STUDENT athlete Alarich Catayoc once chose his passion over his academic dreams, choosing to play in a tournament rather than take his qualifying exam for accountancy.
But now, thanks to time management and his stint as one of the members of the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Spiking Jaguars, he’s set to graduate with a degree in Bachelor of Science in Management Accounting.
Catayoc once chose to fly to Zambales for the Private Schools Athletic Association (Prisaa) national finals than take his qualifying exam as an accountancy student. Though hesitant at first, he was proud and happy with his decision.
“I chose my passion,” Catayoc said in Cebuano. “I really like accountancy but I said goodbye to it to choose the Prisaa national finals. At least we finished third there.”
Though Catayoc reach the Prisaa national finals when he was in high school, he also wanted to experience it during college.
And he did, during the summer of his second year in university. And because he chose the tournament, he also had to shift from accountancy to management accounting.
Catayoc said he always wanted to pursue accountancy, but he always wanted to become a varsity player as well. He said he promised his eight-year-old self that when the right time came, “I will really make varsity.”
From just playing volleyball during the school intramurals when he was still an elementary student, he became part of the varsity team when he got to high school.
Catayoc never thought the sport he got into because he always saw his friends playing it when he was young would eventually change his life.
During high school, his passion in volleyball became more defined, especially when they became a champion for two consecutive years in the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) in 2013 and 2014. His team was also the first runner-up in the Prisaa national finals in 2014.
When he got to college, Catayoc transferred and became part of the USJ-R Spiking Jaguars. One of his reasons he wanted to become part of the team was because of the team’s previous coach, Grace Antigua.
“I really looked forward to her becoming my coach,” he said.
Catayoc was a libero in high school, but, according to him, his skills in defense got enhanced thanks to Antigua. Catayoc then received the Best Libero award in Cesafi for two consecutive years in 2016 and 2017.
A libero in volleyball is a defense specialist and, according to Catayoc: “He is the backbone of the team.”
Aside from the Best Libero award he got in 2016, their team also won the Cesafi title and finished third in the Prisaa national finals.
Even if there was a time when he chose volleyball over his education, Catayoc compensated for it as he tried to excel in his new degree program despite being a student athlete. Recently, he was one of the students who received the Best Feasibility Study award in their college.
Despite the decision he made in the past, Catayoc said that it is important to know one’s priorities, especially being a student athlete.
Catayoc said that time management is important. An academics-only focus might lead to him getting dropped from the team, and a sports-only focus might lead to him losing his scholarship since he needs to maintain a grade of 2.5.
“It has to be balanced. You have to be focused on your academics and if there are major tournaments, you have to focus on training also,” said Catayoc.
Because of his passion, Catayoc is enjoying full free tuition in his school.
Catayoc is also encouraging other student athletes to be patient, hardworking and to set their priorities right.
“It’s really just a matter of balancing,” said Catayoc.
As of now, the 20-year-old Catayoc is a graduating student but admits he faces a a dilemma in choosing between his passion and the profession he wants to take.
“I’m still torn between the two (profession and passion). I really want to become a CPA but at the same, I want to play in a commercial volleyball league,” he said.
However, Catayoc said that as long as one is happy with what one is doing, then it is not a wrong decision.
“Every time I play volleyball, I get happy and with that, I know my decision was not bad,” said Catayoc.