Last weekend, I was able to witness for the first time the Jesuit Athletic Meet (JAM) Cebu hosted by the Sacred Heart School- Ateneo de Cebu (SHS-AdC) in Barangay Canduman, Mandaue City. I have always heard about this event years ago, but never did I imagine the magnitude of the meet. Last October 25-30, I was able to drop by and watched some games and events. Fr. Manny Uy, president of SHA-Ateneo de Cebu, was very visible, busy walking around, talking and shaking hands in welcoming everybody, checking every inch of the campus and took the challenge of even bringing the JAM to all new Cebu experience. Over 1,000 students-athletes from 10 different Jesuit schools all over the country converged here, competing in 10 different sports namely basketball, volleyball (boys and girls), football, futsal(girls), athletics (boys and girls), table tennis (boys and girls), chess (boys and girls), lawn tennis (boys and girls), swimming (boys and girls), and badminton (boys and girls). The Jesuit schools that competed in the JAM Cebu 2018 were host SHS-ADC, Ateneo de Manila University, Xavier School San Juan, Xavier School Nuvali, Ateneo de Naga University, Ateneo de Iloilo, Ateneo de Davao, Ateneo de Zamboanga, Xavier University-Ateneo de Cagayan and Loyola College of Culion.
The Jesuit Athletic Meet (JAM) is a biennial event and had its inaugural season back in 1995, and it was more than 23 years ago that SHS-AdC had hosted the event. Since then, Jesuits school took turn in hosting the meet from Ateneo de Manila Univeristy, Xavier school in Manila, Ateneo De Naga and previous meet in 2016 at Ateneo de Davao. The main objective of the event is to bring the student-athletes closer through sports. But for me, it was the side events that brought them much close. After the day or during the day, student-athletes can enjoy various events such as Bingo games, cinemagis at the school theater, free massage and haircut for all, fun board games and even Blue kinetic, which features console games like PS4, fellowship night “JAM Nata Bai” at the campus mall featuring DJ Victor Jao and Justin Maglasang with open mic session. There's also the newest event, the “student summit” organized by Athletic Director Rico Navarro at the Magis Eagles Arena. It featured three speakers,yours truly, Fr. Jem Guevara, consultant for SHS-AdC's Chinese program, and Dondon Hontiveros, a professional basketball playe who focused on his career and his experience of pursuing his passion for basketball. The summit ended with an open forum for the students. Although some students were still sleepy from the fellowship the night before, they still managed to fire some interesting questions.
For me, the biggest attraction in JAM 2018 came from 16-year old basketball sensation Kai Sotto, who was expected to suit up in the basketball tournament. Kai stands a whopping 7’2”. He didn’t disappoint everyone as student-athletes, coaches, parents, staff, teachers and even the opposing teams swarm close to Kai Sotto after each game just to get a selfie with the soon to be basketball superstar. I personally witnessed his game and was left awed with his talent and vast knowledge of the basketball, from dribbling, passing, and blocking shots.He dominated both ends of the court. He was so cool and showed class against the opposing team in the finals vs. SHS-AdC. Kai’s Ateneo de Manila University dethroned the two-time defending champions with 24 points. When he was pulled, pushed, and shoved by almost all of the opposing teams, Kai remained calm and showed what a true Jesuit leader should be.
In volleyball, it was a back-to-back finals duel between the Ateneo De Davao Blue Knights and SHS-Adc Magis Eagles (boys and girls). Both went to the finals needing a fifth and deciding set to determine the champion. The Magis Eagles girls volleyball team was coached by Mario Sala, Jamil Macasamat and Clyve Tumulak. With their back against the wall, the Magis Eagles fought mightily against the Blue Knights, who closed the gap to 3 points midway in the deciding set. In the end, the Magis Eagles bagged the championship via a 15-13 decision.
In the boys volleyball finals, it was an emotional game as the Magis Eagles were the clear underdog and were considered as a developmental team under coach Emmanuel “Buddy” Rivera who spent years and years developing this team from scratch. Coach Buddy also serves as a Filipino teacher in Senior High. During the final set, the score reached a deuce at 14-14 but the Magis Eagles scored two points immediately to seal their placeas champions. Coach Buddy was backed up by Kenzlee Ybañez and Mark Mocuto.
Winning may be the objective for these student-athletes but if you ask any students from an Ateneo school, he or she will tell you that one of the hallmarks of Jesuit education is personifying the magis spirit, that is, doing more and being more for the greater glory of God.
SIDELINE: Congratulations to all the people behind the JAM Cebu 2018. Students, teachers, janitors, canteen operators, the alumni, PTA and most of all the parents. Despite the scorching heat of the sun, parents eagerly watched from the sidelines as their kids battle it out on the field. Great work also to the creative people behind the Facebook page, who keep us all updated, article contributors Irina Chua, Rachel Wu, Marion Sanchez, Nica Manuel and Giselle Mulder to name a few. Great photos also of Jean Carcallas, Lezlee Escalante, Miguel Belen, Zahra Sarmiento and Jake Servacio.