“I want to write a song about,

Two people starting out,

It’s been a long time since I fell,

It’s about time you knew as well.”

By now everybody in the Far Eastern University community know about the heartbreaking defeat suffered at the hands of the De la Salle Lady Spikers last Sunday, March 7th. And by now everybody must also know that the incredible, charming, courageous leader of the Lady Tams, Rachel Anne Daquis, has played her last game and that it ended quite unfittingly.

I was one of those who watched that game, and seeing Rachel cross her fingers as DLSU was at Championship point was one of the most unforgettable moments of my life as a fan: a stricken, heartbroken warrior of a woman praying, pleading for one more set, to extend her final moments as a Lady Tam, to a fifth and deciding set which I am sure that the Lady Tams would win, and where, I am again sure, she would get her chance to shine, and end her glorious UAAP volleyball career with the Tams’ 30th Championship and a fitting sendoff for her, the girl who has led FEU to the pinnacle of the UAAP countless times.

I have been a fan of Rachel Anne for four years: ever since I saw her play as a super sophomore, I knew that she had it. I didn’t precisely know what it was, or if there ever was one, but I knew she had it. (I sorely missed her debut freshman year, sad to say.) Whether it was her graceful leaps, powerful kills, composure in the face of adversity…I really don’t know. And I think I’m okay not knowing, because if I did, then the beauty would be lost.

I saw Rachel cry once the game had been decided. I saw her weeping as they were awarded the first runner-up trophy and medals, and I heard the cheer of thousands as Boom Gonzalez (who, I am sure, is a Daquis fan, through and through) mentioned her name and complimented her on her great run as a volleyball player.

But me, myself? I couldn’t do anything.

I wanted to catch Rachel’s last game, not caring if they won or lost, not caring that the annoyingly proficient DLSU team (which I will now probably forever hate) had a good chance of dethroning my Lady Tams. It was important to me: nothing else mattered in the world. At the very least I could get an autograph, a picture taken with her, a frozen moment in which I was with Rachel Anne, all smiles, one which I will treasure forever.

But the gentleman in me could not bear to approach her. She was weeping: not only for the loss, not only because she knew it was the end, but because it ended quite anticlimactically. I would be such a jerk if I did go through with it, really. These were her final moments, her final memories with her teammates. Why should I, eager fan and all, ruin it?

I’ve always had songs written and picked for Rachel Anne. One is sung by Shannon Noll, Australian Idol, called “Shine”:

“This is the time, this is the day that we’ve been waiting for,

All the world will stop to watch you shine.”

Perhaps me being the gullible me, I envisioned March 7th as the day Rachel will shine to the fullest, dismantling the Lady Spikers, using every trick in the book and completely baffling Jacq Alarca, Manilla Santos, Steph Mercado and that annoying little libero, Gohing.

But I was wrong. It turned out to be the Ides of March.

Rachel had her moments, but she was checked by Alarca almost the entire time. Damn that girl for being so good a blocker.

And so Rachel departs, with three consecutive UAAP Finals appearances, two first runner up finishes and one championship. Not bad, but I wanted her to have the proper going-away party as she leaves for the land of the Volkswagen. Like every Daquis fan, I do not want her to go. I wanna see more of her. I want her to be right here. But it would not be right for me, and everybody else, to hold her back. After all, her future looks very, very promising.

As for me, I will continue to support the Lady Tams, even if Rachel isn’t there anymore. I will cheer for them, watch them, maybe even pick out a new favorite (Shaira Gonzalez comes to mind). But deep inside, I will always miss Number 3, and know, for all the volleyball players in the world, that there will never be another Rachel Anne Daquis.

Talis vita, finis ita.  Fare thee well, Rachel Anne. I know I speak for all the Daquis fans when I say I wish you all the best, because that’s what you deserve. I wish I could do more than just write this stupid little essay (like maybe sing at your despedida and finally get that picture taken with you) but it was the only way I knew to pour out my heart, and this is why this, for me, is special.

Shine on, and most of all, thank you, Rachel Anne Daquis.

This work, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Philippines License.

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March 14th, 2009 by rainchel0315