Fil-Can siblings steer adversity into supremacy

  • Page Views 2144
  • Making a bold decision to move into a familiar place you never been to is not an easy task. It takes a lot of guts before you can even settle in and be comfortable in a totally different culture.

    Vince and Katrina Tolentino, both born here in Vancouver, have made up their minds to travel for thousand miles en route to pursue their biggest goal in the Philippines – to play collegiate ball.

    The choice to strut their wares on parents (Noli and Irene) motherland didn’t come on a silver platter.

    The brother-and-sister tandem needed to shrugged off all the hardships and misfortune to be able to go over the hump and finally savour the sweet taste of victory.

    It took two years for Vince before he even got the golden opportunity to play for the Ateneo Blue Eagles.

    “I was here (Philippines) for two years before I got to play for Ateneo. I went to tryout, met with the managers. I also tried out for rival La Salle, but it was Ateneo that really stuck,” recalls Vince.

    His biggest break came in UAAP Season 76 when he finally suits up for the Blue Eagles under the helm of the then first year bench tactician Bo Perasol.

    It was pure disappointments in his first stint as a regular mainstay of the Eagles as the team failed to make it to the championship round.

    A coaching change proved to be the turning point of his career when Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tab Baldwin took over the chores vacated by Perasol.

    The team suddenly geared up for the better advancing to the Finals that year, but fell short at the hands of arch rival La Salle Green Archers.

    Patience and sheer determination paid off for the 6-foot-3 forward the following year, hoisting the championship trophy in Game 3 of the 2017 finals against the same squad that spoil them the previous year, thus ending his collegiate career on a high note .

    Katrina’s decision to move out of her parent’s custody was mainly inspired by his big brother.

    “I was even confused why he did because I didn’t know how popular the sport is,” narrates Katrina. “I was still in Grade 11 when he moved out and it was shocking to me.”

    Kat, who used to play for Air Attach volleyball team and McMath Secondary in Richmond, BC, had her own share of failures like her brother.

    Injury proved to be her nemesis before she even stepped foot in Philippine soil. She suffered two Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) on her left knee. Injuries pile up on her as she tore her right one during a game in the Shakey’s V-League and had to undergo reconstructive surgery and months of rehab.

    True grit coupled with inspired advice from former teammate propelled the 23-year-old spiker to lead the Lady Eagles to championship in Season 81 and was awarded the Best Opposite Spiker of the tournament.

    Both victorious in their own rights, Vince and Kat’s success would definitely inspire many global Filipinos who wish to come home and play collegiate or professional ball.

    Stephanie, the eldest among the three siblings and the first one to inspire Kat to play volleyball, currently lives and works in Vancouver.(Alex Mino)

    Share

    New Posts Recently publish post More

    • 29 March 2023
      14 hours ago No comment

      Romnick, Elijah deserving of acting awards

      Elijah Canlas won several best actor awards both here and abroad for “Kalel, 15,” directed by Jun Lana. He is now reunited with Jun in “About Us But Not About Us,” a veritable acting duel between him and Romnick Sarmenta. At the press preview, everyone agrees both Elijah and ...

    • 29 March 2023
      14 hours ago No comment

      With 9 short-listed entries: GMA Network leads PH contingent to 2023 New York Festivals TV & Film Awards

        Media giant GMA Network is set to proudly represent the Philippines at the 2023 New York Festivals TV & Film (NYF) Awards with nine entries making it to the short-listed candidates – again earning the most number of nominees for the country. Spanning three decades of blazing the trail in ...

    • 29 March 2023
      14 hours ago No comment

      Until Branches Bend (PG) ****

        Running Time: 1h 38min   Standing Tall!   By Robert Waldman     How nice it is for a Canadian movie to be eventful. Wonders never cease to amaze me. Why even more impressively Telefilm Canada got it right by helping finance Until Branches Bend. Besides helping local ...

    • 29 March 2023
      14 hours ago No comment

      Death Knot (PG)**

        Running time: 101 min.   Cursed!   By Robert Waldman     Nothing brings people closer than family. Or further apart. See a family put through the ringer in the deadly Death Knot which comes out on Jan. 17. Cornelia Sunny ensures audiences don’t have quite the sunny ...

    • 29 March 2023
      14 hours ago No comment

      Kat Alano reacts after SC junked rape, acts of lasciviousness raps vs Vhong Navarro

        Trigger Warning: Contains mentions of terms related to alleged sexual violence  Former model-VJ Kat Alano shared a cryptic tweet after the Supreme Court‘s Third Division dismissed charges filed against television host-actor Vhong Navarro on Monday. The Division in a 43-page ruling dated February 8 ordered the dismissal of the rape and acts of lasciviousness ...

    %d bloggers like this: