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ABL 2020 SEASON HIGHLIGHT By Chiqui Paterno |
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On March 8, 2020, 12 of 30 divisions had finished their season. By then, COVID was looming large. While events all over the country were already being cancelled, the ABL was still set to finish the remaining 18 division championships on Saturday, March 14, 2020. As concerns grew, the ABL Fellowship Dinner and Awards Night had been cancelled and only the games would be played. Two days before the final day of ABL 2020, the country went into lockdown. For the first time in its 20-season history, the ABL had games not push through as scheduled. Soon after, it was announced that ABL 2020 would be completed once the situation normalized. As days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months, there were suggestions to officially end the season and declare joint champions for the remaining 18 divisions. It was decided that teams should have an option to complete the season on the court no matter how long it took. As the country and the school opened up this year, arrangements to finish the 2020 season were made. 35 of the 36 teams confirmed that they would play with only one Law School team unable to play due to the overlap with the bar exams. 17 of 18 division championships were scheduled to be played. At 11:00 AM on Saturday, November 12, 2022, the AHS 2005 Division championship tipped off and the resumption of the 2020 season began. The remaining 17 games were played on November 19, 27, and December 4. Around 5:45pm on Sunday, December 4, the Sevilla Division championship was done and the ABL 2020 season officially came to a close. The games had all the emotions of an ABL championship match. Given what the world had been through the past two years, there was a common joy for all the teams that the real victory was that the games were finally played again. After more than two years, our lives were returning back to normal and an important tradition for many in the Ateneo community was back again. A common question now being asked is when the next ABL season will be. Right now, the only answer is that the target is to hold it sometime in 2023 as issues need to be addressed. There are the new protocols that need to be developed and implemented. A new administration took over the Ateneo and with it comes new office structures and systems. The Blue Eagle Gym, one of our primary venues, is scheduled for a major renovation in the coming months. Many of the venues we would use in previous years are not as readily available. The academic calendar for the grade school, junior and senior high schools have also shifted. The next ABL season will be a rebuilding one. All the concerns listed above need to be addressed in a manner that will set a solid foundation for the continuation of the ABL not only next year but beyond. If anything, the completion of the 2020 season this past month has shown that the ABL is a tradition that still has a place in the Ateneo community. That should be enough of an impetus to ensure that the ABL will continue at some point in the future.
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