For me to get better, I need to do my best in everything. Whether it's cleaning the floors in the dojo or doing basic dribbling, I have to do or give my best regardless of what the task is.
Throughout her pursuit of excellence, discipline is a value that athlete and marketing professional Erica Samonte has never dared let go of. Her story starts in sports, a journey she realized would be a lifelong ride when she enrolled in MILO BEST Center, a basketball sports clinic. What started as struggles in dribbling ended in success, with her making her way through the varsity teams across her elementary, high school (Jose Abad Santos Memorial School), and college (Ateneo de Manila, Team B) years.
But apart from basketball, Samonte is also renowned in and remains involved with the world of karate. Initially interested in trying out another sport, she was eventually convinced to take taekwondo due to the sport reminding her of iconic action star and martial artist, Jackie Chan.
What started as a chance encounter would impact the very course of Samonte’s life. She saw her natural skill in karate and strove to be as best as she could in it, advancing from one belt to the next and winning one competition after another until she made it to the national team. But karate was not the only thing Samonte was doing; because apart from the milestone of making it to the national team, she was also balancing her career as a marketing expert. With this setup, discipline was non-negotiable in her routine.
And by discipline, it meant having to start her days waking up at 4 AM to get to her training base in Pasig. From 6 to 7:30 AM, she’d train as much and as best as she could, until it came time for her to devote the next stretch to preparing for her corporate work. She’d travel from Pasig to Quezon City to work eight hours straight in her office, honing her craft; then travel back to Pasig by day-end to resume training. She’d wrap up her day by around 9 PM, at which point she’d head home, only to repeat this the next day.
Samonte ultimately reaped the benefits of her hard work. She won her first SEA Games in 2011, winning two bronzes for team kumite and individual kumite for the below-50kg bracket. Four years later, she got two silvers at the International Shotokan Karate Federation (ISKF) Goodwill Games held in California, for team kumite and team kata. A year later, she won at the ISKF Master Camp in Philadelphia, this time bringing home gold in the black belt kumite event. She graced the SEA Games again in 2017, winning a bronze in team kumite; and most recently, clinched a gold at the ISKF Shoto Cup, again for team kumite.
All in all, Samonte’s achievements boil down to three values. She shares: “The biggest [value I’ve picked up] would be discipline – in that you're able to work on things and finish things early. Second is to be present in what you're doing, so you make the most of the time you have for that. Work ethic for me is another big thing – this is something I echo to my kids. I tell them, ‘Even if you're just doing pushups, make sure you have the best pushups.’ Last is respect. In karate, you fight other people so there's always that aspect of respect in terms of respecting your opponent, your sensei, the place of practice.”
Today, best is what Samonte still aspires for. She continues her career in marketing and communications, which she shares gives her the opportunity to make a social impact. She also remains devoted in her sports career, teaching karate to kids ranging 6-14 years old every Sunday in Makati while also passing down to them the very values that she herself learned from sports when she was younger.
With so many achievements under her belt, Samonte’s advice to future champions remains simple: Give your best, and allow your obstacles to make you stronger rather than block you and stop you.
