Written by Laurence Gabriel Arellano
Visuals by Jayvee Fulgencio
“Go USTE! Go USTE! Go USTE! GO! GO! GO! GO! U! S! T! UST Tigers!”
Being in a sea of yellow is one of the best things to do in the university. Cheering with your friends, or even a stranger who you just met at the game, is almost as good as feeling in love.
As the pandemic went through the curve, only the professional leagues were allowed by the Inter-Agency Task Force of the Philippines, leaving amateur ranks such as the University Athletics Association of the Philippines up in limbo. The UAAP initially thought of having the possibility of hosting only the basketball and the volleyball tournaments, before deciding to cancel the entirety of the Season 83.
One of the highlights of being in UST is watching live games, may it be in the arena, or in the televisions, or live viewing parties held around the campus such as the Ruano Lobby and the practice gym. It brings a deep sense of belongingness as you can barely know the college or the faculty of the Thomasian sitting and cheering next to you.
The cancellation of season 83 along with the shift to online classes also halted yellow days. Surely, we miss wearing our best yellow UST shirts, and all the cheers and roars that come with it.
Looking back from the season 82 games can make you go through a memory bliss. A Civil Engineering student, shared that when he watched in the Big Dome during the elimination round, he was overwhelmed with how large the size of the crowd is, he felt proud and walked exhilarated towards the exit of the arena. A Mechanical Engineering student who watched the finals in the Ruano Lobby shared that it is way better to watch the game in the campus rather than watching in his dorm as he felt the atmosphere of the game better. It didn’t matter to him if the Tigers were winning or losing, he felt ecstatic nonetheless.
As I listen to their stories regarding watching live, I was taken back to the moments I have watched live. The feeling of excitement rushed back to me as it took me into some sort of a memory lane of how exciting and energizing watching live games is. I have been watching UAAP live games since high school, been to different professional league games such as PBA, but it felt really different to watch as a Thomasian. It gives a sense of unity and camaraderie amongst your fellow Thomasians.
During the finals, I was able to watch both in the Ruano Lobby and the Mall of Asia Arena. It was the first time I have sat in the General Admission section, but it felt no difference to when I was seated in the upper box or the lower box sections, the atmosphere is still as warm and the cheers are as loud.
But for now, all we have are memories. There will not be any UST crowd in the next months. As we talk about this with our friends and watch replays or highlights of the games, we can feel the feeling of excitement rushing to our veins hoping that we could experience it once again.
Although we’re pushing through the online classes, the school year is not as complete as that of the past years. Aside from the hug culture, yellow days, and eat outs, we still feel as if something is missing within us the way we cannot experience the Thomasian crowd again. We don’t feel like we are full-blooded Thomasians without the aggregated cheering and shouting with our fellow students supporting the different tiger teams. It makes us long for the feeling that we belong to something bigger than just being students.
The allowance of limited face to face classes may spark the start of the return of collegiate basketball. The Commission on Higher Education and the Department of Health is set to release requirements on establishing a “training bubble” for the student athletes. This might signal that the UAAP, the cheer, and the crowd may return soon.
One day, we will once again experience belonging to the yellow crowd, and the love that comes with it. It will not matter what section of the arena, or what part of the campus or viewing party you’re in, as long as you’re watching with your fellow Thomasians, the long wait will be worth it.
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