In Philippine sports, one learns to be grateful for every piece of good news - no matter how small or late in the game it comes. Over the years, nothing much has changed since I last trained and competed for flag and country. But despite the issues, the lack of support, or the politics that continue to hound Philippine sports; to be part of it remains a commitment that athletes embrace.
Less than five weeks to go before the Guangzhou Asian Games and yet many athletes still have not had the opportunity to train or compete abroad. National Sports Associations (NSA) that have the means to send their athletes and coaches abroad for training fare much better than those that depend largely on the support of the Philippine government through its various agencies.
The much coveted international training and exposures are still among those at the top of every athlete's wish list. Still, one of the many things I learned in all those years as an athlete, it was that at the heart of it all was the love for the sport.
As another major event approaches, I wish all athletes especially those in the sports I am and have been part of, the best of luck.
Philippine Rowing Association
The athletes who are competing at this year's Asian Games continue their training at the La Mesa Dam. Their competitors like the Iraqi rowers are training with the U.S. Team while others have been training in Europe for months now. Despite whatever disadvantages that present, the rowers are doing their best (like always) to prepare for the tough races that loom ahead.
Philippine Dragon Boat Federation
At one point the dragon boat team mulled pull-out from the RP Asiad delegation. I had an opportunity to talk with Mr. Ilagan about it and he told me they will not do it if they can help it. They have long waited for the approval of their request to train in LMD. The water there is much similar to the waters of the race course at the Guangdong International Rowing Centre, which I had the chance to see at the Asian Junior Rowing Championships last July.
Their request was recently approved. And they were given ten days to train at LMD before the "qualifying" time trials. That time trial was supposed to happen earlier today. I really hope that both men and women's teams successfully equalled or surpassed whatever time they were supposed to beat. If they did, they would be able to continue their training at LMD until before the Asian Games.
Wushu Federation of the Philippines
At last, the national wushu-sanshou athletes are finally leaving for their training at Shanxi province in China. They were supposed to have a 45-day training there but delays in their departure left with much less than that. It would not have mattered much if their Chinese coach was still around to train them. But he left months ago, leaving an Asiad bound team training on their own. As seasoned athletes, they did what they had to do to prepare. I sure hope, and I'm sure they do too, that all those training will be enough to win the much coveted Gold.
At the end of the day, all athletes who compete for flag and country are heroes. It does not matter if they win or lose the gold, silver, or bronze. Those who know what they experience and do for the love of sport would always think of them as winners.
Mabuhay ang atletang Pilipino!
Showing posts with label people. Show all posts
Showing posts with label people. Show all posts
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Saturday, August 9, 2008
A paper, old friends, and aging
I was reading the freebie newspaper - well, not exactly a freebie since I had to dole out a certain amount for the pie to get myself a copy, and saw this feature about PHI athletes who are in Beijing for the Olympics. I saw familiar names there, friends I've had the opportunity to share experiences with as fellow quartered athletes in RMSC.
There's Harry who's competing for boxing. Sadly, some of our other best bets didn't qualify. Despite that roadblock though, I'm sure Harry will do his best in Beijing same as he did in the Vietnam SEA Games when he won the lone gold for the boxing team (not because the other 5 who competed there was not up for the gold, but let me just say that it was one boxing fight I'll never forget because of how the crowd reacted to the judges' scoring).
Then there's Mariz who's currently the country's long-jump queen. If there's something I'm absolutely sure about her, she's not one to go down without a fight. She's a very determined soul and I know she would have prepared harder than ever for this event.
But what really captured my attention was seeing Sheila's age alongside her name. Sheila's diving skills are such that she earned herself another slot in the Olympics. I think she first competed in Sydney and this would be her second time to participate in the quadrennial event.
It says in the article that Sheila's now 23. I couldn't help but look back to that time I first met Sheila and all the other young divers that were recruited from Davao. They were just a bunch of little kids then who were uprooted from their hometown. For years after that, I've seen them mature not just mentally but in skill and talent as well. These are kids who grew up ahead of their peers. They helped me appreciate that among the many gifts that athletes get to have, it's their resilience in even the most adverse circumstances that I learned to admire most.
Sheila and the other divers have indeed grown. The numbers show how the years have passed by so quickly. In my mind, they were still the same kids I see everyday in the past. Happy kids who know hardships, who value discipline, who are committed, and who persevere.
I think the numbers made me realize how often I forget how old I really am. It made me think of this question I recently encountered ~ How old would you be if you didn't know your age? My answer to that is similar to my Japanese teammate's reply ~ ageless.
I know the numbers but I don't see any change in how I view things. The years for me are just opportunities to be whatever I want to be in every moment I wish to immerse myself in. Ageless is being a soul first before the physical embodiment of that soul. And the soul does not limit itself to judgments and restrictions. Young or old, a soul can be whatever it wants to be.
Today, my age would be of that girl who shared experiences with these athletes years back. I'm the girl who knows that these people who carry our country's flag with pride in the Beijing Olympics deserve all the prayers and support that we can give. I'm the girl who believes that regardless of the results in their respective events, they are already winners. After all, as Baron Pierre de Coubertin has said, "The important thing is not to win, but to take part."
There's Harry who's competing for boxing. Sadly, some of our other best bets didn't qualify. Despite that roadblock though, I'm sure Harry will do his best in Beijing same as he did in the Vietnam SEA Games when he won the lone gold for the boxing team (not because the other 5 who competed there was not up for the gold, but let me just say that it was one boxing fight I'll never forget because of how the crowd reacted to the judges' scoring).
Then there's Mariz who's currently the country's long-jump queen. If there's something I'm absolutely sure about her, she's not one to go down without a fight. She's a very determined soul and I know she would have prepared harder than ever for this event.
But what really captured my attention was seeing Sheila's age alongside her name. Sheila's diving skills are such that she earned herself another slot in the Olympics. I think she first competed in Sydney and this would be her second time to participate in the quadrennial event.
It says in the article that Sheila's now 23. I couldn't help but look back to that time I first met Sheila and all the other young divers that were recruited from Davao. They were just a bunch of little kids then who were uprooted from their hometown. For years after that, I've seen them mature not just mentally but in skill and talent as well. These are kids who grew up ahead of their peers. They helped me appreciate that among the many gifts that athletes get to have, it's their resilience in even the most adverse circumstances that I learned to admire most.
Sheila and the other divers have indeed grown. The numbers show how the years have passed by so quickly. In my mind, they were still the same kids I see everyday in the past. Happy kids who know hardships, who value discipline, who are committed, and who persevere.
I think the numbers made me realize how often I forget how old I really am. It made me think of this question I recently encountered ~ How old would you be if you didn't know your age? My answer to that is similar to my Japanese teammate's reply ~ ageless.
I know the numbers but I don't see any change in how I view things. The years for me are just opportunities to be whatever I want to be in every moment I wish to immerse myself in. Ageless is being a soul first before the physical embodiment of that soul. And the soul does not limit itself to judgments and restrictions. Young or old, a soul can be whatever it wants to be.
Today, my age would be of that girl who shared experiences with these athletes years back. I'm the girl who knows that these people who carry our country's flag with pride in the Beijing Olympics deserve all the prayers and support that we can give. I'm the girl who believes that regardless of the results in their respective events, they are already winners. After all, as Baron Pierre de Coubertin has said, "The important thing is not to win, but to take part."
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Power Woman
(I think that one of the best things we have for being alive is the time and the opportunity to meet people who can inspire and help us discover more things that we may otherwise fail to notice.
“We’re trying to remove the typical stereotype of women as being emotionally and physically weak, using the sport of running as our main medium to get the message across,” stresses De Leon.
Actually, De Leon and her family ARE the message. Older sister Sinag is considered one of the female pioneers of triathlon in the country. Younger sister Daniw has already begun participating in run races, and 12-year-old niece Raya has already started doing triathlons.
Mom Anna Leah Sarabia, a known advocate of women’s empowerment, whom De Leon ironically describes as “not having a single thread of athleticism in her body,” serves as her greatest inspiration.
“She has consistently shown strength of character from the time I could remember, up to now. She has always allowed us do our thing, while leading by example,” the daughter muses.
But De Leon is now in lonely territory, being the only homegrown Pinoy to compete in the Ironman Kona in Hawaii this October, an event that only about six percent of all triathlete applicants worldwide can get to start in, much less finish. A lifelong dream for this triathlete, the Ironman Hawaii will test every inch of what De Leon has become, and what she has become, she says, has been the result of thousands of decisions made every single day of her life. These are decisions, she proudly declares, that she has made herself.With such ironclad determination and character, who can doubt that De Leon is made of sterner stuff? Alas, ladies, the IronWoman cometh.
My friend, Ani, is one of those people that are such joy to find. I think that it is our chance to meet and celebrate life with people like her that is truly the amazing thing about every day that we get to wake up and explore.
Ani is truly a power woman. Her feats further make me firmly say to myself that everyone has a story to tell the world. All that is required is the zest to tell that story through actions that resonate far beyond words can ever achieve.)
Cover Story
Power Woman
By Aries Espinosa
By Aries Espinosa
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 03:14:00 03/23/2008
MANILA, Philippines - In recent years, the high walls that surround what has always been described as a “man’s world” have slowly been chiseled away, thanks to women who will not be boxed by tradition. These days, people no longer do a second take when they see women cab drivers, welders, soldiers, scientists and top level politicians.
But nowhere is the concept of woman empowerment more apparent—and more challenged—than in the world of sports. By sheer bulk and brawn—nature and testosterone at work—as well as constant practice under the approving gaze of a male-dominated world, men’s winning performance has set the gold standard for athletics. For the longest time, men have been believed to be the stronger sex.
Well, tell that to the Marines. Better yet, tell that to Ani Karina de Leon, multiple National Triathlon champion, who last Feb. 23 again emerged from the box labeled “petite, fragile woman inside, handle with care,” and emerged victorious in the Ironman triathlon in Langkawi , Malaysia .
Competing among a field of 700 triathletes, 22 of them fellow Filipinos, De Leon swam 3.8 km, biked 180 km, and ran 42 km for a back-breaking, lung-busting, muscle-tearing 12 hours, 21 minutes and 17 seconds, to cross the finish line first in her age category (30-34), leaving many of the supposedly stronger men eating her salty dust.
More importantly, De Leon’s victory earned her the right to represent the Philippines in the mecca of triathlons: the Ironman Hawaii in Kona this October. “I’m the first ever homegrown Filipino in history to qualify in Hawaii,” she says with justifiable pride. (Take that, you chauvinist iron man!)
And there’s no doubt as to her gender, either. This triathlete may swim, bike and run like Mars, but she’s got a soft spot when it comes to matters of the heart. In fact, she admits to a budding romance with another triathlete—a foreign male—but ssssh, mom doesn’t know just yet, she confesses sheepishly. Alright, we can print that, she says, “because I’m about to tell her anyway.”
That’s all in the future though. Right now, what she’d like to tell the world is how she started on the road to Langkawi, and eventually, to Hawaii.
It all started about 21 years ago, when she was 12, De Leon reveals. “I began as a gymnast, then took up swimming when I was 14 at the UP Integrated School.” Her coach and swim buddies apparently noticed her all-around strong physique and encouraged her to run and bike as well, as a way of “cross training” for her main sport of swimming.
In 1994, when she was 19, she joined her first triathlon, a “beginner’s” distance of 1.5 km swim, 40-km bike, and 10-km run. “I was traumatized after that,” she laughs, “and I didn’t join another triathlon until 2000.”
What actually kept her busy during that time was college. She concentrated on finishing her Interior Design degree in UP Diliman and passing her board exams. As an artist De Leon also painted, and was already working for an interior design firm when competitions beckoned once more.
She joined the national team from 2000 to 2006. “At first, my life was like 70 percent devoted to career and 30 percent to the sport, but then the ratio just slowly swung in favor of the triathlon side. Now, my life revolves 100 percent around the sport,” she explains.
More like 120 percent, if you look at De Leon’s typical week. That’s because aside from training her already well-conditioned body (read: 12-percent body fat) for upcoming triathlon events this year, she also trains the next generation of triathletes.
De Leon runs a race series for children 15 years old and below for the Superkids Youth Development program of the Triathlon Association of the Philippines (www.triathlon.org.ph, click on the Superkids link).
“More than just developing their skills and preparing these children physically for multi-sports such as triathlons, this program also develops their confidence to face life as a whole,” she explains.
De Leon also manages to find time to run the Pinay in Action race series and fitness programs. Pinay in Action, as described in www.pinayinaction.com, was “created primarily to uplift the lives of the Filipina…to empower women and girls by providing venues for a healthier lifestyle and tools and information for a better future. Organized by Senator and fellow triathlete Pia Cayetano, Pinay in Action’s principal advocacies include a year-long program that involves conducting running clinics nationwide for public schoolgirls (Check out pinayinaction.com).
First Posted 03:14:00 03/23/2008
MANILA, Philippines - In recent years, the high walls that surround what has always been described as a “man’s world” have slowly been chiseled away, thanks to women who will not be boxed by tradition. These days, people no longer do a second take when they see women cab drivers, welders, soldiers, scientists and top level politicians.But nowhere is the concept of woman empowerment more apparent—and more challenged—than in the world of sports. By sheer bulk and brawn—nature and testosterone at work—as well as constant practice under the approving gaze of a male-dominated world, men’s winning performance has set the gold standard for athletics. For the longest time, men have been believed to be the stronger sex.
Well, tell that to the Marines. Better yet, tell that to Ani Karina de Leon, multiple National Triathlon champion, who last Feb. 23 again emerged from the box labeled “petite, fragile woman inside, handle with care,” and emerged victorious in the Ironman triathlon in Langkawi , Malaysia .
Competing among a field of 700 triathletes, 22 of them fellow Filipinos, De Leon swam 3.8 km, biked 180 km, and ran 42 km for a back-breaking, lung-busting, muscle-tearing 12 hours, 21 minutes and 17 seconds, to cross the finish line first in her age category (30-34), leaving many of the supposedly stronger men eating her salty dust.
More importantly, De Leon’s victory earned her the right to represent the Philippines in the mecca of triathlons: the Ironman Hawaii in Kona this October. “I’m the first ever homegrown Filipino in history to qualify in Hawaii,” she says with justifiable pride. (Take that, you chauvinist iron man!)
And there’s no doubt as to her gender, either. This triathlete may swim, bike and run like Mars, but she’s got a soft spot when it comes to matters of the heart. In fact, she admits to a budding romance with another triathlete—a foreign male—but ssssh, mom doesn’t know just yet, she confesses sheepishly. Alright, we can print that, she says, “because I’m about to tell her anyway.”
That’s all in the future though. Right now, what she’d like to tell the world is how she started on the road to Langkawi, and eventually, to Hawaii.
It all started about 21 years ago, when she was 12, De Leon reveals. “I began as a gymnast, then took up swimming when I was 14 at the UP Integrated School.” Her coach and swim buddies apparently noticed her all-around strong physique and encouraged her to run and bike as well, as a way of “cross training” for her main sport of swimming.
In 1994, when she was 19, she joined her first triathlon, a “beginner’s” distance of 1.5 km swim, 40-km bike, and 10-km run. “I was traumatized after that,” she laughs, “and I didn’t join another triathlon until 2000.”
What actually kept her busy during that time was college. She concentrated on finishing her Interior Design degree in UP Diliman and passing her board exams. As an artist De Leon also painted, and was already working for an interior design firm when competitions beckoned once more.
She joined the national team from 2000 to 2006. “At first, my life was like 70 percent devoted to career and 30 percent to the sport, but then the ratio just slowly swung in favor of the triathlon side. Now, my life revolves 100 percent around the sport,” she explains.
More like 120 percent, if you look at De Leon’s typical week. That’s because aside from training her already well-conditioned body (read: 12-percent body fat) for upcoming triathlon events this year, she also trains the next generation of triathletes.
De Leon runs a race series for children 15 years old and below for the Superkids Youth Development program of the Triathlon Association of the Philippines (www.triathlon.org.ph, click on the Superkids link).
“More than just developing their skills and preparing these children physically for multi-sports such as triathlons, this program also develops their confidence to face life as a whole,” she explains.
De Leon also manages to find time to run the Pinay in Action race series and fitness programs. Pinay in Action, as described in www.pinayinaction.com, was “created primarily to uplift the lives of the Filipina…to empower women and girls by providing venues for a healthier lifestyle and tools and information for a better future. Organized by Senator and fellow triathlete Pia Cayetano, Pinay in Action’s principal advocacies include a year-long program that involves conducting running clinics nationwide for public schoolgirls (Check out pinayinaction.com).
“We’re trying to remove the typical stereotype of women as being emotionally and physically weak, using the sport of running as our main medium to get the message across,” stresses De Leon.
Actually, De Leon and her family ARE the message. Older sister Sinag is considered one of the female pioneers of triathlon in the country. Younger sister Daniw has already begun participating in run races, and 12-year-old niece Raya has already started doing triathlons.
Mom Anna Leah Sarabia, a known advocate of women’s empowerment, whom De Leon ironically describes as “not having a single thread of athleticism in her body,” serves as her greatest inspiration.
“She has consistently shown strength of character from the time I could remember, up to now. She has always allowed us do our thing, while leading by example,” the daughter muses.
But De Leon is now in lonely territory, being the only homegrown Pinoy to compete in the Ironman Kona in Hawaii this October, an event that only about six percent of all triathlete applicants worldwide can get to start in, much less finish. A lifelong dream for this triathlete, the Ironman Hawaii will test every inch of what De Leon has become, and what she has become, she says, has been the result of thousands of decisions made every single day of her life. These are decisions, she proudly declares, that she has made herself.With such ironclad determination and character, who can doubt that De Leon is made of sterner stuff? Alas, ladies, the IronWoman cometh.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)