University of Connecticut Athletics
Reese Guevarra's olympic quest: the next chapter
8/28/2019 1:39:00 PM | Softball
Dream big, play bigger
STORRS, Conn.—With softball officially back in the Olympics and the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games on the horizon, Reese Guevarra's journey with the Philippine National Team is about to come full circle.
In an inspiring conversation with her father, Reese tried out for the 'Blu Girls' and made the team back in June 2017. Her three-year voyage with the team has allowed her to play the sport she loves on some of the biggest stages in the World Cup, Canada Cup, the Asian Women's Championships, the World Championships, the Asian Games, and the International Cup.
"Playing for the national team means everything to me. I am filled with pride every time I put on that jersey. I'm so blessed and honored to be able to represent and compete for my home country. The team really feels like a second family to me."
A LOOK BACK
Back in July 2017, shortly after sending a skills video in addition to some assistance from her father, Reese made her way to Oklahoma for her tryout with the team a few days before the World Cup of Softball. The 18-year-old was the youngest member of the team and a starter in right field.
Her Olympian dreams were taken up a notch after year one with the national team. She helped lead the team to a silver medal after victories over China and Chinese Taipei, two of the world's top-10 ranked teams. With a finish like that, the Blu Girls qualified for 2018's World Championships in Japan.
While the team lost to the No.1 ranked Japan in the final game of the Asian Championships, they garnered the opportunity to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Games. They were also invited to the World Cup in Irvine, Calif. as well as opportunities to play in the World Championships (Japan) and Asian Games (Indonesia).
The Blu Girls concluded the 2017 slate with wins over four top-10 teams in the world and won its first ever medal in the Asian Championships.
PRESENT DAY
After finishing her sophomore season as a member of the UConn softball team which had tremendous success, Reese heads to train with her second family to compete in the world's biggest softball games.
A typical summer as a member of the national team involves quite a bit of traveling and softball games almost every day. Reese recalled how they spent two weeks practicing in the Philippines, games in Japan, back to the Philippines, and concluding last summer with games in Indonesia.
"This summer wasn't as packed, but we spent a two weeks in Georgia playing in the International Cup. We also all tried out again to make the roster for the Olympic qualifiers in September. We accomplished organizing a 15-woman roster to prepare for the Asia-Oceania Olympic Qualifier in Shanghai, China this September…I am definitely looking forward to helping the team qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics next month."
"I am so thrilled for Reese to have this amazing opportunity to play with the Phillippine national team," said Head Coach Laura Valentino. "Hard work truly pays off, and I know she worked hard to achieve this dream of hers. I'm very proud of her and can't wait to keep up with her games in China, as well as have the chance to work with her this fall I know her experience with the Phillippine national team will help her grow as a leader for UConn softball"
The Huskies have fall ball on the horizon in addition to practices and team building activities with their new coaches and teammates in a few weeks. Reese looks forward to getting back with her UConn teammates having had this experience to not only develop her game but also grow as a person and teammate. "Having experience in international play really improves my game in all aspects. The women on my team gave me better approaches at the plate, fixed tweaks in my swings, and taught me how to communicate better…they didn't only teach me about softball, they taught me lessons on how to navigate through life as an adult and how to be a better person overall."
Through several years on this journey, her goal remains the same…"continue to work toward my degree, finish my career at UConn while having fun playing this sport, and to represent as well as play for my home country where the lights are the brightest for softball."
One of my favorite moments on the team is placing second at the Asian Women's Championships in Taichung, Taiwan. We beat Korea, China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, and Indonesia. However, my all-time favorite moment was playing in the Asian Games last summer. It was like the Olympics of Asia. All the best athletes from all the Asian countries were represented in all sports. There were over 11,000 athletes from 45 nations in 40 different sports. We stayed in an athlete's village, where only athletes could enter. I was able to see former NBA star Yao-Ming at breakfast. Our opening ceremonies were held in Galore Bung Karno stadium and it was packed with 80,000 people. Just being around all of those high caliber athletes was an amazing experience.
Check out this video Reese shared with us of the opening ceremonies! pic.twitter.com/nDALx492Vg
— UConn Softball (@UConnSoftball) August 29, 2019
