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Grassroots Bayawan

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Why? Why? Why?
This was the title of fellow columnist William Ablong (Eye Opener, June 16, 2019) in this paper, questioning the expenditure of P37 million for the purpose of installing beach volleyball courts at the boulevard here in Dumaguete.

Unbelievable, was my first thoughts. P37 million for beach volleyball courts! Wow, what a waste! All that money for a sports event for which the Philippines hasn’t done very well in international competition.

In the 2017 South East Asian Games, the Philippines placed 4th in women’s volleyball, losing to Vietnam in the bronze medal contest. SEA is one of the weakest regions throughout the world.

I believe that question can be answered by asking first who are those behind this effort, and then ask why so much money in involved.

Oh, don’t get me wrong. I love volleyball, and even played some during my Navy days years ago.

But the burning dilemma is that other sports possible for development aren’t given the same opportunity.

I wrote an article last month about the need for additional training ovals for the sport of athletics throughout the City.

Of course, I know it’s only a dream, but a dream that could actually produce positive results.

These training ovals would allow athletes to train without interruption, as is happening now at the Oval of the Perdices Stadium.

If you have ever been at the Oval in the evening, you probably know what I’m talking about — with so many things happening at the same time: frisbee is being played, football is being played, plus the hundreds of walkers and runners.

Also, I still don’t understand why people are made to pay to use the Oval.

For me, I would rather walk along Rizal Boulevard, and enjoy the view, and still get some exercise.

I previously ran at the Oval, and had a few collisions and near-collisions with others walking on the fast/inner lane.

Also while running there, some footballers would chase after their ball that would get kicked out onto the oval, forcing people like me to abruptly slow down to avoid a serious collision.

Some others have also written about grassroots development of athletes. Almost every barangay has a basketball court used also for volleyball.

Some sports in Dumaguete do have some grassroots programs but a sport like athletics, wala.

So what are the chances of the Philippines to be successful in some of these sports like basketball, volleyball, and football in the world stage?

Plus, the leadership of Philippine sports leaves one wondering if there is any chance for success.

Let’s take a look at the success that the small country like Jamaica has had in the Olympics. With only three million people in Jamaica, they have accounted for 78 pieces of Olympic medals. (By the way, the Philippines has over 100 million people.) Jamaica has won 22 gold medals, 35 silver medals, and 21 bronze medals. What an accomplishment by this small nation!

All of their medals were won in the sport of athletics, except one bronze medal in cycling.

So how did Jamaica become so successful, one may ask? First of all, they started with a 30-year plan with grassroots development. Athlete development in Jamaica starts at age five. Sprinting began in 1948, and has progressed to an annual athletics event for high school runners. This annual event sells out to crowds of over 30,000 with hopes of spotting the next Olympian.

The sports director of Jamaica’s University of Technology stated it very nicely: “Where we are today is like a flower. You’d have to plant a seed long ago to get where we are today.”

He added: “We’re small and we’re poor, but we believe in ourselves!”

So if I may ask, has the Philippine sports community planted that seed, especially in sports that Filipinos could compete in?

Take for instance the sport of wrestling. This is a sport that the Filipinos could compete in as it is strictly based on the weight of the athlete.

In January 2017, Bayawan City started a wrestling club. They have greatly progressed as evidenced by their performance in the latest Palarong Pambansa held in Davao City. Bayawan captured two gold medals, one silver medal, and three bronze medals. All these in such a short period.

The local government of Bayawan is heavily involved in their city sports program, and is amply supported by their DepEd. They also hired a former national player to coach and train their young athletes. They invested in high-quality wrestling mat, and purchased very good quality wrestling shoes and singlets for the wrestling trainees.

Now here’s the reason I wrote and questioned why.

In 2017, Bayawan started out with a budget of P200,000. The following year, the budget doubled to P400,000. And for 2019, their expenses stand at P750,000.

Last year, I asked if Dumaguete could invest in a wrestling mat. Now I can only guess: volleyball courts at P37 million seem more important.

Now get this, for those who think wrestling is easy. I wrestled in high school, and let me tell you, it is a very exhausting sport. Athletes in Bayawan train for three hours a day, Monday through Saturday; and they must maintain a high level of grades; and birthdays and fiestas are not exemptions for missing practices.

As of this writing, the Bayawan team is in Singapore for further development and competition.

In Bayawan, we see the fruit of their passion and serious efforts. Everyone involved working as a team to obtain a common goal.

I have yet to see that happening in Dumaguete City.

If it weren’t for archery and swimming, Dumaguete would have a much greater dismal record. These two sports are dominated by private schools. What public school pupil comes from a family who can afford archery equipment that costs about P150,000? How many public school students have access to a swimming pool?

Well, someone who is in a position, and who has the authority, needs to step forward in order for change to happen.

Just being content with the status quo, and we may one day wake up to find we can’t compete even in archery nor in swimming anymore.

Planting anyone?

____________________________________

Author’s email: [email protected]

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