𝗦𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗦 | 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐛𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐧 𝐀𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞

𝘈 𝘤𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦'𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴.

Joshua Hesed Crismo, the coach of the CDSGA Chess Team, holds the view that aside from imparting appropriate techniques and the right set of skills, the role of a coach is to establish a clear path for the athlete. At the age of 4, he started his chess journey by learning from a Milo chess clinic in Greenhills and watching his father and uncle play chess. His experience of having a coach who taught him lessons and improved his skills motivated him to become a coach. Throughout his athletic career, he achieved numerous accomplishments, such as Palarong Pambansa 2003, consistently represented SJDM from 2004-2009, SCUAA National Championship 2012, ranked as board 1 of Team San Jose, Bulacan Intertown, and two-time consecutive Champion in Tanglawan Festival 2017-2018. 

In September 2016, he began leading the CDSGA chess team and with his players, they competed in various tournaments, including CSANPRISA 2016 (Champion), BULPRISA 2016 (Champion), BCAA 2016 (Champion), and UCSAA 2017 (Champion). 

Every training, he ensures that he teaches his knowledge and provides an example of the game to help the players fully comprehend it. However, this coaching approach does not guarantee the players’ learning as he believes that everyone has a different level of skills and understanding. Crismo demonstrates discipline and sportsmanship by setting an example to his players. To do the correct actions and avoid mistakes during an actual game, his players must apply the rules during training. 

Throughout his years of experience, Crismo realized that allowing pressure to consume him would only lead to his poor coaching decisions and affect the performance of his players. Before competitions, he makes sure to remain calm and trust players' abilities, and the outcome of their hard work. For Crismo, when the players feel anxious, it only indicates that the game matters to them. To alleviate their anxiety, he reminds them of their strengths and how to use them effectively.

Despite being a talented athlete, he always reminds his players not to neglect their duty and responsibility as students. To prevent his players from being overwhelmed, he’s not requiring them to attend training if they have classes—allowing them to focus on their classes and work on their Learning Activity Sheets, especially during examination week. 

After all, the importance of a coach cannot be underestimated when it comes to the success of an athlete. Not only do they provide guidance to the athletes in their specific sports, but they also give them an avenue to dream bigger. “Our eagerness to learn and win was fueled by the presence of a genuine, humble, and supportive coach. He consistently encourages us to overcome fear and hesitation and to view challenges as an opportunity to grow.”

 “He is the best coach I've ever met,” Leo Virlan V. Belarmino, team captain of the CDSGA chess team remarked. 

The most fulfilling aspect of coaching for Crismo is being acknowledged by his students as the person who taught them how to be good athletes. “Yung acknowledgement na ‘yon mula roon sa student, para sa akin, hindi ‘yon matutumbasan ng kahit na ano.”