Everyone is doing their part over at the F2 Logistics camp.
More often than not, the other members of a team—the rest of the coaching staff, strength and conditioning personnel, and utility people—often go unnoticed and become mere footnotes to sporting history.
But, on Tuesday, after the F2 Logistics Cargo Movers pulled off a riveting 21-25, 25-17, 17-25, 25-21, 18-16 win versus the erstwhile unbeaten Choco Mucho Titans, coach Regine Diego made sure to recognize the team’s unsung heroes: the F2 coaching staff.
"Our coaching staff actually has responsibilities and they have their own jobs inside the court. Maybe I'm just the person standing up, but we were working on it," said Diego postgame about the F2 coaching staff’s collective effort—most of which transpires behind the scenes. "We talked about it, lahat, halos lahat ng rotation pinag-usapan ng coaching staff. It was really a teamwork thing, so kudos to my coaching staff, you guys are the best."
And, incidentally, a member of that coaching staff—Juvie Mangaring—literally saved the Cargo Movers from the jowls of defeat, alerting Diego of a net touch on Kim Kianna Dy’s errant spike with Choco Mucho at match point, 14-13. F2 threw up a challenge that, upon review, was deemed successful, thereby nullifying what would been the match-ending point and tying the score at 14-all.
The rest, of course, was history.
Then again, the Cargo Movers might not have even reached that point without the brilliant work of the Sonny Montalvo-led strength and conditioning staff, who helped whip the Cargo Movers into peak form. And, on Tuesday, Montalvo and his team of strength and conditioning coaches helped keep the players in optimal physical condition despite the unbearable heat and humidity inside the packed PhilSports Arena.
Diego thanked Montalvo and his staff as well for their efforts, underscoring her immense gratitude to the men and women helping her mold these Cargo Movers into a PVL powerhouse.
“Also add ko rin, that fifth set was kudos to coach
Carlo [Buzzichelli], our conditioning coach, and coach Sonny because if they [players] are
not well-conditioned enough, I don’t think we can survive that set,” added Diego.
But, as Diego also pointed out, the job is not finished. And it will take an even bigger collective effort from every Cargo Mover if the team is to finally win a breakthrough title.
(GM)