Level of understanding and adaptability

I have always prided myself believing that my level of understanding, acceptance, and adjustment to what happens in life is above par.

But honestly, after almost three months of being cooped up in the house except for walking around the village everyday as my form of exercise, I have to admit I need to increase that level. Up to now, our barangay in Tanyag, Taguig still questions senior citizens who go out of the house without a pass because it is only my daughter who has been given a quarantine pass in our household. That is why I have not been to a Makati office where I help my friends run their business. I need to go there one of these days because my laptop is there in the office.

I know that sooner or later, hopefully sooner than later, everything will come to pass and things will go back to normal, new or otherwise.

I used to do management consultancy project works and seminars before the lockdown. But I have continued writing on sports, including this column for Bandera, but I cannot believe that I have not done a sports piece for about three months already.

For one, sports has been one of the hardest hit area by this pandemic all over the world. The NBA and the PBA had to stop and even the 2020 Tokyo Olympics has been postponed for a year.

I can only sympathize with the athletes, especially our own Olympic medal hopefuls Carlos Yulo, EJ Obiena, and Eumir Marcial in gymnastics, athletics, and boxing respectively.

They are so near of realizing their Olympic dreams and I truly hope that the Olympics will push through in 2021.

It is good to hear that there are already plans to reopen the NBA next month and Vietnam, which has managed to conquer their coronavirus crisis, is laying down a schedule of sports events already.

A few weeks ago, the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) announced it has to reduce by half the allowance of national athletes and coaches. Sad but perfectly understandable under these circumstances.

For those in the sports writing world on full time basis, it has become much harder to come up with stories without events and tournaments taking place.

The challenge is to come up with sports news items or do a feature on an athlete without the benefit of a face to face interview.

I have been reading a few interesting sports features online and even as press conferences or media forums are still not allowed physically, sports writers have started doing online zoom chats with selected guests.

The Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) has done a couple of those already. My friend and colleague Rey Joble has also done it, same with colleague Rick Olivares.

As for me, an old dinosaur, I am not too keen on doing virtual interviews… for now.

But for this piece, I had to write it using my cellphone, the very first time I have done a sports column that way. Does it mean I am finally making an additional adjustment in my life as a writer?

Well, I hope so because sports writing is something I have been doing on the side for the last 43 years and it seems like I am back and ready to adapt.

Stay safe everyone.