Four quarters were not enough to settle the score between the De La Salle University Green Archers and the University of the East Red Warriors in round 2 of UAAP Season 70. Emotions were running high; both squads wanted to win badly—UE, to bag that 14th victory, and DLSU to break UE’s winning streak.
But while everyone at the Araneta Coliseum had their eyes on the guys in jerseys, DLSU courtside reporter Sharon Yu had a battle of her own—one she fought, and won, gracefully.
“I had high fever that day. When the game went into overtime, I hyperventilated and it reached the ABS-CBN staff when the commentator accidentally broadcasted on TV ‘Direk, Sharon fainted.’ Next thing I knew I was being carried to a stretcher by a bouncer,” Sharon recalls. “I tried telling everyone I was fine, but with a brown paper bag on my face, I don’t think I was able to articulate myself,” she adds with a laugh.
The lovely chinita, whose parents allowed her to audition for the job because she felt they didn’t think she’d actually get in (“Imagine their surprise!”), was honored to have bagged the reporter spot during DLSU’s comeback year after its controversial suspension.
“Ideally, I didn’t want any shortcomings on my part,” reveals Sharon. “When you’re a UAAP reporter, talagang kakapal ang mukha mo because you just have to muster up the courage to deliver a meaty report in one shot—perfectly.”
Besides the prestige of representing her school and the all-access pass she had to the dugout and team training, Sharon believes her stint as DLSU’s courtside reporter allowed her to maximize her college social experience; she got to attend post-game team dinners and found mentors in the coaching staff and the university’s alumni.
“What I didn’t like about it is that you get brutally judged, criticized, and compared,” she admits. “I was around 18 to 19 then, an age where you had to develop the tenacity to not let it get you down.”
Currently making a name for herself in the world of advertising (she is, after all, an Advertising graduate), she acknowledges the role of her UAAP courtside reporting days in who she has become.
“You meet a lot of people in the UAAP community who have achieved great experiences in life. I’m very blessed to have become friends with them and they are now either my mentors, friends, or business partners,” she shares.
Her business, Waveplay Interactive Inc., launched the Interactive Audience AdverGaming for events, cinemas, venues, and other advertising needs in the Philippines.
“Hopefully my business would gain more ground since it’s an innovation, and perhaps we can even bring it abroad,” Sharon says. “I’m thankful to be given opportunities to still exercise my passion in sports and hosting, so stability for both business and hosting would be more than great!”
Oh, we’re sure you missed seeing her on television—don’t worry, she’ll be back in front of the camera soon with some sportscasting projects. That is something you should definitely watch out for.
(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.)
