“This is our battle, this is our war,” exclaims Filipina volleyball player, Majoy Baron. For Majoy, the hardwood courts, clay-paved track courses, and the many settings for competition are the battlefields that test an athlete’s mental and physical prowess. “We all love what we do, so even if the struggles we face day-to-day during training and during competition leave us with scars and injuries, [they] are what build both our bodies and our mental toughness,” she says.
These spaces are not just the sanctuaries where athletes put their devotions into practice, but are also crucibles that temper their skill and experience, riddling their bodies with manifestations of their sacrifice through sharply honed muscles and calluses. Apart from the bodily stress, the battles that these athletes face is often an emotional one. “There were many times I considered leaving the team when I was still in college,” Majoy mentions.
“There was just so much I had to adjust to in such a short amount of time.” Similarly, ballerina Michaella Carreon’s battle scars were also more emotional and mental. “It’s in the small things, like our routines, what we eat, and practicing our techniques.
We have to keep absorbing every single correction and all the things that are taught to us,” she explains. It is in these battles that mark the countless hours of training and dedication each of them go through, and in a way challenge the conventional beauty stereotypes that prioritize sy.