By: Ohmer Bautista
During one of Adamson’s huddles during their clash with the De La Salle Lady Spikers, Lady Falcons head coach Air Padda made it known that any sign of taunting has no place in her system.
But as the bout wore on, emotions ran high. The Lady Spikers were looking to keep their slate pristine, while the Lady Falcons were fighting for a much-needed win.
Midway through the second set. after Des Cheng uncorked a kill, she directed a stare towards the Adamson side.
In causation, Bernadette Flora – who is also known for her animated after-kill reactions – made sure to answer back with a kill of her own, which was coincidentally on Cheng’s watch. And, of course, it was followed by a passionate roar.
This then resulted in a warning from the referee for both Flora and Cheng.
Flora, however, downplayed what transpired between her and Cheng. The Lady Spiker asserted, “Wala naman po [pikunan]. Alam ko rin naman na mang-aasar siya, ganun.
“Hindi naman po ako naasar, kaya ko naman.”
Despite directing the taunt at Cheng, it was Padda who responded for Flora.
The exchange of jeers instigated a timeout from Padda, wherein she warned her team to focus on the game, not on taunts and “swag”.
Although the 20-year-old Lady Falcon knew that the was improper, Flora confessed that it was devastating that she received a mouthful from Padda, since her intentions were clean.
“Parang gumuho yung mundo ko,” quipped Flora, who had nine points in the contest. “Parang kasi na-boost ko na yung energy ko tapos ganoon bigla.
“Alam ko naman na mali yun. Hindi niya kami tinuruan ng ganun, pero para sa’kin kasi, doon ko nakukuha yung confidence ko.”
Moreover, for her part, the 5-foot-6 spiker made sure to set the record straight and disclosed that it was all done for the purpose of boosting the low morale of her team.
“Siguro kasi gusto ko rin manalo, kasi ayaw ko mabaon kami sa score,” Flora confessed. “Hindi ko alam. Parang lumabas lang talaga sa sarili ko na kailangan ko… Na kailangan ko ma-boost yung sarili ko para umangat ako.
“Hindi naman ako nang aasar. Doon ko lang nilalabas yung gusto kong mangyari ‘pag nakaka-point po ako.”
When asked if she would exhibit the same behavior in the next games, she confessed:
“Siguro po, pero baka nakatalikod na talaga. Promise na talaga.”
