I hope you’ll indulge me. Speaking as a fellow fan, the 7-year wait is over. The Creamline Cool Smashers are Grand Slam Champions.
This grand slam is a celebration in every sense of the word. I thought it couldn’t be done. We came close the last 2 years. A 3rd title in one year just seemed elusive and almost downright impossible.
Last Thursday, you can feel the joy of chillin’ chillin’ fans being connected to a championship team all over the country. You know exactly where you were at championship point. You remember what you were wearing (may mga hindi pa nga nagpapalit from the Reinforced), who you were with, what you were doing and the scenes that followed the final whistle. It’s etched into your brain. Diehard fan or casual viewer — it doesn’t matter. Championships, more so Grand Slams, unite a fanbase. They create moments in history that live on within us for our entire lives. They become stories we pass down through generations.
Throughout this season, there was a constant wave of doubters and media narratives.
‘Kyle can’t replace Jia.’
‘This team can’t win without Alyssa, Tots and Jema.’
‘Your import is too young and won’t be able to compete with veterans.’
‘You should recruit new and younger players.’
“Family is Love”, our company’s motto, was often used as a punchline. The noise was deafening, and it was endless.
There were so many first losses that it’s hard to keep track. So many difficult twists and turns. And through it all, the Cool Smashers just kept working behind the scenes. They kept improving.
A common concept in life is that personal development and growth aren’t linear. We all hit plateaus. We take steps back before smashing through the glass ceiling. Yet, Kylie’s development on the taraflex shunned the usual path. She drastically improved, conference-by-conference since Jia went to Japan. MG found another gear to add other skill sets to her game. Ponsi adapted her game to become a legitimate triple-double threat night in and night out. All 3 stepped up big-time to join the team’s esteemed list of MVP’s in the process.
Kyla is and has always been our defensive anchor. Coach She has been a mastermind with his adjustments and strategy from the sidelines. Erica, Pangs, BDL, Denden, even our bench and injured list all had major contributions. The list goes on.
Growth. That’s what this Grand Slam represents. It represents hard work, desire, championship grit and consistent improvement in the face of adversity and self-doubt. It represents a fanbase that has turned up through thick and thin. An arena that was just as loud when cheering on our first year as it was throughout this season. This is just as much for the fans as it is for the team.
I, like thousands of others around the country, ride that same rollercoaster. Because that’s what this Creamline team has been. From the moment the team was formed until the final whistle last Thursday. Every step. Every stumble. It was all twists, turns, loop-the-loops and one long climb to the summit. Now, the rollercoaster has stopped at the top. The breaks are on. How long Creamline can stay there is up to them.
That’s a question for another day. I don’t want to look first past this very moment. A moment where all Creamline fans can finally agree on one thing: This feeling has been a long time coming.
The Cool Smashers are Grand Slam Champions. Their names are firmly set in the history books; nobody can ever take that away from them. Legends were born that night. And just like every fan, I can’t wait to see how the next few chapters play out.
For now, enjoy na muna natin ito.
All in. Creamline. Happy!
Atty Leni was right. The soul of the nation was at stake during that election. When we elect leaders with no moral compass, magiging norm na yung pagnanakaw at pagsisinungaling. Walang transparency. Walang accountability.
WATCH: Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque arrives here at Liwasang Bonifacio, where Kingdom of Jesus Christ members and supporters of fugitive Apollo Quiboloy are conducting a protest against the government. | @FArgosinoINQ