The archery range is just another extension of the Villamor’s Residence as Charmaine Villamor and her father Andy takes their daughter-father relationship into a serious archer-coach relationship during their intense trainings.
Without a doubt, this Cordilleran archer already started shooting her way to fame in the world of sports having earned gold medals in the 40, 50, 60 meters and the single FITA during the Palarong Pambansa 2017, and finishing fourth with her teammates in the World Youth Championships.
However, behind every gold hit by the arrows of the Cordilleran Archery Champion, the younger Villamor has the all-out support of her dad, who also happens to be her coach. After being able to bag numerous medals from various archery games, be it local or international competitions, Charmaine would always look up to her father for coaching her and supporting her in every step she takes in her journey in the field of archery.
Before being one of the top young archers in the Philippines, Charmaine’s interest in the said sporting activity just started when she saw her brother play his bow and arrow, sparking the little sister’s fascination and interest in the game of Archery. At that very moment, Andy did not hesitate to encourage Charmaine to pick her bow and arrows up and pursue this interest of hers in the game.
Even before Charmaine’s interest in archery began, Andy already showed how supportive of a father he is when he also took the time to learn the game the same time when his elder son started playing the said sport.
“Actually parang nabigla lang ako when we had our tour at the athletic bowl. Nagjo-jog kami sa oval, at may nakita siyang naga-archery, sabi niya ‘Dad yan ang gusto kong sports’ and since nag decide siya ng ganoon. As a father, kailangan ko ring matutunan ang archery para ma-support ko yung kaniyang desire na maging archer” Andy recalled.
Andy admitted that he takes it seriously with Charmaine when it comes to their training. According to him, their father-daughter relationship happens inside their home, and during breaks, but when it comes to tournaments and trainings, it is more of a serious athlete-coach training.
For Charmaine, her dad’s image to her is “tatay na coach”. A “tatay” because in tournaments, the kind of support Andy shows to her is the kind of support that only a father can give; and at the same time a “coach” because he instills discipline to her and reminds her how important it is not to lose focus in the game.
According to Charmaine, there are plenty of things she have learned from her father inside the archery arena that she do not get to see inside their home, such as how her dad handles pressure. In times of competitions, it is natural for a coach to be nervous for his trainee every time the athlete enters the playing field. With this, of course there is more reason for Andy to be more nervous because not only is he the coach, but also the parent of the athlete.
The two of them admit that having or being a parent coach is as good as how challenging it could be. As they said, there are instances that there will be conflicts between the two sides and there are times that one does not take seriously the other, but later on, they will still both agree that they have to respect each other not only as a father and daughter, but also as a coach and a trainee. However, they still emphasized that playing the same sports together help them nurture their filial relationship.
The dad-daughter combo is like hitting two birds at the same time, wherein strengthening family bond and winning archery competitions are being achieved with a single stone, which is the engagement in sporting activities.
Just like how an arrow is being directed by the archer, the parent of a child should always support and direct their child in whatever sporting activity he or she chooses. As said by Andy, It is not only that you would buy the children the necessary equipment they need, but more than that is the parents’ actual attention and interest in the sport their children are playing.
While other athletes only see their parents’ presence in their respective games as an additional contributor of pressure in the arena, Charmaine sees her father-coach as an inspiration in every arrow she shoots. With the strong coach-athlete relationship of the Villamors, built on the foundation of a father-daughter bond, it is no doubt that these two Cordillerans will someday dominate the world archery rankings with their arrows and unwavering support to each other.
By: JAPHETH TOBIAS
