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Fri 29 March 2024

Tales from the courtside: Trish Roque

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Trish Roque dons the UP Pep Squad's uniform during the team's back-to-back bid during the UAAP Cheerdance Competition in 2008. File photo by Roehl Niño Bautista,

If you’re a kid of the 90’s, the show ATBP will most likely be top of mind when Trish Roque’s name pops up. Known as Patricia Ann (her full name) back then, she got her start in showbusiness after finishing second runner up in Eat Bulaga’s Little Miss Philippines contest. She went on to become one of the most popular child stars of her time, acting in films alongside big names like Maricel Soriano and Christopher de Leon. Although the two-time FAMAS Best Child Actress nominee eventually decided to lay low from showbiz to focus on her studies, she finally stepped back into the limelight a few years ago for her longtime dream: courtside reporting.

“I’ve always wanted to be a courtside reporter since I started watching the UAAP in high school,” Trish shares. She tried out for the UP courtside reporting stint in 2008; after surviving a panel interview and a second screening where she was asked to do an extemporaneous report, she got the job. “A few days later, I was called back for a supposed third audition, but it turned out that they asked us to come to tell us that we made it.”

Since Trish was already friends with most of the members of the UP Fighting Maroons Men’s Basketball Team, it was easy for her to interview them and get the inside scoop. “They loved making fun of me especially since I’m not that tall. Coach Aboy Castro was also new then so everyone was trying to adjust and blend in—it was a fun group,” she recalls.

Her UAAP courtside reporting career debuted on a high note, as the Maroons ended their winless streak with a victory over the NU Bulldogs. “It’s exciting to be in the middle of all the action—I loved everything about being a courtside reporter!” says Trish. And even if she was not spared from harsh comments regarding her style of reporting, she considers herself lucky because she didn’t have haters or bashers.

Now reporting for TV 5, Trish applies her journalism education and her courtside reporting experience in the field of broadcasting. Photo courtesy of Trish Roque.

For Trish, her most unforgettable courtside reporting moment is Season 71’s cheerdance competition. “We were required to wear our school pep squad’s uniform. It was fun to dress like a cheerleader and introduce the UP Pep, but it was so much more enjoyable when it was announced that they won,” she adds.

Albeit Trish only had a year to report for UP, she says the experience was definitely one for the books. Besides making her college life more fun, courtside reporting has also helped her become more confident—a trait that is very useful to her present career. “Courtside reporting helped me develop quick thinking and it’s very helpful to me now when I deliver reports and have to write them in just a matter of minutes,” Trish says.

Currently a news reporter for TV5, the journalism graduate is assigned to cover the Quezon City beat, particularly the Ombudsman and the Sandiganbayan, among others. “I just want to establish myself as a credible journalist. We have a young but competitive organization, and I want to concentrate on delivering my stories well,” muses Trish, who has plans of making a documentary and also hopes to be a news anchor.

But while she already makes a name for herself in the field of broadcast journalism, she still carries with her the wonderful lessons and memories from her courtside reporting days. “I miss bonding with the team, attending their practices, listening in during timeouts, and just being there—whether they win or lose,” Trish adds.

(Running throughout the UAAP Season, ‘Tales from the courtside’ catches up with former courtside reporters who have charmed sports fans and televiewers alike during their term as representatives of the association’s member universities. Previously featured were Tracy Abad and Sharon Yu)

 



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