SANTIAGO CITY, Isabela — Dressed head to toe like Bella Belen, Nicole Faith Osorio looked every bit the superfan and was among the most energetic fans at Tuesday's PVL meet-and-greet here, jumping for joy with every photo opportunity and autograph she collected.
For Osorio, the league's arrival brought professional volleyball closer to home, on top of a rare opportunity to meet her idols personally, have their autographs, and tell them what their game meant to her.
But no player brought out quite the same excitement as the Capital1 star she had long admired from behind a screen.
“The experience itself is very overwhelming po and super saya kasi na-meet namin 'yung mga idols namin and nakakuha ako ng mga pirma nila,” Osorio shared with SPIN.ph moments after the meet-and-greet event on Tuesday.
Meeting Belen, in particular, was a different feeling altogether. Ask Osorio what makes Belen special on the court, and her excitement quickly takes over. It is the Solar Spikers hotshot’s powerful serves and attacks that always kept her glued to screens.
“Magaling po talaga siya mag-serve. Oh my God! 'Yung mga service niya po talagang grabe, at saka mga palo po niya,” she said.
“Nakaka-overwhelm po and super saya kasi parang nakikita lang namin siya before sa screen and sa Araneta (Coliseum). Ngayon, nakita na namin siya in person, so super saya po.”
For fans who usually see their favorites from the stands or through a device, a chance to talk to them one-on-one is not something that comes around every day.
“Thankful po kami na nabigyan ng chance na magkaroon ng meet-and-greet with the players personally. Super, super big deal po sa amin, lalo na't fans po talaga kami. Na-meet din po namin sila and nakakausap one-on-one. Super bait po nila, super ganda po nila,” Osorio shared.
Bringing the game closer
For provincial fans like Osorio, that “super, super big deal” carries added weight. Santiago City is roughly 330 to 350 kilometers from Manila by road, where many of the country's major volleyball events take place.
With the PVL bringing its players to her hometown, Osorio no longer had to travel to the capital for the chance to meet the athletes she admired.
For one afternoon, the distance between fan and player was no longer a matter of kilometers or a screen. Osorio got to stand beside her idol, collect her autograph, and turn years of watching Belen into a personal memory.
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