Written by Aaron Nathaniel Tuzon
Photo Courtesy of SBAA Student Body
The School of Business Administration and Accountancy (SBAA) representatives in men’s table tennis fell short in the first five matches for the University of Baguio Intramurals 2024, consequently losing their chances of entering the semi-finals for the said sports. The elimination tournament transpired last November 09, 2024, beginning the race for the highest cumulative score at 9:00 AM at the University of Baguio Cardinals Gym. Nevertheless, amidst consecutive losses, SBAA men shared their positivity, positing the importance of experience over victory.
The annual undergraduate intramurals have been a huge part of the university’s tradition, with men’s table tennis being one of the awaited sports within. In this event, SBAA obtained a total of four athletes that represented the department— Minjae Lee and Hkwang Dau were the representatives for the singles men’s table tennis. In contrast, Paul Mataag and Lanz Gawe were the players in the doubles match.
The men’s table tennis cup of the SBAA representatives came in the sequence of: SBAA vs. the School of Engineering and Architecture (SEA), SBAA vs. the School of Dentistry (SOD), SBAA vs. the School of Law (SOL), SBAA vs. the School of International Hospitality and Tourism Management (SIHTM), and SBAA vs the School of Teacher Education and Liberal Arts (STELA). From these matches, the SBAA men’s table tennis bagged a 2-3 standing, with two wins against SOL and STELA and three losses against SEA, SOD, and SIHTM. The players stated that the singles and doubles tournaments with SOL were the most unforgettable of the five games.
In the vault, Lee, during his singles match, was able to obtain victory in the first three sets of the competition, with a scoreboard of 3-0 in favor of him, ending the game right after the third match. Meanwhile, the games of Mataag and Gawe reached five sets, wherein they bagged their victory during the last three sets for the doubles match, with only two points difference from SOL.
Despite the face of elimination from the semis round, the athletes showcased their gratitude for learning and camaraderie, as well as enjoyment from the experience, illustrating celebration for partaking in the event despite the losses.
“It was my very first time playing in the university intramurals so what I was looking forward to the games was merely just experience, not making it to the semis did not bother me as I only enjoyed learning during preliminary eliminations,” Lanz stated in an interview postgame.
“What I enjoyed about my experience is that I was able to make some friends with the opponents we faced from the first match-up all the way to the last,” Mataag added, stating the piqued enjoyment from the opportunity to represent SBAA in the men’s table tennis tournament of the University of Baguio Intramurals.
The representatives from the men’s table tennis game of SBAA for the intramurals were solidified by the spark of experience from the representation of their department. They shifted their focus to celebrating the experience of partaking in the event rather than centralizing themselves on the idea of winning.
