FORMER Ateneo de Manila University standout Jhoanna Maraguinot has opened up about her decision to retire from volleyball, saying the sport gradually stopped giving her the fulfillment it once did.
Maraguinot, now 30, revealed in an interview with DWAR Abante Radyo’s Net Flicks program on Tuesday that she retired last year after years of competing at the collegiate and professional levels.
The decision, she said, was not made overnight.
Maraguinot had already been contemplating retirement as early as 2022 or 2023, when she began asking close friends and fellow volleyball players whether it was time for her to walk away.
She ultimately decided to continue playing and eventually regained her passion for the sport.
But another turning point came later when an injury sidelined her.
Instead of viewing the injury simply as a setback, Maraguinot began to see it as an opportunity to reassess what she wanted from volleyball and from life.
“Honestly, I think ano siya? Hindi ko na siya nai-enjoy,” Maraguinot said when asked what led to her retirement.
“Parang hindi na siya fulfilling as before na parang dati sobrang excited ko na training kahit training lang, excited ako mag-training na parang hindi ko kailangan i-drag iyung sarili ko pagpunta sa training.”
Maraguinot said she noticed a significant change in how she viewed her role within the team. Rather than feeling frustrated about being outside the playing rotation, she discovered that helping her teammates was becoming more meaningful to her.
“May point na siguro tinitreat ko iyung injury ko na blessing in disguise siya,” she said.
She recalled realizing that she found greater satisfaction in encouraging and guiding teammates when they were struggling than in being on the court herself.
“Mas fulfilling sa akin if I would help my teammates na to guide them, to help them,” she said.
That realization eventually convinced Maraguinot that it was time to close the chapter on her playing career.
She said she had also reached a point where she wanted to experience life beyond the highly regimented lifestyle required of a professional athlete.
During her playing days, everything from training and nutrition to sleep and recovery had to be carefully managed.
Retirement has given her greater freedom to determine how she spends her time and take a less rigid approach to her daily routine.
Maraguinot has since started working at Sunny 16 Lab, a film laboratory, and is adjusting to a conventional work schedule after years of being a full-time athlete.
She acknowledged that the transition also meant a significant change financially and professionally, particularly because volleyball had been her primary career and she had limited experience in a traditional workplace.
Still, Maraguinot said she has embraced being a beginner again.
The former Ateneo star now describes her post-volleyball life as quieter and more peaceful, but she does not consider her retirement an end to her connection with the sport.
Instead, she believes stepping away from competition has allowed her to discover a different way of being part of the volleyball community.
“I’m still happy sa kung ano man iyung na-achieve ko today,” she said. “For me, sobrang daming lesson na naturo sa akin na itong competition na to. Sobrang daming gasolina na ito para sa akin.” (Adrian Co)
