anthony Co, much like David, improved greatly on
his breaststroke abilities that he had a legitimate shot at making the UAAP
team (and he did by the way).
My teammates
elected me as team captain that year. For once in my life, I had my own team.
Sure, I was captain in the Juniors when we won our second title but this time
was different. I had the freedom to lead them as I saw fit and had the
experience to back it up.
Anyway, I knew
from the get go that winning the championship that year would require a miracle—and
a big one at that. Our aces Evan, Sean and Adel will do their part and Lawin,
Benjo and Islau will shoulder their load. But Evan and I were leading a young
team—most of who had never swam in the UAAP before. Also, I was leading a
support crew that, while reputable in our own right, did not have the depth of
the previous year. Experience was not on our side but talent and potential were. These
two are dangerous weapons in swimming if harnessed and utilized correctly, after
all.
In the end, we
wound up with a miraculous 3rd place finish. We could have gotten
second but we had to fight off a hard-charging La Salle squad during the last
two days of the meet. That last stand made it all worth it. We may have
finished 3rd but we won a lot of victories too. Evan brought home 3
gold medals and two UAAP records in the 50 butterfly and 200 freestyle. These
feats earned him MVP honors—a well-deserved title for the man who had been our top
point-contributor for five years. Lawin won Rookie of the Year after a
gold-medal performance in the 1500 freestyle. Sean won the 100 breaststroke to
go along with the two medley relay gold medals Islau, Benjo, he and I won. Another
consolation is that we beat the defending champions DLSU to the podium as they
finished 4th. Personally, I was proud of that fact.
For my part, my
last UAAP could have been better. I did not qualify in any of my individual
events including the 100 butterfly, my specialty. Because of a stupid
miscalculation in the preliminary heats, I went out too slow in the first 50
that I ran out of room to charge back in the second lap. I just needed a 1:04 low
to qualify but I timed 1:05 mid. I did, however, redeem myself in the
400-medley relay. I was not really given my split but judging by how my swim
felt, I am guessing that it was a 1:01 high to a 1:02 mid.
So endeth my
UAAP swimming career. On the bus ride home, I reflected how my final year
panned out. Inasmuch as I wished that I ended my competing years as a champion,
I consoled myself with the knowledge that I got to see the bright future that
was definitely about to materialize. Sean, Adel and Lawin were the aces now.
They proved that they were ready for the responsibility it entailed. Islau,
Benjo and David were definitely going to be back hungrier and faster the following
year after experiencing UAAP Seniors swimming. I may not have led the boys to
the championship, but I knew that it was only a matter of two, maybe three,
years before the boys win the big one. That was enough for me to call it a competitive career.
The year after, I graduated from
the Ateneo Loyola Schools with a degree in Management. The boys, I am told, now
captained by Adel, again won 3rd place that year despite being
severely undermanned. They were never as joyous, I was told.
And the year after, well, that is
history.
Or they made history, I should
say.
What the 2012
Championship means for us Alumni
A full decade—that
is how long it took to make the FAST Blue Tankers into champions from perennial
cellar-dwellers. This is the reason why this championship means so much to
myself and the FAST Alumni of my generation. We swam through the struggles,
frustrations and endless disappointment for so long that it was our grand desire
to win a championship during our time (remember my aforementioned second regret?
This is it). We never did but we got close enough to realize exactly what it
took to be a champion.
The reason why
we value this championship as much as you guys do is because most of you were
swimming with us during our years of frustrations. You understand what winning
it all means especially when we were so close a few years back. It is through
you boys that we see the fruits of our labor all those years ago. We dare not
call ourselves champions; we may have deserved it but we never earned it.
Through your valiant and fast (pun intended) swimming, you have proven that you
are better than us. And nothing is more fulfilling than seeing your formerly younger
teammates—teammates you have mentored, competed, trained and occasionally
gotten drunk with—surpass the bars of excellence
and standards of greatness that you have set during your time by tremendous leaps and bounds.
Thank you for
honoring us old timers, boys. Thank you for besting us.
Congratulations!
You have all been immortalized in the annals of Ateneo sports history. FAST has
been called a lot of things during my time. Thanks to you guys, FAST will forever
be remembered as Champions!
Born to Swim,
Built to Last! One Team, All FAST!*
*Credits given to
Anjo Querol and Benjo Ramos for coming up with this very first FAST cheer back
in 2010. Thank you guys!
Take Your Mark!
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