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Kilalanin natin ang Pinay na maglalaro sa Korean Volleyball League | Iris Tolenada | ABS-CBN Sports
ABS-CBN Sports And Action
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8/21/2023
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Sports
Transcript
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00:00
Ever since that moment, it's been an everyday thing.
00:03
It's the energy that you're giving,
00:05
it's the energy that you're receiving
00:08
and open to receiving.
00:09
So being grateful has literally changed my life.
00:13
(upbeat music)
00:15
- Kabamilya aside from Pinoy hoopers,
00:22
Pinoy spikers naman ang aarangkada ngayon
00:24
sa international scene.
00:26
Today we have another talent
00:28
who will surely make waves in her career.
00:31
Let's all welcome Iris Palenada.
00:34
How are you Iris?
00:36
- I'm good.
00:37
I'm just busy, which seems silly
00:39
because I'm like not in PBL season anymore,
00:42
but it's been a process trying to get everything done
00:45
and also staying on top of my workouts
00:48
and just finding things other than volleyball
00:51
to occupy my time.
00:53
- When did you start really playing the game
00:55
and who inspired you to love volleyball in general?
00:59
- My dad played volleyball at FEU.
01:02
Go time arounds.
01:03
Ever since then, I was kind of around volleyball
01:06
'cause my dad would go play in open gyms
01:09
with his Navy buddies over there.
01:11
And sometimes he would take my aunt and myself
01:14
and we would just sit there.
01:15
We hated it.
01:16
We didn't like dodging all the volleyballs
01:18
and we were never into it.
01:19
But one day my aunt decided to pick up on it
01:23
and she had so much fun with it.
01:26
And then in one of her middle school practices,
01:29
I was just sitting down in the gym waiting to go home.
01:32
They just needed another body on the course.
01:34
I was like, okay, I guess I'll join.
01:36
And ever since then,
01:37
I was told that I should play volleyball.
01:39
- It was not love at first sight for you, volleyball.
01:41
- Absolutely not.
01:42
So my very first sport I would say was tennis.
01:46
My mom put my aunt and I in like tennis lessons.
01:49
Hated that.
01:50
I just like swat the bags
01:51
and not really focus on playing tennis.
01:53
I did cheerleading for five years and basketball.
01:58
And it was crazy because I would do cheer
02:00
and basketball at the same time.
02:02
So it was like, I was bouncing around
02:04
for practices and competitions and games all the time.
02:07
I also like golfing.
02:08
- How would you describe your run
02:10
in the pro league here in the Philippines?
02:12
- It's been really interesting
02:13
since the first year I got here, which was 2015.
02:17
The offensive style was really different
02:20
from what I was used to.
02:21
I was seeing all these like high sets,
02:23
super high digs, and like,
02:25
it just was a lot of defense here.
02:27
And then fast forward to present day,
02:30
like all the teams are starting to go fast
02:32
and I'm loving it.
02:33
I'm like, this is awesome.
02:34
This is, that's part of growing the game.
02:36
You know, I learned a lot
02:38
and I'm glad to see volleyball evolve more
02:41
in the Philippines.
02:42
- Can you walk us through the process
02:45
of getting into the Korean volleyball league?
02:47
- I got a text from my agent asking
02:50
if I would like to enter the COVO draft.
02:53
And of course she told me MJ would be part of it too.
02:56
And I was just like, you know what?
02:58
Let's take a chance.
03:00
Let's just do it.
03:01
We get to the draft and obviously MJ gets picked.
03:04
I don't get picked.
03:05
And you go into these things just hoping for the best,
03:09
but also understanding that at the end of the day,
03:12
it's a business, you know,
03:14
they're gonna choose whoever they're gonna choose
03:16
and you have to be okay with whatever outcome happens.
03:18
I had accepted it and kind of, you know,
03:21
moved on from not being chosen.
03:23
Then just a couple of weeks ago,
03:25
I get a text from my agent again.
03:27
Are you still interested in playing in South Korea?
03:30
I said, whoa, absolutely.
03:33
Yeah, a hundred percent.
03:34
Like, why wouldn't I?
03:35
From then it just, it's like, okay, how do we do this?
03:38
What's the next steps?
03:39
What's all this stuff?
03:40
We have to go through all this paperwork,
03:41
which is, you know, taking a long time, of course,
03:44
but it's exciting and it's kind of nerve wracking.
03:47
And also it's truly stepping into the unknown for me
03:51
because I'm going into a country
03:54
I've never been to before.
03:56
I'm gonna play in a league
03:57
that I have never played in before.
03:59
And it's gonna be a brand new experience
04:01
being an actual import with like no family in that country.
04:06
It's been a crazy process.
04:07
Everyone was really supportive and very excited.
04:09
When I told my teammates,
04:11
that was like the most emotional thing.
04:13
And I was like, oh my gosh, this is crazy.
04:15
And like, everyone was screaming and like hugging me
04:17
and everything.
04:18
That was the most fun part of revealing to everyone.
04:21
- So you told me about MJ being your best friend
04:24
and being the first Filipina.
04:25
And now you are the next one to venture in Korea.
04:28
How did she react with that news?
04:31
And how was that for you?
04:32
- So excited to call her and just tell her the news.
04:35
I'm like, thinking back on it,
04:37
we just kind of started screaming on the phone together.
04:40
And she's like, oh my God, that's so awesome.
04:42
Like we have this joke that we are inseparable.
04:46
Look at us now, we're still gonna be inseparable.
04:48
It's amazing.
04:49
It's gonna be so exciting.
04:50
She actually is gonna be a few hours away from where I live.
04:53
I'll be in Seoul.
04:55
I forgot, I don't wanna try to pronounce the province
04:57
or city she's in because I don't wanna butcher it already.
05:00
I'm excited for more adventures with her
05:02
and face her on the volleyball court again.
05:05
It's pretty cool to represent the Philippines together.
05:07
- All right, so I know you're so excited for it,
05:10
but how are you preparing for this transition of yours?
05:13
- I'm just doing what I normally would do in life.
05:17
Like go to church, I talk to my family.
05:19
I've been talking to my mentors a lot more about everything.
05:23
And I've reached out,
05:25
especially like to my coaching mentors back home.
05:28
They've kind of helped me mentally prepare for this.
05:31
And physically I'm just doing my workouts
05:34
that I've been given and also other things, you know,
05:36
you guys have seen everything, but yeah,
05:38
just trying to stay in shape.
05:40
But also remembering to live life at the same time.
05:44
- So what are your expectations Iris
05:46
entering this new chapter?
05:48
- It's gonna be a huge test of my character and, you know,
05:52
my mental and physical capabilities as well.
05:56
A brand new experience is always gonna bring out
05:58
different things in you.
06:00
I know that it's gonna be tough in the gym,
06:03
competition wise,
06:04
and the culture is gonna be really different.
06:07
You go into these things where you just have to figure it
06:10
out as you go along and make small adjustments
06:12
as much as you can.
06:13
- You said a grateful heart is a magnet for miracles.
06:17
And what does that quote mean for you?
06:21
- That's basically like one of my top life mottos.
06:25
A few years ago, I started a mental health journey.
06:29
I had a life coach and we would just work on a lot
06:31
of things internally.
06:33
At one point it clicked with me that I need to find things
06:38
and people to be grateful for.
06:39
And that's from the smallest things to like the biggest
06:42
things that have happened in my life.
06:43
Ever since that moment, it's been an everyday thing.
06:47
It's the energy that you're giving,
06:49
it's the energy that you're receiving and open to receiving.
06:53
So being grateful has literally changed my life.
06:57
- So thank you for that Iris.
06:59
I know that you are so busy right now,
07:01
but still you managed to, you know,
07:03
come here and do this interview.
07:05
So let's go to the lighter questions.
07:08
What are you gonna miss most about playing here
07:10
and the film?
07:11
- Just having fun with life.
07:13
Like I can call up some of my cousins.
07:16
I have a lot of family here.
07:17
I have a lot of friends here and be like,
07:18
oh, let's just, you know, go to BGC.
07:20
Let's have a, you know, lunch day, whatever.
07:22
So I'll definitely miss my friends.
07:24
I'll miss the island.
07:25
I'm a true island girl at heart.
07:27
And I'll just miss the other foreigner friends
07:31
I've made here.
07:32
My circle is just from a bunch of different stories
07:36
and cultures around the world.
07:37
And it's been awesome.
07:39
- Three top spots in BGC
07:41
and three beach travel destinations for you.
07:44
- BGC, high street, 'cause there's a lot of things there.
07:47
La Picarra is one of my favorite restaurants.
07:50
Just BGC in general.
07:52
Let's just call it BGC in general.
07:55
- All right, all right.
07:56
How about the island?
07:57
- Well, first of all, Belair, Sabang Beach.
07:59
That is my place.
08:01
That's my province.
08:02
I took a trip to Baracay.
08:04
I love the beach at Baracay.
08:06
I think Coron was the other beach I've been to.
08:09
- Aside from that, let's talk about your F2 teammates.
08:12
What are you gonna miss most about them?
08:14
- Just laughing with them.
08:16
Oh my gosh, they're so funny.
08:17
- Who's your closest?
08:18
- Probably Abby.
08:19
She's just so awesome.
08:20
I'm close with most of them.
08:22
It's like an age gap type of thing,
08:24
but I love all my teammates.
08:26
I'm close with every single one in a different way,
08:29
but Abby's actually a huge reason why I got to F2.
08:33
And she knows that,
08:34
and I have thanked her so much for that.
08:37
I think we have a tita bond
08:38
that we've established over the years.
08:40
- So aside from playing Iris,
08:42
you're also dancing during your free time.
08:45
You've uploaded a lot of reels and videos on SockMed app.
08:50
So how has that helped you out?
08:53
- I am a firm believer in athletes
08:57
doing many different sports
09:00
because it's just gonna make you a better athlete
09:02
and it's being able to move your body in different ways.
09:06
- Are there some Korean words
09:08
that you wanting to know more,
09:11
greetings that you have learned already?
09:13
- I have practiced them to myself.
09:16
I don't think I'm brave enough to say it
09:18
on a live interview,
09:20
but there's "de" which is like, yes, I think.
09:24
I am determined to learn a volleyball Korean terms at least.
09:29
- The language barrier would be hard for you,
09:31
but of course, for sure, you would really adapt
09:33
to your new environment, to your new teammates,
09:36
and we hope nothing but the best for you, Iris.
09:40
- Thank you.
09:41
- Thank you so much.
09:43
And you know, that ends our interview.
09:45
If there's anyone you want to shout out,
09:47
you may do so now.
09:48
- Shout out to my family back home, the Tolonadas,
09:52
and also my best friends back home.
09:54
Shout out to all the volleyball fans here in the Philippines
09:58
and all over the world.
09:59
Thank you guys so much for your support.
10:01
And I hope that you guys keep reaching for your dreams
10:05
and dreaming bigger than you have ever imagined.
10:08
- All right.
10:09
That's so great to hear from you, Iris.
10:11
Again, this is Iris Tolonada and I am Maryse Domingo.
10:14
This is ABS-CBN Sports.
10:15
Kinoy, ang lalo.
10:16
(upbeat music)
10:19
(upbeat music)
10:21
(upbeat music)
10:24
(upbeat music)
10:27
(upbeat music)
10:29
(upbeat music)
10:32
(upbeat music)
10:34
(upbeat music)
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