I DID this piece on Holy Week.

Morning of Good Friday to be precise while enjoying a quiet staycation with my family in a condotel in Makati.

And I knew in advance what I was going to dwell on.

You see, I had a pre-Holy Week chat with softball winning coach Ana Santiago, who recently steered the Adamson University Lady Falcons softball team to their12th straight UAAP title after beating University of the Philippines in the finals, just as they did last year.

I have known Ana for a long time but more for her being head coach of the Blu Girls, something she still holds up to now.

But our talk was more on her winning again this year, her secrets for her continuously winning again, and again, and again, with more victories expected to come in the future.

She shared that there is no secret at all, she simply makes her players understand the importance of preparation so they will be ready come the actual competition.

But more importantly, their willingness to learn from mistakes made, and how can one argue with someone who has that sterling record.

Actually, she had one big challenge this season. She lost a key player who graduated and it was difficult to find a replacement for her kind of a player, the effect was both on their defebse and offense and that was a struggle for them as they were preparing to defend their crown but in the end, Ana found ways and still delivered with the materials she had.

As a coach, one important factor for her is her having open communication with her players, knowing and understanding them while encouraging them to be open with her and express what they want to say to her without fear.

After winning the championship, the team had a simple dinner with the university President and the Athletic Director, and she is not aware as yet of the school’s other plans for her players.

But she has always been telling her players not to play for incentives and be happy with whatever comes their way.What is important, she stressed to them, is to play because they want to bring honor to their school.

No, she has not grown tired of winning, she believes she can accomplish more, not for herself though she continues to learn and improve herself, but more for the opportunity to teach more players.

She has proven it to herself that sports is a way for athletes to change their lives for the better, she is a living proof of this, and she wants the same thing to happen to her players.

She accepts that the time they may not be winning again but definitely, it will not be because of lack of efforts on their part.

What she does not want is to have regrets afterwards, it is okay for her to lose but only if her team has given its best both in its preparation and in actual games.

For next season, she will see four players graduate, which is why she looks at recruitment as another important factor in her success, she spends time watching Palarong Pambansa to scout players, also the Little League Philippines.

But she does not promise the moon to get players, she is simply upfront and honest when talking to prospective players, but I guess her winning track record in Adamson will be a very big factor in the minds of young players, every athlete wants to win championships and that is something Ana has done repeatedly.

Though just for the record, according to an old friend Jun Veloso, former Operations Manager of ASAPHIL, it is not the longest streak in UAAP softball history.

In fact Jun sent me FEU’s record and it showed that FEU won the women’s division in the UAAP from 1963 to 1969, that is seven straight, but then the event was not played for three years, 1970 to 1972. But when it resumed, FEU also resumed its winning ways, posting a 12-year streak from 1973 to 1984.

So depending on how one looks at it, FEU has a 19-year streak but with a three-year gap, and what Adamson did was tie that 12-year continuous streak by FEU.

But then it does not diminish at all what Ana and her team has accomplished.

Into the future, this time as Blu Girls coach, she looks forward to defending our title in the SEA Games in Bangkok later this year, and to the Asia Cup in China on July, prior to this, the team will be leaving for Korea next month for a training camp.

Now something that few people outside the softball world know is the way Ana teaches values to her players.

After winning each time, she brings her entire team to visit the tomb of baseball great Boy Codinera and pay her respect to her mentor.

At the same time that this Holy Week, even before Holy Thursday, Ana, together with her players did an advanced visita iglesia, again, something that maybe, she is the only coach who does that.

Happy Easter.

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Lito Cinco