THE SIGHT of her running down the field can easily strike fear among her opponents, telling of this Lady Booter’s immense skills. But something else preoccupies the mind of 19-year-old Herlyn Mae Salmon—she dreams of becoming a cruise ship chef someday.
“I really want to become a chef and specialize on making desserts,” she admitted.
It was her grandmother who gave her invaluable secret recipes in cooking. Aside from that, she learned kitchen techniques by habitually watching cooking shows during her free time.
But despite this passion, Salmon did not consider throwing her football career to waste and remains bent on someday representing the country in international competitions, particularly in the South East Asian (SEA) Games.
The AB Asian Studies junior said he had always dreamed of becoming a member of the RP team, but the University would not allow her because it might interfere with her academics.
Nonetheless, her stint as a Lady Booter had opened a lot of opportunities for her, taking her to Sweden for the Gothia World Youth Camp, and Hong Kong for an invitational game.
First kick
Salmon inherited her passion for football from her father who patiently taught her the basics of the sport.
“My dad influenced me to play football. He was a [football] player also so he encouraged me to go out and play with the kids,” Salmon said.
Unfortunately, the sport had to take a backseat in her elementary years because her school in Davao did not offer a football program. After six years, her fervor for the game burned once more.
“I started playing again when I entered first year high school. Since then, I never stopped playing football,” she said.
Salmon became a mainstay in her hometown’s football scene where she reaped a number of individual awards. Eventually, scouts took notice.
Salmon found her way to UST when a coach from Cagayan recommended the Davao Under-17 standout to former UST Lady Booters coach Jade Bejemino.
“Coach Jade was reluctant to take me in because she had not seen me play yet. But she let me come to UST anyway and saw me play. It was only then that she picked me for the team,” she recalled.
Since then, Salmon has always been in the starting lineup and among the go-to girls in crucial games.
In the recently concluded Rexona Cup, she boosted UST’s offense against archrival Far Eastern University in the championship match, where she scored two out of the team’s five-point output. Her presence alone shackled FEU’s defense and her energy and enthusiasm seemed to have rubbed off on her teammates.
Despite the accolades, Salmon said she missed the company of her No. 1 fans: her parents.
“I miss my parents. I miss their [text messages] asking me ‘Saan ka na?’ because here we are very independent,” she said. “Financially, it is also hard because unlike in Davao, my P500 (allowance) gets consumed in just two to three days.”
Nonetheless, Salmon is thankful to have a mentor like head coach Rozano Estrabon, who acts as both her coach and friend.
“Coach [Estrabon] is a very good motivator. He jokes with us but when it comes to trainings, we have to be serious,” she said.
The Lady Booter likens playing football to the “game of life” where teamwork, good communication, open-mindedness, and hard work are essential. The game also taught her the value of humility.
“I used to be very proud but I changed it because I realized that I’ll not lose anything if I say sorry and become humble,” she said.
