WITH great power always comes great responsibility.
And for a star pro-athlete like Chery Tiggo hotshot Eya Laure, it is of dire importance for the now-25-year-old ace to make the most of her position in which her sporting career allows her to earn money — not only in the present but more so for life after volleyball.
As she marked her 25th birthday by steering the Crossovers to a five-set win in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) over Petro Gazz, Laure unveils plans to share her 'adulting' investments soon on her YouTube channel with roughly 173,000 subscribers and her Instagram page with 512,000 followers as of posting.
READ: How to hit strong volleyball spike? UAAP stars share secrets
"Twenty-five years of existence, siguro gusto ko pang makuha ‘yung mga properties (na gusto ko). I mean, adulting siya pero makikita ‘yan ng mga followers ko, mga viewers ko sa mga susunod kong vlogs kasi nakakasimula na rin ako (magpundar) and gusto ko rin kasi i-share sa kanila yung mga nasisimulan ko nang i-invest bukod sa pagme-makeup at pagpapatawa or pag-vvlog, kung anong mga trip ko sa life," said Laure.
"Gusto ko rin kasi, since ngayon na sumesweldo na ko — ang pangit man ng term — pero dahil binibigyan ako ng opportunity ng Chery (Tiggo) na makaipon (and) mas more on dahil 25 na ko, gusto ko na rin isipin ‘yung future ko."
The other side of Eya
Being one of the younger stars in Philippine sports today, Laure has long had an active presence on social media across various platforms in which she shares various facets of both her personal and sporting lives to fans that most people may not see or know about her.
And apart from continued self-discovery, also among her personal goals at age 25 is to keep on showing an extension of herself to those who have long supported her and became part of her journey.
"Nandyan lang lagi rin yung guidance ni Lord kasi siyempre 'pag adulting ka na, parang minsan naku-kuwestyon ko rin sa sarili ko sa 25 years ko, ano pa bang hindi ko nakuha as a volleyball player or as a tao?
"Maraming mga tao na nakikita lang kami na nagvo-volleyball pero hindi nila nakikita kung ano ‘yung (life namin outside volleyball). That’s why ‘yun ‘yung mga shine-share ko sa mga social media accounts kasi lagi lang nilang nakikita na naka-simangot ako, nag-sswag ako, ganun," Laure said.
"Siguro naman po kayo (sa media), tagal niyo na kong kilala, tagal niyo na rin po akong nakikita, nai-interview. Tingin ko mas kilala niyo pa nga ko minsan. Kumbaga may mga questions kayo na personal or may mga questions kayong binabato sa’kin na napapaisip din po ako na ‘Ah, oo nga no.’ Mas nakikilala ko rin sarili ko sa mga ganung bagay," she added.
Golden aspirations remain
Being the Golden Tigress that she once was, and will always be, Laure still has her sights on the ultimate prize which may have been elusive for her at University of Sto. Tomas but one that she'll strive harder to lift and seize in the pros — one which ought to be made possible by her longtime mentor from the very beginning of her volleyball career in Kungfu Reyes.
"Twenty-five years, I’m super thankful and under CKF pa rin. Super happy kasi alam kong itong pag-ppro ko na ‘to, malaking bagay to na nandyan siya sa tabi ko and of course, ‘yung mga kasama ko dati na mga former teammates ko.
"Itong bago kong pamilya na Chery — kumbaga hindi nga siya bagong pamilya kasi semi-pro pa lang ‘yung Chery dati, Foton pa siya, nandyan na ‘yung pamilya na ‘yan para sa’kin at inaalagaan na talaga ko."
Laure added: "(Goal ko pa rin na) makapag-championship. Since UST, ‘yan na talaga ’yung isa sa mga (goals ko) — kumbaga ‘yung makakuha ng title. ‘Di ko man siya nakuha sa UST pero dito sa Chery, habang nasa Chery, siyempre i-sstrive at pagta-trabahuan na makuha ‘yung title, of course. Pero first, podium muna. ‘Yun muna talaga ang magiging goal — podium first tsaka tayo tataas nang tataas kapag nandun na tayo sa semis."
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
