Photos courtesy of Tracy Abad
Contrary to popular belief, not all UAAP courtside reporters hail from the university they represent—but that’s not to say they don’t show as much school spirit as those who are homegrown. Case in point: Tracy Abad, University of the East’s courtside reporter for Seasons 69 and 70. Her passion for the UE team showed in every single report she did, you wouldn’t know she was actually a Communication Arts graduate from Assumption College, a non-UAAP school.
“I was actually surprised that they picked me to be UE’s courtside reporter because I am not from UE, I guess I was lucky!” enthuses Tracy. Even before she became a courtside reporter, she was already a radio DJ on Jam 88.3. “When I got a call that there were auditions, I filed a leave from my shift to try it out. After a week I got a call from ABS-CBN, telling me that I got the job,” she recalls.
Although she was never a UE student, she is very thankful that the UE community welcomed her with open arms. “Initially I was nervous, but everyone was just so friendly. I love being part of the UE family,” she says, adding that if there’s anything she misses most about courtside reporting besides the intensity of the games, it’s the people from Warrior territory.
For Tracy, her courtside reporting stint was both challenging and fun. She, along with all the other reporters, wrote their own reports—on the spot. “We have to remember what the coach told the players and summarize them all for the camera,” she says. “All the elements going around, like the loud cheers of the crowd, the camera and lights on you, and hearing the commentators introduce you before you report could give you the nerves but you just have to focus and remember to have fun.”
Two values that are essential to being an effective courtside reporter, Tracy says, are hard work and confidence. “It’s not all glamour, as some people would think. But a great thing about it is it helped me become more confident, and I gained more friends as well,” she relates.
Although she only had two years to live the courtside reporter’s life (that’s the maximum number of years one can be a courtside reporter, with the exception of Gretchen Fullido, who reported for three years), Tracy lived it to the fullest. “As a whole, the two years of being a courtside reporter is unforgettable,” she says. “Now, I feel that I can do anything if I just put my heart to it.”
Tracy has since gone on to host her own television show, Basketball Crazy on Makisig Network with Joe Buduan and Mhel Garrido. She also hosts lifestyle and corporate events, as well as The Wake Up Show, Mondays-Fridays, 6 am to 10 am, on Mellow 94.7. With her passion for hosting, Tracy will surely go places—and she has her UAAP stint to thank in part for it.
(Running throughout the UAAP Season, ‘Tales from the courtside’ catches up with former courtside reporters who have charmed sports fans and televiewers alike during their term as representatives of the association’s member universities. Previously featured was DLSU’s Sharon Yu)
