last scrimmage on petc rain drenched pitch

thanks for making tth something to look forward to every week!

see you guys around!

5th thirsty cup...lear vs usc

grinding to a halt, managing to elude a nasty collision, and successfully taking possesion of the ball

snatching the ball from no. 11 seemed impossible but forcing it away from the field did the trick

trapping the ball, out of the way of the net

Boy, these kids in yellow and green are just half the age of this lady in red. To have all three of them huffing and puffing running for the ball is already a compliment. To be regarded, by somebody of their caliber (being in school varsity does mean something), worthy to guard not only gives this old heart a lift but a sense of accoplishment. That nothing is wasted in those months of weekday practice and occasional bruises, cramps and twisted ankles.

action filled pics courtesy of gumarz: thanks to you and your "hon" for the support

the 2008 football season is unofficially open yet the lfc girls are already back on the pitch kicking grass, even playing against the boys. the excitement stemmed from the group's recent registration for the post-valentine's event, the thirsty cup. it'll be the group's first outing as a team, i.e., not a support to mulbachs or supported by the latter. this is made possible with the assistance of PETC director raul fuentes and IMDS manager gina delos reyes.
gary garciano and judah ciriaco (en absentia...with his forthcoming offshore assignment in korea) are coaching (with gumarz showing the same zeal for the beautiful game, rain or shine).

'nice defense'

...coming from gary is noteworthy...especially when compliments like this one are hard to come by anymore. admittedly, i could be the worst goalie there would be if i choose to make a carreer out of it...blame it on the numerous and painfully memorable injuries the flying ball has inflicted on me through the course of my playing soccer. i've had my moments though. like tonight, i might have been hysterical to find the ball going my way many times but once i got the hang of it, i managed to keep the ball away from the goalpost and earned that 'nice defense' comment. of course, it helped that i made two goals for the team early on in the game.

for the love of...

Here I am, with something so significant to write on my diary and I couldn’t find a single writing implement within my reach. While I was giving my control file some attention over a cup of coffee, inspiration just struck me. And I just have to seize this moment…come what may.

I was in my element on the field today. I exhibited the same surge of energy as I had last Tuesday…doing a lot of running across, up and down the field that time flew so fast. What fired me up all the more was the fact I made a “nice” (for lack of a better adjective to use) goal with a long ground pass from Judah earlier and a good assist that had Doli make her first goal too. But what happened to me next was totally unexpected albeit inevitable in the sport.

My last recollection was that I saw the ball coming towards me that called for a left kick. I went for it but lost my footing. My world suddenly skidded to a stop when I heard the familiar sickening crunch of my left ankle as my left foot folded inwards and supported my weight. As in, time went to a standstill and I found myself lying on the ground face up, left arm covering my eye, my left leg folded over my right. “Blinding pain” best described how I felt and my upper limbs felt numb for a moment. I couldn’t remember who helped me up and guided me to the sidelines. Whoever you are, thanks a bunch!

Oh, the price that we have to pay for the love of the game!!!

cheering helps

coach commented yesterday that i played well during this thursday’s scrimmage little did he know that this compliment comes only second to the fact that I lost more than one kilo in three weeks even with my huge appetite after every game, which is everyday, as i also started playing tennis on mondays anf fridays opposite doli this week.