Kilalanin natin ang Pinay na maglalaro sa Korean Volleyball League | Iris Tolenada | ABS-CBN Sports - video Dailymotion

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Transcript

00:00 Ever since that moment, it's been an everyday thing.

00:03 It's the energy that you're giving,

00:05 it's the energy that you're receiving

00:08 and open to receiving.

00:09 So being grateful has literally changed my life.

00:13 (upbeat music)

00:15 - Kabamilya aside from Pinoy hoopers,

00:22 Pinoy spikers naman ang aarangkada ngayon

00:24 sa international scene.

00:26 Today we have another talent

00:28 who will surely make waves in her career.

00:31 Let's all welcome Iris Palenada.

00:34 How are you Iris?

00:36 - I'm good.

00:37 I'm just busy, which seems silly

00:39 because I'm like not in PBL season anymore,

00:42 but it's been a process trying to get everything done

00:45 and also staying on top of my workouts

00:48 and just finding things other than volleyball

00:51 to occupy my time.

00:53 - When did you start really playing the game

00:55 and who inspired you to love volleyball in general?

00:59 - My dad played volleyball at FEU.

01:02 Go time arounds.

01:03 Ever since then, I was kind of around volleyball

01:06 'cause my dad would go play in open gyms

01:09 with his Navy buddies over there.

01:11 And sometimes he would take my aunt and myself

01:14 and we would just sit there.

01:15 We hated it.

01:16 We didn't like dodging all the volleyballs

01:18 and we were never into it.

01:19 But one day my aunt decided to pick up on it

01:23 and she had so much fun with it.

01:26 And then in one of her middle school practices,

01:29 I was just sitting down in the gym waiting to go home.

01:32 They just needed another body on the course.

01:34 I was like, okay, I guess I'll join.

01:36 And ever since then,

01:37 I was told that I should play volleyball.

01:39 - It was not love at first sight for you, volleyball.

01:41 - Absolutely not.

01:42 So my very first sport I would say was tennis.

01:46 My mom put my aunt and I in like tennis lessons.

01:49 Hated that.

01:50 I just like swat the bags

01:51 and not really focus on playing tennis.

01:53 I did cheerleading for five years and basketball.

01:58 And it was crazy because I would do cheer

02:00 and basketball at the same time.

02:02 So it was like, I was bouncing around

02:04 for practices and competitions and games all the time.

02:07 I also like golfing.

02:08 - How would you describe your run

02:10 in the pro league here in the Philippines?

02:12 - It's been really interesting

02:13 since the first year I got here, which was 2015.

02:17 The offensive style was really different

02:20 from what I was used to.

02:21 I was seeing all these like high sets,

02:23 super high digs, and like,

02:25 it just was a lot of defense here.

02:27 And then fast forward to present day,

02:30 like all the teams are starting to go fast

02:32 and I'm loving it.

02:33 I'm like, this is awesome.

02:34 This is, that's part of growing the game.

02:36 You know, I learned a lot

02:38 and I'm glad to see volleyball evolve more

02:41 in the Philippines.

02:42 - Can you walk us through the process

02:45 of getting into the Korean volleyball league?

02:47 - I got a text from my agent asking

02:50 if I would like to enter the COVO draft.

02:53 And of course she told me MJ would be part of it too.

02:56 And I was just like, you know what?

02:58 Let's take a chance.

03:00 Let's just do it.

03:01 We get to the draft and obviously MJ gets picked.

03:04 I don't get picked.

03:05 And you go into these things just hoping for the best,

03:09 but also understanding that at the end of the day,

03:12 it's a business, you know,

03:14 they're gonna choose whoever they're gonna choose

03:16 and you have to be okay with whatever outcome happens.

03:18 I had accepted it and kind of, you know,

03:21 moved on from not being chosen.

03:23 Then just a couple of weeks ago,

03:25 I get a text from my agent again.

03:27 Are you still interested in playing in South Korea?

03:30 I said, whoa, absolutely.

03:33 Yeah, a hundred percent.

03:34 Like, why wouldn't I?

03:35 From then it just, it's like, okay, how do we do this?

03:38 What's the next steps?

03:39 What's all this stuff?

03:40 We have to go through all this paperwork,

03:41 which is, you know, taking a long time, of course,

03:44 but it's exciting and it's kind of nerve wracking.

03:47 And also it's truly stepping into the unknown for me

03:51 because I'm going into a country

03:54 I've never been to before.

03:56 I'm gonna play in a league

03:57 that I have never played in before.

03:59 And it's gonna be a brand new experience

04:01 being an actual import with like no family in that country.

04:06 It's been a crazy process.

04:07 Everyone was really supportive and very excited.

04:09 When I told my teammates,

04:11 that was like the most emotional thing.

04:13 And I was like, oh my gosh, this is crazy.

04:15 And like, everyone was screaming and like hugging me

04:17 and everything.

04:18 That was the most fun part of revealing to everyone.

04:21 - So you told me about MJ being your best friend

04:24 and being the first Filipina.

04:25 And now you are the next one to venture in Korea.

04:28 How did she react with that news?

04:31 And how was that for you?

04:32 - So excited to call her and just tell her the news.

04:35 I'm like, thinking back on it,

04:37 we just kind of started screaming on the phone together.

04:40 And she's like, oh my God, that's so awesome.

04:42 Like we have this joke that we are inseparable.

04:46 Look at us now, we're still gonna be inseparable.

04:48 It's amazing.

04:49 It's gonna be so exciting.

04:50 She actually is gonna be a few hours away from where I live.

04:53 I'll be in Seoul.

04:55 I forgot, I don't wanna try to pronounce the province

04:57 or city she's in because I don't wanna butcher it already.

05:00 I'm excited for more adventures with her

05:02 and face her on the volleyball court again.

05:05 It's pretty cool to represent the Philippines together.

05:07 - All right, so I know you're so excited for it,

05:10 but how are you preparing for this transition of yours?

05:13 - I'm just doing what I normally would do in life.

05:17 Like go to church, I talk to my family.

05:19 I've been talking to my mentors a lot more about everything.

05:23 And I've reached out,

05:25 especially like to my coaching mentors back home.

05:28 They've kind of helped me mentally prepare for this.

05:31 And physically I'm just doing my workouts

05:34 that I've been given and also other things, you know,

05:36 you guys have seen everything, but yeah,

05:38 just trying to stay in shape.

05:40 But also remembering to live life at the same time.

05:44 - So what are your expectations Iris

05:46 entering this new chapter?

05:48 - It's gonna be a huge test of my character and, you know,

05:52 my mental and physical capabilities as well.

05:56 A brand new experience is always gonna bring out

05:58 different things in you.

06:00 I know that it's gonna be tough in the gym,

06:03 competition wise,

06:04 and the culture is gonna be really different.

06:07 You go into these things where you just have to figure it

06:10 out as you go along and make small adjustments

06:12 as much as you can.

06:13 - You said a grateful heart is a magnet for miracles.

06:17 And what does that quote mean for you?

06:21 - That's basically like one of my top life mottos.

06:25 A few years ago, I started a mental health journey.

06:29 I had a life coach and we would just work on a lot

06:31 of things internally.

06:33 At one point it clicked with me that I need to find things

06:38 and people to be grateful for.

06:39 And that's from the smallest things to like the biggest

06:42 things that have happened in my life.

06:43 Ever since that moment, it's been an everyday thing.

06:47 It's the energy that you're giving,

06:49 it's the energy that you're receiving and open to receiving.

06:53 So being grateful has literally changed my life.

06:57 - So thank you for that Iris.

06:59 I know that you are so busy right now,

07:01 but still you managed to, you know,

07:03 come here and do this interview.

07:05 So let's go to the lighter questions.

07:08 What are you gonna miss most about playing here

07:10 and the film?

07:11 - Just having fun with life.

07:13 Like I can call up some of my cousins.

07:16 I have a lot of family here.

07:17 I have a lot of friends here and be like,

07:18 oh, let's just, you know, go to BGC.

07:20 Let's have a, you know, lunch day, whatever.

07:22 So I'll definitely miss my friends.

07:24 I'll miss the island.

07:25 I'm a true island girl at heart.

07:27 And I'll just miss the other foreigner friends

07:31 I've made here.

07:32 My circle is just from a bunch of different stories

07:36 and cultures around the world.

07:37 And it's been awesome.

07:39 - Three top spots in BGC

07:41 and three beach travel destinations for you.

07:44 - BGC, high street, 'cause there's a lot of things there.

07:47 La Picarra is one of my favorite restaurants.

07:50 Just BGC in general.

07:52 Let's just call it BGC in general.

07:55 - All right, all right.

07:56 How about the island?

07:57 - Well, first of all, Belair, Sabang Beach.

07:59 That is my place.

08:01 That's my province.

08:02 I took a trip to Baracay.

08:04 I love the beach at Baracay.

08:06 I think Coron was the other beach I've been to.

08:09 - Aside from that, let's talk about your F2 teammates.

08:12 What are you gonna miss most about them?

08:14 - Just laughing with them.

08:16 Oh my gosh, they're so funny.

08:17 - Who's your closest?

08:18 - Probably Abby.

08:19 She's just so awesome.

08:20 I'm close with most of them.

08:22 It's like an age gap type of thing,

08:24 but I love all my teammates.

08:26 I'm close with every single one in a different way,

08:29 but Abby's actually a huge reason why I got to F2.

08:33 And she knows that,

08:34 and I have thanked her so much for that.

08:37 I think we have a tita bond

08:38 that we've established over the years.

08:40 - So aside from playing Iris,

08:42 you're also dancing during your free time.

08:45 You've uploaded a lot of reels and videos on SockMed app.

08:50 So how has that helped you out?

08:53 - I am a firm believer in athletes

08:57 doing many different sports

09:00 because it's just gonna make you a better athlete

09:02 and it's being able to move your body in different ways.

09:06 - Are there some Korean words

09:08 that you wanting to know more,

09:11 greetings that you have learned already?

09:13 - I have practiced them to myself.

09:16 I don't think I'm brave enough to say it

09:18 on a live interview,

09:20 but there's "de" which is like, yes, I think.

09:24 I am determined to learn a volleyball Korean terms at least.

09:29 - The language barrier would be hard for you,

09:31 but of course, for sure, you would really adapt

09:33 to your new environment, to your new teammates,

09:36 and we hope nothing but the best for you, Iris.

09:40 - Thank you.

09:41 - Thank you so much.

09:43 And you know, that ends our interview.

09:45 If there's anyone you want to shout out,

09:47 you may do so now.

09:48 - Shout out to my family back home, the Tolonadas,

09:52 and also my best friends back home.

09:54 Shout out to all the volleyball fans here in the Philippines

09:58 and all over the world.

09:59 Thank you guys so much for your support.

10:01 And I hope that you guys keep reaching for your dreams

10:05 and dreaming bigger than you have ever imagined.

10:08 - All right.

10:09 That's so great to hear from you, Iris.

10:11 Again, this is Iris Tolonada and I am Maryse Domingo.

10:14 This is ABS-CBN Sports.

10:15 Kinoy, ang lalo.

10:16 (upbeat music)

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Kilalanin natin ang Pinay na maglalaro sa Korean Volleyball League | Iris Tolenada | ABS-CBN Sports

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