In my last article dated June 29, I wrote about the training of Marestella Torres. She represented the Philippines in the last Olympics held in London and competed in the long jump, but did not make it to the finals. I wonder how many here in the province of Negros Oriental recognized her name? Do you know where she came from?
The Philippines is in love with basketball and soccer or otherwise known as football. I have no problem with this, but I believe we are missing out on the rewards available from other sports. Usually in team sports there is enough blame to go around when losses occur. But in individual sports such as athletics, swimming and badminton no one else can be blamed for performance except the athlete.
This is what I love about running. When I race, I cannot blame another for how I did. What I put into training is what I get in competition. I have played team sports and have seen team members not train to their capabilities. Many times when losing occurs, the fingers start to point but not at the one doing the pointing. So for most of my adult life, I have concentrated on three sports. Mainly athletics, triathlons, and swimming. It is interesting that of the 15 athletes from Dumaguete that made it to the Palaro, 14 of them were in individual events. No team of any sport from Dumaguete made it to the grand event.
For those of you who love football and train at the oval, I would encourage mutual respect for others who train at the same time, which is usually in the evenings. I have been training athletes at the oval for the last five years. Early on there were few others training as football was not that popular back five years ago. But now the field and oval is filled with sports enthusiast.
This is wonderful but there are many near accidents that could seriously injure someone. At times a ball is kicked onto the oval and a player without looking just darts onto the track. Sometimes, an athlete may be doing speed work on the track, and would be unable to stop. Many times I have experienced this myself. I yell, but they look at me as if they own the whole track. A total lack of respect for others. Growing up I learned about track courtesy.
So do you know where Marestella Torres is from? This Olympian hails from San Jose. No, not San Jose, California USA, but from San Jose, Negros Oriental. Yes, she is a home grown talent from right here in our own back yard, yet very few know of her accomplishments. At present, as I stated before, she is training seven days a week for an event two years away. That is commitment! She is training for a time and event two years away that she may not win. But the spirit of some will not and cannot be diminished. This is what it takes to be a champion. God Bless.
