16/11/2025
๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ | MAJAestic Serve: How Instinct Wins the Game
๐ฃ๐บ ๐๐ฐ๐ฉ๐ฏ ๐๐บ๐ฏ๐บ๐ณ๐ฅ ๐๐ข๐ฏ๐ช๐ต๐ข๐ฏ๐ฐ
๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฏ๐จ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ด๐ฆ๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ธ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด.
When a person builds a reputation of belonging on the podium, it becomes the image people grow accustomed to, and that eventually turns into a weight the person is expected to carry. For Maja, playing was not an act of proving anything, but a celebration of the instinct that now moves effortlessly within her.
๐ฆ๐๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐๐
Ma. Juroelene Angela R. Lucas, or Maja, a 2nd-year BS Nursing student, thrives on juggling multiple rolesโa student, an officer, and an athlete. She has learned to balance her time, giving her all to each role. Though her routine can be relentless, she meets every challenge with the determination of someone who refuses to be outplayed.
As a student-athlete, her roots trace not to tennis, but to badmintonโthe sport that first taught her the swing. In 4th grade, she joined the Laoag City Meet Division and reached the semifinals. Yet, as a first-timer, her first loss became her earliest heartbreak in sport. After the match, a talk with her dad introduced her to tennis, which she believed could open doors, even for scholarships.
Young Maja, still finding her footing on the tennis court, was inspired by clips of Maria Sharapova, introduced to her by her dad. Sharapovaโs Grand Slam win at 17 ignited Majaโs early spark in tennis. Badminton, once her familiar court, gradually gave way as she realized she was meant to take root on a different lawn.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ป ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฆ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด
Her footwork found its rhythm after four months of training, and soon her dad signed her up to represent Laoag City in the R1AA Meet for womenโs lawn tennis. She lost her first match, but it didnโt stop her. Encouraged by her dad, she trained harder, building the discipline that would become the foundation for the golden podium she was yet to reach.
She committed an entire year to training, and eventually her dad allowed her to join tournaments outside Ilocos Norte. Her first trophy may have been symbolic, as she was able to hold it in the highlands of Baguio. This made her genuinely happy, motivating her to keep going. When the R1AA Meet returned, she won silver for two consecutive years, stood proudly on the podium, and qualified for Palarong Pambansa.
Still, a question lingered within her: โIs this enough? I still havenโt won gold.โ
That drive led her to join more tournaments, rise through the national rankings, and steadily improve. She soon began winning consistently, eventually reaching Rank 7 in the Philippines for the 14-under division. Competing internationally taught her new lessons in each match and revealed how distinct every athleteโs style is, compared to what she was used to.
๐ช๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ
Joining this yearโs UniGames was not an effortless stride for Maja. That is the silent burden when victory whispers for moreโhaving her reputation as a gold medalist in both last yearโs UniGames and SCUAA Regional Games become a weight she carried.
Expectations were clear, and in her own words: โHindi lang ito sa iba, pero pati na rin sa akin.โ She did not want to disappoint her teammatesโor the college she represents. But how could a student like Maja, whose life revolved around juggling countless roles, truly prepare for this yearโs event?
The truth: she didnโt. And in that tension lay both her struggle and her advantage. She had no warm-ups, likely just coming off exams or case presentations, yet she stepped onto the court ready to face whatever came her way.
And, against all odds, she managed to claim two gold medalsโone in womenโs lawn tennis singles, and another in mixed doubles alongside fellow champion Kyle Angelo C. Lorenzo. The lack of preparation was indeed mentally intimidating, but Maja turned it into motivation to stay present and rely on instinct.
The pressure to bag another gold was not a factor to panic, but a reason to simplify her gameโby using โutakโ (mind) rather than emotions that could blur her focus. In her words: โPressure can only affect you if you allow it.โ Thus, she chose calmness and a smile, trusting her experience and letting her natural game emerge.
๐๐๐น๐น ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐น๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐
This victory was a nod to her rootsโfor the Maja she once was, who might have hoped for the win, but never could have imagined how it would unfold.
The gold medals were more than just a tangible reward for winningโthey were yet another collection added to young Majaโs checklist. They represent the courts she delved into, the aces she rallied, and the missed shots along the way. Setbacks came like tricky serves she couldnโt return, pushing her to adjust, focus, and grow.
And when the medals finally settled around her neck, one thought resonated in her mind: โMalagip ko nga haan lang tay pinangabak ko, ngem daydiay pinagrigatak ken kinatibker ko iti nangiturong kanyak ditoy.โ
In that moment, everything came full circle. The sweat, setbacks, and quiet persistence of her younger self had shaped the instinct and steadfast mindset she now carriesโproof that once planted, roots guide every stroke of the journey.
