Dani Ravena was hoping UAAP Season 82 was the year where she would be able to validate all the praises she had earned the year before.
The Lady Eagles’ crack libero was bent in helping the fancied squad retain its volleyball crown.Then all that took a sudden, unfortunate turn because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We were all mourning,” she said of her team. “We thought all the work we’ve put in has gone to waste. All the tears, the toil—for nothing.”
Nowadays, Ravena said she is holding up fine. But it took a process—one that she owes to luck.Luck that she belongs to a family of sportsmen.
“Honestly, I think I’m lucky—lucky that I’m surrounded by amazing athletes,” she told the Inquirer.
“Growing up, I’ve seen how they’ve hurdled challenges in their careers,” she added.
Ravena was talking about her father, Bong, and brothers Kiefer and Thirdy, who were also bracing for some sort of breakthrough year.
Bong was supposed to steer a souped-up TNT squad in the PBA’s all-Filipino conference, where the KaTropa are tipped as favorites. Kiefer was set to begin his first-ever complete PBA season after a rookie year that was cut short by a Fiba suspension.
Thirdy, meanwhile, was supposed to make a decision on which international club he will play for professionally.
Ravena’s mother, Mozzy, is a former national athlete and was a decorated collegiate volleyball star who is affording her perspectives during these testy times.
“2020 was supposed to be a big year for all of us,” the young volley star said. “But I really believe things happen for a reason.”“Mom said: Maybe this is the best time for our family to get to know each other even more,” she said. “Ever since Kiefer and Thirdy played in the UAAP, it’s a rare occasion that we’re all together for dinner.”
“It’s one of the little things to—the positive side—look at,“ she added. “This is bigger than all of us. So rather than magmaktol, mainis that the season was cut, we try to look at [the silver lining].”“We were taught to be strong and resilient—something we got from our parents who don’t back down,” she said. “This one, though, is a big one so we need to work together.”
Ravena, like her brothers, spends most days in isolation helping out front-line workers in their neighborhood by providing meals and posting workout videos on their respective social media platforms to promote fitness. INQ