ALAS Pilipinas went into a rigorous, multi-country European training camp with hopes of evolving into a competitive team in the FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Championship the country is hosting next month.
And they’re closer to getting there.
“Our training camp has been exhausting, but it was so worth it. It helped us a lot,” said Alas standout Joshua Retamar, whose squad traveled to Morocco, Romania and Portugal where they played with bigger, taller foes.
“At first, I was a bit nervous because everyone here is so tall. We felt like high schoolers compared to them,” said the 25-year-old playmaker. “But we’re happy because we realized that even if we’re smaller, we can still keep up with them.”
“They have a height advantage, but we can match their skills,” he added.
Mr. Retamar wasn’t new at facing overwhelming odds and beating them as he, then a wide-eyed 19-year-old national team neophyte, was the top setter when the country captured a historic silver medal in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games in Pasig.
And now as one of the three senior statesmen of the current fold — with the other two being Bryan Bagunas and Marck Espejo — Mr. Retamar is hoping to help bring that same fighting spirit into shocking the world in the mammoth 32-nation meet.
“The three of us really support each other, especially during games. We always talk about strategies to score quickly, so we’ve become a great trio on the court,” he said. “Even now, I still struggle to act like a senior on the team. That’s why Kuya Bryan (Bagunas) and Kuya Marck (Espejo) always remind me that I need to step up and be a leader.”
Mr. Retamar also said he learned a lot from their Italian mentor Angiolino Frigoni.
“I’m improving in a lot of ways, even my attitude when it comes to volleyball. Even if I can’t always show it or do what’s expected of me right away, I’m really trying, for myself and for my team,” Mr. Retamar said.
Mr. Retamar is one of the 21 Alas pool members, hoping to make it to the Final 14 and be part of the historic opener on Sept. 12 against Tunisia before battling No. 23 Egypt on Sept. 16 and No. 13 Iran on Sept. 18 in Pool A action all set at the MOA Arena. — Joey Villar
