BACARRA, ILOCOS NORTE — Choco Mucho team captain Maddie Madayag just took a clear shot at the Premier Volleyball League.
Madayag, who suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament during the Flying Titans’ Game One battle for bronze bout against Petro Gazz last Wednesday, spoke on Instagram regarding the team’s compressed schedule on Saturday afternoon.
“First of all, I would like to say thank you to everyone who sent me their best wishes and prayers. Thank you to everyone who has supported me and the team since our first conference. We’re glad that we’ve accomplished more than what we’ve bargained for. But as always, we don’t stop there,” opened Madayag’s statement.
“This conference has taught me, my teammates, my fellow players, and coaching staff the utmost importance of our health. Especially rest and recovery,” added Madayag.
Due to the rising COVID-19 cases in Ilocos Norte, the league was forced to compress its schedule for the final week after the local government informed the PVL that they must finish the league before August 16.
“Our coaching staff made sure that my teammates and I were ready for the upcoming tournament and paid close attention to how we all felt physically and mentally. The preparations are done pre-season all kept us ready for the upcoming conference. I’m sure that my fellow athletes made sure to keep their bodies in top shape despite the lack of resources. I, for one, made sure to focus on my knee health so that I would not have to experience any of my past major injuries again. We’ve worked so hard behind the scenes just to avoid having major injuries,” said Madayag.
“However, the body- no matter how healthy or strong- can only handle so much. It is unfortunate that despite the intensive strengthening and training have done prior to the league had to be negated all because of a rushed schedule. It pains me to have incurred such a heartbreaking injury when all I did before the competition was to take care of my body to avoid getting hurt. I am truly lost for words,” she added.
The league, headed by commissioner Tony Boy Liao and Ricky Palou, talked to the teams regarding the sudden change. According to the two, both teams agreed to the setup.
One of the teams directly affected by the change was Choco Mucho, who played three games on August 4 (Wednesday), August 6 (Friday), and August 7 (Saturday), prior to the semifinals.
The third-ranked Flying Titans played right after the elimination rounds, winning Game One against Chery Tiggo on August 8 (Sunday), before losing the next two on August 9 (Monday) and August 10 (Tuesday) which relegated them to the battle for bronze match against the Angels.
Come to their seventh match in eight days on August 11 (Wednesday), Madayag suffered the injury after a quick attempt that was blocked by Ria Meneses.
Choco Mucho lost the match and eventually, the series. They ended up playing their eight matches in nine days.
Madayag said that she is grateful to the league organizers for restarting volleyball in the Philippines.
However, she stated that the players were put in an environment that was not conducive for everyone. Moreover, she bared that no athlete deserves to be in that kind of situation — where they are put at high risk for injuries.
“I understand that this conference was truly difficult to organize and fully plan out given the current situation of our country and I am grateful for those who made the effort so that the games pushed through,” expressed the 23-year-old middle blocker.
“Coming into the bubble, I believe that the teams were put in an environment that was not conducive for any athlete, no matter how strong. Seven to eight straight games of nonstop competing at a high level can definitely take a toll on one’s body. No athlete deserves to be put at the risk of injuries when there are other options to carry on strategizing which will benefit all and lessen the risk,” she continued.
Madayag hopes that the league can sort out the scheduling woes in the next conferences.
“I’m sure all of the players want to compete as much as the fans would like to watch and support their squad. I just hope that in the future, the system will be planned out for coaches and players to thrive.”
Out of all the 157 players, there were only four reported injuries in the tournament which lasted for a full month.
These were Jeanette Panaga (ankle), Shola Alvarez of PLDT (ankle), Rachel Daquis (groin), and Madayag (ACL).
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