The last name Caces in PE at Diliman denotes fear, survival and discipline. May kasabihan nga eh na if PE mo si Caces, major in PE ka. O kung gusto mo lumakas, enlist in Ma’am Caces’ class.
June 6, 2013. Thursday. 10-11 AM. We, together with Jessie Kidd Tan, entered the Weights Room. We were already informed by Tiffany Franco that if there’s one teacher to avoid in PE, it’s Ma’am Caces. Nevertheless, as we wanted to adjust to our schedule, we chose Caces. We could have picked Fin Swimming or Line Dance but Jessie didn’t want anything to do with dancing so, lo and behold, we were the few chosen ones to be in Ma’am Caces’ class.
First day was all about setting expectations. We were 21 inside the room. When she arrived, she had this commanding presence. I remember sitting straight and really listening intently at her while taking down notes. One of the things that she said was that we were required to shave our heads. I looked at the Korean-looking student in the room with blond, long hair and stifled a chuckle. He seemed to be looking amused too. The next meeting, I never saw him again.
We were also told that if we do not like her rules and policies, we were welcome to drop her subject and change mat. I wasn’t going to do that. Lining up to get a slot alone was a killer so I conditioned myself that I’d follow all her rules and survive her class. After all, it’s just Weight Training.
Little did I know that hers was a different kind of Weight Training.
When we were already given our program, 12 exercises, with back extension being the most challenging of all, in Jessie’s words, nakakasuka, Ma’am Caces would ensure that we perform the program religiously and that we follow her advice. We were allowed to be stupid but personally I really wasn’t thinking most of the time when I blurted out something especially when she was just standing nearby. One time, when I was spotting for one of our group mates (we were three in a group, Jessie, me and the other one who dropped the class in the middle of the semester), Ma’am Caces advised my group mate to put his feet on the bench. I repeated what she said but because I’m not myself when she’s around, I blurted out, “Feet on the bar.” She looked at me and said, “On the bench. Uulit ka na nga lang, mali pa.” I dunno what my reaction was at that time but I willed myself not to laugh, afraid that she’d take it as an insult.
We were not allowed to be late in her class. Training starts 10 minutes after 10 AM and she would close the door when it’s already time for class. Latecomers were never allowed to enter. We can’t go out of the room to pee and we were advised to bring water, towel and be in our UP Phys. Ed. uniforms.
More than her being strict, Ma’am Caces is also fond of giving pep talks. She would often say to us that when we meet a classmate in the hallway, we say hi, wave or shake hands. After class, when she marks our tickers, (the notebook for the record of our exercises) it’s an unwritten rule to say thank you. And when you say thank you, she really says welcome. She also told us that once we shave our head, the hair would grow back and it would even become better.
At most four months in her class made me enjoy reading the Overheard posts about Ma’am Caces. I also posted one:
from Narinig ko sa UP FB group
The post happened around the time when I was absent from her class once and then our program changed. I performed the exercises with a different group and then Jessie was grouped with Aenon Velasquez. During that time, we were around 9 students left. Until two of my classmates got sick and were advised by Ma’am Caces to drop her class for having maximum number of absences allowed. I lifted weights with John Andrew Tioco and sometimes with Mark Oller Ian De los Reyes.
John Andrew, most of all, had a hard time during Caces class because he still had a GE in AS and he would sprint from AS to CHK just to be in time. Or else he couldn’t enter the room anymore. There were times when he was really late for class and Ma’am Caces told us that if ever we open the door for someone who was late, we’ll stay with that person outside too.
During the last few weeks of Modified Deadlift exercises, Ma’am Caces had a side comment for Jessie: “Ito ma-iinjure to.” The reason was because Jessie’s legs were not in proper position. And voila, Ma’am Caces gave her fearless forecast.
I also “suffered a great deal” from her comments. There was a time when she scolded us for being absent too many times. And then I had to answer back, “Isa lang po absent ko Ma’am.” Or that when she changed my program and she provided the weight for Forward Lunge with Arms Raised and I was having a hard time, she told me:
“Mali ang ginagawa mo!”
“Ma’am 8 lang po kaya ko.”
“Oo, pero mali pa din. Your arms should be raised.”
“Sabi nyo po kasi 10 lbs.”
“Okay but next time use 5 lbs.”
The whole semester, I tried as much as possible to avoid her side comments so I was wickedly happy when she focused on Jessie’s group. Lol.
Finals proved to be a disaster. I almost had to doubt myself if I’d pass her class although I was never late and I was only absent once. (Although right now, our grades are not released yet but I’m crossing my fingers that I pass.) We had this one exercise, (which I am not allowed to reveal here), wherein I was really having a hard time to complete. I did not even pass in that exercise. Add to that her comments while I performed the exercise in front of her. She was even cranky that day because she threw her record sheet on the mat when two of my classmates were absent the previous meeting and were not able to submit their tickers. It was the second-to-the-last meeting.
The last day in Ma’am Caces class proved to be a breeze. My worries turned to dream dusts. I performed the remaining exercises, and as she told us, “Class this is our last meeting. We are not going to meet anymore”, I felt empty. Like I was conditioned for her being harsh. And I was looking forward to her Pep Talk on virtues that we students should possess. She was able to compare deceptions of humans to apes but she never really elaborated on the comparison.
After class, Aenon asked for a photo op but she declined kasi baka daw kulamin namin siya. She instead offered to take a picture for the last six standing in her Weight Training class. I was among them. And I was very proud.
After the photo op, we said our last thank you’s to Ma’am Caces and she walked with us outside of the room. She said, “Sana may natutunan kayo. Even just in your attitudes.”
I sure did. More than attitude, I learned that, “The harder you work for something, the harder it is to surrender.” I found this thought written on a bond paper inside the Weights Room. These words summed up my Caces adventure.
And here are two of our pictures minus Ma’am Caces. (She took the photo for us.)
(c) Aenon Velasquez sitting; from L-R: Jessie Kid Tan, Mark Oller Ian De Los Reyes, Daniel Tayamora, John Andrew Tioco and moi
The Final Six
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The Prodigal Kid 