The CSI Millennial Team
by Oliver Carlos
If “centennial” was the most used word in 1998, it was “millennial” in 1999. The world was facing not only the turn of the century, but also the turn of the millennium at the end of that year. There was a general atmosphere of uncertainty clouding those times. People were curious and also anxious on what to expect in the very near future.
1999 was a big transition year for me. I changed jobs, from being a high school teacher at Christian School International (CSI) to a college instructor in the UPLB College of Development Communication. The previous year, 1998, I steered the CSI girls’ basketball team to its 1st ever championship. That following year, 1999, although no longer a CSI employee, I was asked to handle the team again to defend our title. I obliged and coached for free, because I wanted to continue the good work that I started.
The task at hand was difficult as the Centennial Team’s senior players graduated. They included the twin towers Kaye Galang and Sylvia Sarmiento who were both 5’9” tall, and ace shooters Ana Mae Perez and Janice Molinawe. I was left with a team that had an average height of 5 feet flat.
Even though the team lacked in ceiling, we still had our team culture intact. That culture involved a simple-but-effective system wherein every player knew their role and embraced it fully. There were just 5 roles in the team and each member was assigned to master to perfection just one role. When somebody sits down or graduates to college, the substitute player assigned to that role would just continue playing that role as if nobody has really left the team.
That’s the “next-player-up” method. The substitutes in the Centennial Team were promoted to be the starters in the Millennial Team. Sweny Koffa and Grace Cabral ably filled in the void left by our twin towers even though they’re half-a-foot shorter. Meanwhile, former rookies Emily Suministrado and Shane Mundin became the main shooters. Point guard Eva Antonio was still around, and she completed the starting lineup. She was the glue that kept the team together. Wara Tansubhapol was at her old role as Eva’s reliable back-up. The rest of the team were our practice players in the previous season, so they were all familiar with our plays. Now, they finally got the chance they’ve been waiting for- to play as members of the regular team.
By God’s grace we were able to duplicate our previous achievement, we won the championship once again, via a sweep of the tournament. What I learned in this ride was the truth behind the saying, “Success without succession is meaningless.” There’s greater pressure in defending a title than conquering one. In life, winners have this challenge of integrating themselves and their success in the next generation. Otherwise, what they have accomplished would seem to be in vain.
The remnants of the Millennial Team were prepared to go for a 3rd straight title. Although majority of the team graduated that year, I still had a center, a forward, and a guard as foundations for the next team. Sweny, Shane and Emily were still around. But sadly, the league folded up in 2000, and we never got to defend our title.
This next-man-up principle or passing-the-baton practice is very Biblical. We see the apostle Paul challenging and encouraging his successor Timothy to continue the good work they began in the Ephesus. Paul was in a Roman prison and facing a possible execution, so he wrote to his prodigy his farewell speech:
“But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you.” (2 Timothy 3:14, NLT)
Paul was an old missionary who felt that he has done enough and is ready to retire or meet his Maker. Meanwhile, Timothy was a young pastor who grew up under Paul’s care, being his apprentice or assistant in establishing the Ephesian church. Paul is saying here that Timothy is more than ready to take on that job as he had prepared the young man for it all these years that they were together in ministry.
Are you in the same spot? Are you enjoying great moments right now in your work, business, or family? Pray for wisdom on how you will keep them rolling on to the next generation. May God’s grace be with you dear reader.
