Amid pandemic-related woes, PH fencers gear up for 2021 SEA Games

Despite facing several limitations brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Philippine fencing team still looks forward to representing the country in the 2021 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

Photos from Maxine Esteban, Cebu Pacific League, and Vicious Brainiac Fencing

According to the national fencers, such challenges include decreased financial support from the government and limited spaces for training.

Before the onset of the pandemic, the state would sponsor the expenses when joining competitions as well as give the national athletes a monthly stipend and a national team benefit card that grants them a 20 percent discount for all of their purchases.

But now, “we just get a monthly allowance because our competitions were cancelled in the past year,” said Maxine Esteban, a national fencer for five years.

She added that they also have to shoulder expenses when conducting private training in places other than the facilities provided by the government.

Before the nationwide lockdown, the national fencers trained in the PhilSports Arena or more commonly known as ULTRA (University of Life Theater and Recreational Arena) in Pasig City.

“We can’t train properly in ULTRA because we have this feeling [of being scared] to go out and train since we don’t know who the carrier is,” shared Darylle Lumahan who has been a member of the national fencing team for almost two years.

This has forced the team to set up a training camp in Ormoc City, Leyte.

Within the three months of ‘bubble’ training in Ormoc City, they had to make sure that all team members were negative for the virus.

“We needed to take an antigen test prior to our arrival. Once we arrive, we undergo a rapid test. We need to take a rapid test every two weeks for our safety,” Lumahan said.

National fencers also followed the same safety measures implemented across the country, such as wearing face masks and face shields. To avoid crowds in the training venue, a limited number of athletes were also allowed to train for a certain schedule.

Still, after almost three months of bubble training in Ormoc City, they had to resort to online training due to rising COVID-19 cases in the city.

Regardless of having an opportunity to join the bubble training in Ormoc from last February to April, Esteban chose not to join the national team to avoid risking her family’s safety.

“I did not go to the Ormoc bubble because a few of my teammates had Covid and I did not want to take the risk,” Esteban said.

“My family’s health is very important to me, so I just train on my own here in Manila,” she added.

While the other national fencers trained in Ormoc, Esteban instead opted to rest for around 2 months.

“This made me feel less confident about myself as an athlete din. Now, I’m training na everyday. I recovered from all the worries I felt and my body is way stronger now,” Esteban said.

Since the bubble training in Ormoc ended, Esteban lended her fencing hall located at Quezon City to some of her teammates.

Although they have faced several issues throughout the year, the two fencers differ in their views on the support of the current administration.

Lumahan said the government’s support is enough, however, if there are some circumstances beyond their capabilities, he said that he may ask for support from the private sector for his own training as a national athlete.

However, Esteban sees this reliance on the private sector for financial support as a manifestation of the lack of state support.

Besides the national team’s training, Esteban chooses to hire her personal Italian coach to better improve her fencing skills.

“I guess, it would be better if they tried to help me pay for him, but other than that, I am thankful for their support,” said Esteban.

“I would need to ask for support from private sectors like Smart, Uniqlo, MVP Association, etc.,” she added.

Still, she hopes that the future setup of the athletes would return to normal with the implementation of vaccines across the country.

Fencers all over the country are invited to join the SEA Games qualifiers that will be held in Ormoc City on July 3 to 11, 2021. Top players from the end of these matches will represent the country in Hanoi, Vietnam this coming December or in 2022.

The two national fencers view this chance to represent the country as the culmination of all their struggles while holding onto their values of being brave, determined, disciplined and patient. “It is my duty and responsibility to fulfill my role as a national athlete,” said Lumahan.

“Train harder than everyone else. If you have a dream, don’t be scared to chase it. Whatever you say to yourself is going to be your mindset…Don’t be scared of anyone. Beat everyone,” Esteban added.