SHAINA Nitura, in her promising UAAP rookie year so far, has been grappling with a significant personal challenge in addition to her mission of reviving Adamson’s chances of reaching the Final Four.
Even after a record-breaking 33-point debut against Ateneo, the 20-year-old hopes to strike a balance between being a fierce competitor and a young, humble learner with mental fortitude.
“Feeling ko, matik naman po ‘yun sa mga rookies na they feel intimidated, they feel scared, pumapasok ‘yung kaba, ganyan,” Nitura shared with SPIN.ph after their bounce-back win at the expense of University of the East on Wednesday.
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“Pero ‘yun nga, palakasan talaga ng utak. How will you manage that? Paano mo hahanapin ‘yung right spot na hindi ka intimidated, hindi ka rin yumayabang, nasa saktong spot ka lang to play good.”
Being mentally sound helped Nitura overcome the sky-high expectations set upon her after her decorated UAAP juniors career, where she won MVP, finals MVP, and best outside spiker, leading the Baby Falcons to their first-ever girls’ volleyball title.
More importantly, prioritizing her mental health allowed her to remain calm and realistic about what she could expect from the team and herself in Season 87.
This was tested when Adamson faced a tough test against powerhouse La Salle, which gave her her first taste of defeat in the seniors ranks.
This loss reminded Nitura that, more than anything in the early stages of her collegiate career, learning over winning is what should matter most for her to fully realize her potential.
As she put it, “Nasayangan lang ako nang konti, pero sabi ko nga sa kanila, win-win situation ‘yun na manalo kami, matalo kami. Bonus na kung makakuha kami set, manalo kami."
“Sa lahat ng teams, ‘di naman namin pinu-pursue agad na manalo, mag-champion. Ang pinu-pursue namin ngayon is ilabas yung totoo naming laro and God will give kung ano ‘yung results or ano ba ‘yung deserve ng nilabas naming effort.”
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