WHEN Matt Hartmann was named team captain of the Under 23 football team for the Southeast Asian Games, one comment that remained on my mind was of how �hard-working this guy is.�
I guess, that�s what the coaching staff saw when they decided to give him the captain�s armband. And it�s pretty much like what I see in Ni�o Surban and Cecil Mamiit--these guys just don�t know the meaning of the word �quit.�
But, of the three athletes, one already has a bronze medal, one is fighting for a medal, and the other?
He�s got a medal of shame.
I first heard of Hartmann�s untimely departure three days before it hit the news, and though I was shocked, I didn�t write about it because I couldn�t confirm it with another source and it was impossible to know why.
And when it finally hit the news, the initial reaction was, �Did he quit?� but that episode was drowned by the heroics of one Joshua Beloya, who scored two late goals in the Philippines� ecstatic win against Laos, which would turn out to be the team�s only win.
Reports say Hartmann�s departure was a result of a disagreement between the team captain and coach Weiss, a conflict that Dan Palami said stemmed from the the clash of cultures between the two.
What is worse, Dan said, is it could have been settled had Hartmann waited for him, which is just the nicer way of saying he was too impatient.
But one question remains, though�did the captain quit or was he forced to quit? The hardworking man is Captain Quitter?
Which is a pity since at 20, he could have played in another SEA Games.
But will he still play? That will all boil down to him.
Perhaps, it�s best that the guy now known as Captain Quitter emulates Mr. Determination and Captain Courageous--Ni�o and Cecil.
These guys, like the many unknown faces in the national teams, had to beat all sort of odds just to be able to put on the country�s colors in an international stint like the SEAG. And these guys don�t throw it away.
Because of a conflict in his association--what else is new?--Ni�o was left off the SEA Games squad but did that deter him? Last month, in a mountainbike event in Malaysia, the guy �who wasn�t good enough� for the PH team beat the PHL team riders.
So his backer, Oscar Rodriguez, scrambled to get a spot for him in the SEAG, and when he finally did, the Cebuano had to face another hurdle when the POC said he couldn�t be allowed to go because his credentials came late.
But of course! He only got the spot months after the team was selected because he beat the national team members! His credential should be late!
That didn�t deter Ni�o and the guy was able to join the SEA Games and fished a bronze medal. Now that�s determination.
As to Captain Courageous? This guy doesn�t know the meaning of the word �quit.� When the going gets tough, Cecil, simply stares at the face of adversity and fights on, even if his 35-year-old body wasn�t willing.
In that Davis Cup tie against Japan, Cecil fought off fatigue, nausea and the heat to turn things around yet failed�but it was in how he doggedly fought on that he earned the admiration of the foes.
The victors didn�t gather around their winning singles player, they gathered around Cecil and tossed Captain Courageous in the air in a victory salute. In the SEA Games, Cecil just made the men�s semifinals after beating Thailand�s Kittiphong Wachira, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. He�s in the hunt, too, for the doubles gold with Treat Huey.
Fortunately, there are a lot of Cecil Mamiits and Ni�o Surbans in the national teams, and not too many Matt Hartmans, because frankly, from what Captain Quitter showed, I don�t think he deserves to wear the country�s colors.
There are skills and there are skills.
Matt clearly lacks them. But if he wants to change, he can.
He can start by learning how the other Pinoy athletes deal with adversity.
I guess, that�s what the coaching staff saw when they decided to give him the captain�s armband. And it�s pretty much like what I see in Ni�o Surban and Cecil Mamiit--these guys just don�t know the meaning of the word �quit.�
But, of the three athletes, one already has a bronze medal, one is fighting for a medal, and the other?
He�s got a medal of shame.
I first heard of Hartmann�s untimely departure three days before it hit the news, and though I was shocked, I didn�t write about it because I couldn�t confirm it with another source and it was impossible to know why.
And when it finally hit the news, the initial reaction was, �Did he quit?� but that episode was drowned by the heroics of one Joshua Beloya, who scored two late goals in the Philippines� ecstatic win against Laos, which would turn out to be the team�s only win.
Reports say Hartmann�s departure was a result of a disagreement between the team captain and coach Weiss, a conflict that Dan Palami said stemmed from the the clash of cultures between the two.
What is worse, Dan said, is it could have been settled had Hartmann waited for him, which is just the nicer way of saying he was too impatient.
But one question remains, though�did the captain quit or was he forced to quit? The hardworking man is Captain Quitter?
Which is a pity since at 20, he could have played in another SEA Games.
But will he still play? That will all boil down to him.
Perhaps, it�s best that the guy now known as Captain Quitter emulates Mr. Determination and Captain Courageous--Ni�o and Cecil.
These guys, like the many unknown faces in the national teams, had to beat all sort of odds just to be able to put on the country�s colors in an international stint like the SEAG. And these guys don�t throw it away.
Because of a conflict in his association--what else is new?--Ni�o was left off the SEA Games squad but did that deter him? Last month, in a mountainbike event in Malaysia, the guy �who wasn�t good enough� for the PH team beat the PHL team riders.
So his backer, Oscar Rodriguez, scrambled to get a spot for him in the SEAG, and when he finally did, the Cebuano had to face another hurdle when the POC said he couldn�t be allowed to go because his credentials came late.
But of course! He only got the spot months after the team was selected because he beat the national team members! His credential should be late!
That didn�t deter Ni�o and the guy was able to join the SEA Games and fished a bronze medal. Now that�s determination.
As to Captain Courageous? This guy doesn�t know the meaning of the word �quit.� When the going gets tough, Cecil, simply stares at the face of adversity and fights on, even if his 35-year-old body wasn�t willing.
In that Davis Cup tie against Japan, Cecil fought off fatigue, nausea and the heat to turn things around yet failed�but it was in how he doggedly fought on that he earned the admiration of the foes.
The victors didn�t gather around their winning singles player, they gathered around Cecil and tossed Captain Courageous in the air in a victory salute. In the SEA Games, Cecil just made the men�s semifinals after beating Thailand�s Kittiphong Wachira, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. He�s in the hunt, too, for the doubles gold with Treat Huey.
Fortunately, there are a lot of Cecil Mamiits and Ni�o Surbans in the national teams, and not too many Matt Hartmans, because frankly, from what Captain Quitter showed, I don�t think he deserves to wear the country�s colors.
There are skills and there are skills.
Matt clearly lacks them. But if he wants to change, he can.
He can start by learning how the other Pinoy athletes deal with adversity.
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