By Rodesa Tolentino
Photos by: Carol Sansano, Gio Aaron De Guzman and Angelica Venice Mabalot
The Urdaneta City Private Schools Athletic Meet for the year 2024 took off with a cheerful display of students from October 10, 2024, to October 12, 2024. The event unites the students’ dedication and eagerness to showcase their athletic skills and camaraderie.
The location of the annual UCPSAM event was consistently at Divine Word College of Urdaneta, Inc., where spacious sports grounds and equipped facilities are present.
According to the Supreme Secondary Learner Government President of DWCU, Greg Aldi Miguel Manzano, the students, together with their team, prepared the campus well for this very special event. He stated that there were certain unsatisfactory scenarios that occurred while preparing as the weather became a major hindrance to the execution of the UCPSAM. Nonetheless, it didn’t stop the event from unleashing the competitiveness of private schools.
The ceremony began with the opening remarks of Rev. Roberto J. Ibay, SVD, followed by the opening prayer led by Rev. Fr. Edwin D. Fernandez, SVD, and the singing of the National Anthem. It eventually proceeded with the raising of school flags, in which ICE’s flag was raised by the very dynamic, Senior High School Director Engr. Francis Marvin I. Lim, MEng.CoE., along with the lighting of the torch by the athlete representatives of each school, signifying the commencement of the most awaited games.
The next segment of the event saw the start of sporting activities. Different chants resonate around the campus. It was full of determination and hope. Everyone in the crowd was excited to express their support for their school’s sports representatives.
Before the celebration of victory, the entire venue is bustling. The St. Michael Gymnasium is full of badminton and table tennis players, together with their teams and cheerleaders. The whole court was packed with strong enthusiasm as the volleyball and basketball games began. The track and field oval became hotter and hotter as athletics participants established their routines. The sound of chess pieces recoiled throughout the library.
The spirit of motivation stays across the campus for the remainder of the event. The sound of hard balls hitting one another as billiards players make their shots is flawless. The booming applause and compliments of ICE’s Pep Squad in Mr. and Ms. UCPSAM can not be disregarded as they are too powerful to handle.
It was definitely fierce! The three-day event left each student’s body exhausted and fatigued. But the triumph and satisfaction compensate for it.
The athletes carried the sense of accomplishment with them from the first whistles of the games until the last tick of the clock. This leads to International Colleges for Excellence, Inc., who had won Overall Champion for the previous two years, breaking another record by winning another championship this year, making them the 3-peat UCPSAM Champions!
In total, just in this season, valued players managed to bag 21 golds, 16 silvers, 10 bronzes, and 88 certificates, which hugely brought honor and pride to the entire institution. They’ve truly shown that “ICEans could carry the torch wherever they go” and immensely contributed to ICE’s continued success!
