ILOILO City – Amie “Em Em” Provido was supposed to have her final shot representing Western Visayas in the 2020 Palarong Pambansa, but the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic made it impossible for her.
Now that she is set to move to De La Salle University (DLSU) for her senior high school stint, the 5-foot-10 Pototan, Iloilo-native middle blocker let go of her Palaro aspirations. She now vies for the bigger picture – make it big in Manila.
“To be honest, I was sad and disappointed because representing Western Visayas in the Palarong Pambansa was one of my dreams as a high school student-athlete,” Provido told Panay News.
“I was really looking forward to play in this year’s Western Visayas Regional Athletic Association Meet. I prepared hard and conditioned myself because it will be my final chance to do so since I am moving to DLSU next school year. I guess Palaro was not for me,” she added.
“But on the flipside, this cancellation is for our safety since COVID-19 is not a joke,” the Ilongga middle blocker further said. “I may not be able to play for Western Visayas, but I was able to play for the Iloilo team in Batang Pinoy. I will forever cherish that.”
According to the standout from Palanguia National High School in Pototan, her focus is now with DLSU, and she will familiarize herself with the game system of Lady Spikers head coach Ramil de Jesus.
“I am still blessed because, in just a few months, I will be moving to my dream school. I am really excited to learn from coach Ramil. He is a very nice person. He’s so talkative as if you’re like just a close friend. But during training, he is very strict,” Provido said.
“It is a great opportunity for me to play with the Lady Spikers. They treated me as if we had known each other for a long time, that’s why I’m special to them,” she added. “I’m so excited also nervous because some of my teammates are already professionals.”
“I just wanna say that I will do my very best to make them proud of me,” the 16-year-old llongga volleybelle concluded. “And just wait for me after two years.”/PN
