TO play for flag and country is a dream years or even a lifetime in the making for any athlete.
The same goes for Alas Pilipinas debutant Fifi Sharma as she gets to play for the Philippine women’s national volleyball team for the very first time on home soil in the forthcoming 2024 AVC Challenge Cup in two days’ time.
But rather than basking on a dream that's about to come true, Sharma took it upon herself to embrace the responsibility for every national team player to not only deliver the results but to ‘raise the standard of playing here in the Philippines.’
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As the sport continues to reach new highs and even gain traction in the international scene, the Akari mainstay hopes to keep the momentum running for a national team program that has taken important strides but ‘needs a little more work.’
“What (playing for the national team) means for me is I have the responsibility of raising the standard of playing here in the Philippines. We all know that the Philippine national team needs a little more work compared to the other countries na medyo pulido na ‘yung programa nila.
“This is a good step towards that and I’m so honored to be a part of that process,” said Sharma.
“It's just so surreal because I mean to be given a chance to play at this level of competition is every volleyball player's dream. I'm just super proud of myself and at the same time, I'm very thankful for the opportunity that was given to me and the trust that was also given to me,” she added.
The gifts of friendship and mentorship
Sharma, the 2024 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference’s statistical leader in blocks during the preliminaries, will set foot in an environment that she might not know all too well but will be aided by her champion La Salle pals Thea Gagate, Angel Canino and Julia Coronel back in UAAP Season 85.
Such a reunion, according to Sharma, typifies how it took just days for Alas Women’s aces to build their on-court chemistry and rapport — one that bodes well for the Philippine national team program in the long haul.
“I’m very happy because I've worked with them before so it kind of like alleviates a little bit of the responsibility we have to (have in the) jelling process.
“It becomes easier because even the other players, they've worked with each other before, so maybe that's why this whole process has been kind of light din for us to adjust,” Sharma said.
Standing at the forefront of the nationals’ ship is veteran playmaker Jia de Guzman, one whom Sharma considers a ‘gift’ to Alas Pilipinas not only for her unrivaled skillset but also for the wisdom and leadership she has embodied for the team’s young aces.
“I feel like a pre-requisite for a good team is a good setter lalo na for middle blockers kasi kailangan sa amin very precise sets, so having a setter as talented as ate Jia (de Guzman) is like just a gift for us.
Sharma added: “Parang nawawala 'yung stress sa amin na all we have to do is just to go and wherever kami pumasok mabibigay niya, mahahatid niya 'yung bola. It's a different level of reassurance for us middle blockers so I'm so excited.”
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