EVEN if she's now on her seventh consecutive year as part of the National Team pool, Alyssa Valdez still sees it as a shot for more growth in her career.
The 28-year-old has ever missed a stint with the Philippine team since 2015.
"I think I always say this, but it's really one of my dreams, all the time, as an athlete, to represent our country. Every time napipili, grabe ang honor and pride na makasama sa pool," she said in a guesting in the recent episode of Noli Eala's Power & Play show.
Even if this isn't her first rodeo, there are still new experiences that she's looking forward to.
One is to train under foreign coach Jorge Edson Souza de Brito, who's one of the NT's lead coaches alongside Odjie Mamon.
"For the first time, I'm gonna be mentored by a Brazilian coach. I'm really looking foward sa mai-impart sa amin ni coach," she said.
Alyssa Valdez sees new SEA Games stint as another opportunity
Team management had initially shared plans to send the NT to Brazil this April in preparation of the Southeast Asian Games. But still, for Alyssa, she's eager to see what's she'll learn from Coach Jorge.
"He called me once and he was asking for my condition, mentally and physically. I think, as a coach, iba 'yung matutunan ko sakanya. As for Brazil, I'm not sure if lahat kami kasama," she said.
Apart from that, the Phenom is excited for her team-up with Jaja Santiago to man the frontline.
"I haven't been with Jaja [in a long while], I'm very excited to play with her. It would be nice to play with Jaja," she bared.
The last time they saw action together was in 2018 Asian Games. In 2019 SEA Games, Santiago wasn't able to play due to scheduling conflicts with her Japanese club, Ageo Medics.
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