MANILA, Philippines – They laugh, they cry. They exude swagger and confidence amid winning runs and curl in frustration when falling short.
They are the La Salle Lady Spikers, and like any other athlete, they are human with emotions.
That is the message star spiker Shevana Laput would like to convey to fans after her team, and captain Angel Canino in particular, was recently scrutinized for showing frustration immediately after a highly emotional five-set escape by rival UST last Wednesday, February 26.
Originally asked about what she said to lift up the team after that defeat to the Golden Tigresses, Laput went out of her way to also defend her fellow third-year star teammate, saying that fans were judging Canino based on a brief snapshot of the bigger picture.
“I just want to strongly encourage everyone on the internet, please, to be kinder, and to understand that we all are human,” Laput said after La Salle’s bounce back win over reeling UP last Sunday, March 2.
“At the end of the day, we’re human, we’re allowed to feel upset because I heard what everyone was saying about Angel, and I do believe that’s very unfair to say that about her because she’s allowed to have that moment of, like, frustration.”
Canino, a polarizing figure in Philippine volleyball today for her constant displays of swagger against opponents, was briefly caught by cameras after the UST loss visibly upset and too stunned to rally the troops amid a sea of joyous Tigresses fans. Some fans online perceived this negatively.
Laput, however, reminded the public that not every moment of the situation can be shown onscreen.
“What the camera didn’t get was that after that, she also huddled the team. It was just, it [just] so happened on the TV, they saw me. But coming from that game, we just were like, move on, move on,” she continued.
“I mean, it’s easy to just say, we don’t listen, we don’t care [about the negativity]. But at the end of the day, we do care.”
La Salle, coming off its worst season start in 19 years, currently holds a 2-2 record in UAAP Season 87, already far below the standards of a Ramil de Jesus-coached team. Every loss for that program stings exceptionally hard, even more so if the criticism outside the arena pierces louder than the cheers inside.
Barring a monumental, season-long collapse, Canino, Laput, and the rest of the Lady Spikers should be just fine and are expected to rebound back to Final Four contention once everything is said and done.
Like any other team, they will do it their way, and as long as nothing in the rule book is violated, they should be allowed to do it their way.
“It’s about surrounding yourself with that closed space that, those connections who will tell you they’re wrong, who will be there for you,” Laput continued.
“That’s what our team is like, our team, we’re very much there for one another. We understand one another, and we know that we’re allowed to feel these ways.” – Rappler.com