SPOOKY SPORTS RELATED STORIES

Happy Halloween GSPN fans!

Today, some of the reporters from our staff have a special treat for our readers as they share a first hand experience with a spooky, creepy and mysteriously scary sports stories!

Read them, if you dare…

Running From The Light

By Robert Balajadia

Running is an easy enough form of exercise to understand and for the average runner, choosing a run site, time of day, and start and stop point are really all you’re prepared for. Although, one night of being unprepared for my normal exercise routine still gives me goosebumps.

I was beginning to fully incorporate a run routine into my busy college schedule in just my sophomore year at UOG in 2010. The course around the campus has become a mainstay for plenty of runners between the hours of 5-8 pm, which I too was starting to normally become a part of since running after classes was very convenient.

My classmates and I had just finished a group meeting in the UOG library around 7 pm and I had forgotten my running clothes at home so I couldn’t just go straight into my running routine, which was at least three laps around the campus.

After dilly dallying around at home, I was determined to continue running and I pushed myself out of the house to get back to the campus. I lived in Mangilao so the campus drive wasn’t a problem, but the 9:30pm start time was.

I had completely forgot to charge my iPod while at home so I was doomed for an unmotivated and unusually quiet run. Regardless, I did my usual three laps around the school and was taking my usual water break at my car parked across the Field House, close to the ROTC building. I was feeling ambitious that night and decided, “Hell, why not go one more lap.”

Running through the Dean’s Circle a little after 10 was already a bit creepy, but what happened there on an energy tank almost empty nearly sent me into shock. Mind you, I was the only one running around the campus that night.

Guam decided to go on one of those rare, few times a year, unexplainable island wide power outages as I was strolling through the Dean’s Circle. Everything was pitch black and I was still a ways away from my car with absolutely no source of light on me.

At that exact moment everything became louder – the crickets in the bushes, the wind whistling against the trees, and sounds of animals fighting. I tried to get a fixture of what was going on, though it was way too dark to see anything. My sweat instantly turned cold as I tried to at least zip out of that area, hoping the campus generator would have kicked in.

Instead, I see the campus from the Agriculture building completely black with no cars in the parking lot. There was a single light on from one of the rooms of the English & Communications building, though I didn’t stare long enough to figure out exactly which one.

I tried to jog faster to my car, making my way just past a pitch black and empty parking lot of Business Building, thinking the worst of this experience was just the night, and that strange light from that one campus room. I stopped for a second to look back, but my common sense and adrenaline kicked in telling me to continue running.

I spotted my car from my route, though I had noticed my inside lights were on. Still, I jumped in, turned on the car, and started my drive away from the campus while trying to catch my breath. It was still completely black around the campus with no sign of light anywhere. I passed by the English & Comm building again just to see if the light was on, which it was.

Though, the scariest part of my whole experience was seeing that light from the room turn off. Someone or something was in there.

Thrilling Basketball Game, Before or After?

By Mike Nauta Jr.

Coaches frequently, if not always have something prepared and planned for when game time arrives. I for one, like to have my student-athletes prepared both mentally and physically for whatever obstacle arises. Now most of our island’s people believe in the spirits of our ancestors otherwise known as “taotaomonas.” Well being from down south, the believe in our cultures, traditions, and heritage goes a long way, which is why one incident after a basketball game gave me not only the chills but a sense that we had our ancestors watching over our event and they weren’t prepared to call it a night.

A few years ago, myself, Coach Anthony Chargualaf and the Inarajan Middle School girls basketball team played host in a scheduled game. Now mind you, stories can be heard by very many different people that the area where the school is located has had its fair share of ancestral visitors. Anyhow, with both our A and B-teams doing so well in the season and poised to win a championship, our fan support was tremendous and can be heard by residents across the street in the housing area.

The night seemed to be going as expected with both teams executing their game plans and eventually garnering victories. Now, the usual routine happens after games like cleaning up the gym, securing the equipment and what not. Between Coach Chargualaf and myself we usually alternate shutting off the gym lights as it gets completely pitched black and its a hassle in itself getting through the entire gym and outside.

For some strange reason, the two of us decided to secure the gym together. So I switched the lights off, while Coach Chargualaf holds the doors in the opposite end open leaving a dim beam of light provided by streetlights outside. As I get to the other end, we exit the building and coach secures the door. Now of course, what person calls themselves Chamorro without staying back a few extra minutes to chit-chat.

With our wives (our biggest supporters) we talk about everything from what took place in the game to what our next plans are. Eventually we all decide it’s time to call it a night and we head to our cars. However, just as I was about to enter my vehicle I see this bright light coming out of a gym window that wasn’t closed. I said to myself I know I turned the lights off because coach even held the door open for me. After asking Coach Chargualaf he reassured me that we did.

We decide to go and open the door nearest to us and as we do, the gym lights are on like we never shut them off. Now one has to know that those lights take awhile to warm up and turn on brightly. Not wanting to spook anyone we decide to just leave as we had no explanation. The next morning, I asked the custodial/maintenance guys if the gym lights were on when they came in and they replied: “No, everything was secured properly by you guys, thank you.”

Call it what you want, but I think our ancestors, friends, spirits weren’t ready to call it a night or both teams provides them with a great game that evening.

Is that you Mr.Thompson?

By Jose Terlaje

While attending Father Duenas Memorial School in my high school years, I was often told my upperclassmen and the elder members of the school staff that strange things happen on the school grounds after dark.

I would hear all this talk from some people about ancient Chamorro spirits lingering on the campus grounds because it was where they once lived. Other people would tell me that the spirits of those that died on the grounds during World War II would often “visit” those that hung around the campus after dark. Some of the staff members would say that the phone would ring at the school when they stayed after hours to finish up some paperwork and when they checked the caller identification, it would be the school calling itself.

Being unable to figure out if any of those stories were true, I was very skeptical of my school being haunted. I didn’t believe it at all. I never bothered to go out and find the answers, mostly because of fear of the paranormal, but sometimes the answers end up finding you. My experience with the paranormal isn’t something very extreme but it was something that definitely freaks me out even up to this day.

In my senior year of high school, the FD graduating class of 1962 hosted a 5K Run under the school’s name because of their 50^th high school class reunion. Being a member of student council, I was assigned to go to FD at 3:30am, the morning of the 5K, to pick up the tables that were going to be used for the event which was held at Skinner Plaza.

That morning, I arrived at FD a bit early and Vice-Principal Tony Thompson arrived just a minute or two after me to unlock the Phoenix Center. Mr.Thompson unlocked the side entrance and then gave me the key to unlock the storage room so I could start loading the tables into the trucks for transport. Upon entering the storage room, I heard some footsteps in the hallway but didn’t think much of it.

I thought it was just Mr.Thompson coming in to see if I needed help but when I looked, he wasn’t there so I assumed he went to the other end of the Phoenix Center just to check things out. Then I started to bring some tables out into the hallway so that the others coming to aid me would have easier access to them, allowing things to run more smoothly.

While doing this, I heard a door slam at the far end of the hall. It didn’t bother me at first but then I heard another door slam and then another. I quickly yelled out, “Mr.Thompson is that you?!” but there was no reply. I was startled by all the noise so I dropped the table in my hands and ran outside.

When I got outside I was freaked out even more because Mr.Thompson was still outside waiting by his car and claimed to have never gone in to check on me. It would be impossible for him to get outside before me if he was the one slamming the doors at the far end of the Phoenix Center. I told him of my experience and refused to go back inside until the rest of the guys showed up just so I wouldn’t be alone if anything happened again.

After that experience I will never again set foot on that campus alone after dark.

Shadow on the court?

By Jeffrey Ochavillo

Everything in the Philippines is not only better, but they can be scarier too. In my trip to my dad’s province Garcia, Bohol, everything was good during the day, but everything changes when it gets dark.

One night, I was playing with my older cousins on a street court a couple blocks away from our house. The only light source we had was a streetlight that kept on flickering and dimming every other minute. After a quick game, we decided to go on the stage and just have our usual talks.

However, for me I was being already paranoid (I was 10 at the time) so I was observant of my surroundings. I kept dozing off at the windy trees and dark corners. However, what really scared me was when I took a quick turn at the corner near the back gate and I see a shadow of a human figure.

I thought I was just dizzy or hallucinating so I turned away. But after a minute I turned back, I saw another shadow at the opposite corner of the court and I could believe what I saw. Right when I about to question my cousins, the shadows runs back to the dark alley. I was so scared that I jumped and rushed to the back of my cousins.

They were telling me that there was a story of a little boy who had gotten into an accident and that he still roams around the area. But I didn’t want to believe it at all. That’s why whenever I go there, I stop playing right when the sun goes down and go straight home.