3 days Ago
Petro Gazz Angels’ Brooke Van Sickle in Game 3 of the PVL quarterfinals against ZUS Coffee.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net MANILA, Philippines — From warm greetings to willingly obliging for pictures, Petro Gazz ace Brooke Van Sickle made sure to spend time with her fans moments after leading Petro Gazz to a spot in the PVL All-Filipino semifinals on Tuesday night.
Van Sickle only made her PVL debut in February of last year but she quickly rose to popularity, establishing herself as one of the league’s best players by winning the MVP award. But she never imagined having a huge following let alone her own fanbase. “I have no words for it because I was not expecting it at all.
It’s awesome, and I don’t think I deserve it. Like, I really don’t think I deserve this love and support as much as these people and this group of wonderful individuals have given me,” Van Sickle told Inquirer Sports after Petro Gazz booted out ZUS Coffee, 25-21, 25-19, 25-23, in a do-or-die quarterfinals Game 3. “And it’s really cool to be able to just, you know, especially with my parents not being here, and to be able to have a group just being able to be there and supporting.
Even after a tough loss, like, they’re right there in my corner, always messaging me:’ Hey, the next one, you got it.’ and just a lot of motivational quotes.” Petro Gazz star Brooke Van Sickle and her fan Justine Grace Fronda, a high school teacher from Zamboanga share a laugh after the Angels’ Game 2 win in the PVL quarterfinals against ZUS Coffee at Ynares Center in Antipolo.
–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net The Filipino-American star has a growing fanbase dubbed Brooke Van Guardians with its members calling themselves “Brookies.” The group is led by a high school teacher from Zamboanga Justine Grace Fronda, who describes Van Sickle as her hero and lifesaver after the volleyball star inspired her to overcome the “darkest moments of her life.
” “It’s really nice to be able to have that. I’ve never had a fanbase before, so I’m super new to it. And I just hope that I continue to keep making them proud.
That’s the goal,” she added. Bigger than volleyball, Van Sickle hopes to use her platform to spread love. “I just come out here and play volleyball.
And it just goes to show that everyone in PVL, you don’t know how you can affect other people. And it doesn’t even matter about sports. In life, you don’t know what people are going through.
And how one little thing, like just holding the door open for somebody or saying hi to them could really just make someone’s day so much better,” she said. “I feel like the lesson learned is just more self-love in the world. And I feel like just to pick each other up.
And I know that might not be some people’s style. But, hey, let’s make the world a better place.” Heading into the round-robin semifinals with Creamline, Choco Mucho, and Akari, Van Sickle hopes to make her fans prouder and repay their trust and support since day one.
“Some of the bigger teams, like, they have fan bases where it can be really stressful. And, you know, the result is like you have to win, you have to do this because it’s expected. But for my fans, I feel like they’re just good people.
Like, they don’t expect me to, I mean, they want me to win a championship. But it’s not mandatory,” Van Sickle said. Subscribe to our daily newsletter By providing an email address.
I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy . “I feel like we have this good relationship where they’re supporting me even if it’s not going well or if it’s going well. I just want to be able to do that for them, too.
Because, again, you don’t know what people are going through in life. Spread love.”.
