Sporting On

Sporting On
by
Igmedio Damian

Hindi natin alam kung papano nangyari ang aksidente.
It was posted:
Let us pray for the fast recovery of one of our
schoolmate...

Walang masama sa pagdarasal. Ang pagdarasal nga
"can move mountains". Hindi ba? Gusto kong iparating sa mga authorities na bagaman ito ay
matatawag na aksidente. Hindi kaya't mayroon ding
matatawag na kapabayaan o pagkukulang?
Pagsasawalang-bahala sa kaligtasan ng mga
estudyante na may kinalaman sa aktibidad ng
paaralan? Do all schools have safety rules on sporting
events?

Sa aking pagkakaalam, itong insidenteng ito ay
matatawag na grabe kung pag-uusapan ang bahaging
nasaktan. May mga aksidente narin noon na kung saan
nasaktan ang isang pep squad member. Hindi ko
sinasabing sa pep squad na ito, dito ring nagmula.
Sinasabi kong maaaring sa ibang departamento
sapagkat ang bawat Kolehiyo ay may sari-sariling pep
squad at ang main pep squad naman usually na pang
inter-school ay binubuo ng mga miyembro mula sa iba't
ibang departamento. Isa ito magandang tradisyon at
magandang ehemplong pagpapakita ng "true
leadership" ng mangilan ngilang guro. (Sinu sino pa po
ba sa mga guro ngayon ang may ganitong dedikasyon?
Mangilan-ngilan nga lamang hindi ba? Kung meron man
natitira ay yaong mga matatawag na lamang na
"remains", coaches for compliance sake.) Dapat po
natin tularan ang mangilan ngilan na aktibong
nagtataguyod ng interes ng mga estudyante.
Bagama't ito ay bahagi lamang ng usaping pang-
akademiko (maaring tutulang hindi nga pang-
akademiko sapagkat ang sigaw ng mga elitista ay
ibalik muli ang focus sa Agham at Teknolohiya);
sapagkat ang Isport daw ay hindi naman ang
pangunahing interes sa Kagawaran ng Edukasyon. (Is
this the reason why DE is no longer DECS?) Atin pong
alalahanin ang mga sinimulan ng the "great Dr. C." who
lived by example, advocating the value of physical
fitness in overall health.

Bagama't mukhang "cheering" na lamang ang
bumubuhay sa mapaklang sporting event ng bawat
paaralan at inter-school competitions; kung
pagbabasehan ang mga kumento sa LH blog at mga
opinyon ng common students; dapat din nating alamin
ang masalimuot na problema ng isport. Dapat,
dagdagan ang safety precautions sa mga practices ng
CHEERING o anumang event. Have it written. Science
should be applied in each stunts. It's not just an art.
"I've watched some documentries on how stunts are
executed, it's not just a matter of coming up with it
successfully (PE teachers know this) but behind
that... SAFETY should always be a priority. Needless
to say further, should we qualify an athlete's
assumption of risk factor?" O dili kaya'y nasabak
lamang sila sa naturang sporting event simply because
there is no better choice or simply this is quite the
easier choice than to take another exam? Or given No
choice? Oh yeah, because this is like an unwritten rule
kagaya ng isang Dean's prerogative over who
deserves to pass, who deserves to attend the
capping and badge ceremony, who deserves to
proceed in OJT or level higher and move one step
further, who deserves to graduate with flying colors.
Fact is, this is categorized in extra-curricular activity
to break some gaps in deliberation of grades. Or
rather, a poor interpretation and exercise of the so-
called Academic Freedom. Make sport an option to
supplement academics? If Logic could solve this
mystery, how would the logic gurus translate these?
Or just be blind and ignore the facial expressions of
students who don't want what they are doing? Watch
them in youtube, have fun, laugh till it hurts.

Kaya nga napakahirap maging isang boxer kasi
maraming exercises... Inaanyayahan kong suriin ng
studentry at mga student journalist ang
napakahalagang bahagi ng usaping pampalakasan sa
paaralan. Meron nga bang matinong sports program
ang bawat paaralan? Or simply it reflects how poor
and we lack so much that we can't even have a good
match in major events such as the Olympics? Or we
have the poorest Characters behind it that we can't
be proud of having?

Kung ikaw ay isang mapanuring estudyante,
napagtanto mo na ba kung ano ang importansya ng
PRISAA fee na inyong binabayaran? Bagamat hindi
natin nalalaman kung ano nga ba ang halaga ng
PRISAA sa buhay ng isang simpleng mag-aaral. Para sa
iba'y ito lamang ay payak na "patungkol sa simpleng
kataga na sports." Para sa isang tunay na atleta, ito
ay higit pa sa salitang sports. Ito ay nagpapahayag
dapat ng isang "pagkakataon" ng isang malalim na
paghubog sa isang pambihirang kakayahan ng
indibidwal. Ang salitang sports ay sumasalamin sa
isang kahusayan na hindi lamang pampisikal na bahagi
ng katauhan ang nahuhubog kundi ang kabuuan ay
natututong maki-ugnay sa bawat isa para namnamin
ang salitang "tagumpay" at "karangalan". Ano nga ba
ang kalagayan ng mga paaralan sa PRISAA? Marami ng
atletang sinubukang bagtasin ang rurok ng tagumpay
sa kabila ng "kawalan o kakulangan ng suporta" at
pansamantala'y maging popular pagkat nailimbag ang
kanilang nagawa sa mga pang-estudyanteng
publikasyon o promosyon. Hanggang pagpapalimbag na
nga ba? Hanggang padayu-dayong kumpetisyon kung
saang may piyesta na lamang ba? Manalo,
magpakasaya sa buong gabi sa isang night spot at
hintayin ang umaga? Let's aim for the National and
International Events. We can! Gaano ba kataas ang
ating pangarap? Gaano ba kataas tumalon ang isang
MVP? Makakaya ba niyang patumbahin ang mga
naghahariang mga kakumpetensiyang paaralan? Can
we give a good game or just mumble our bitterness
because of a beauty pageant? Kailan naman tayo
sisigaw sa level ng pang UAAP? One hundred years
from now?

Walang bang maayos na sport program? Everyone is
just preoccupied by Imeldific display of lighting
torches. Halos maghingalo na ang noo'y mga buhay na
buhay na guro ng PE. Nirarayuma na ang bawat kasu
kasuan ng mga ito sapagkat nanamlay ang kanilang
aktibidad. Papano'y wala namang malinaw na polisiya.
Wala hindi ba? "How do you make a Champion?" Paulit
ulit lang naman ang mga naglalaro sa basketball diba?
(Performance has never been so bland.) Kaalinsabay
ng ibang sporting event mula track and field,
badminton, tennis, chess, darts, volleyball, etc, sila-
sila na naman (minsan nagdo-double body ang isang
participant... dalawa or tatlo ang sport niya, conflict
tuloy sa schedule. Hindi na nakapagtataka if may
manalo by default.). Bad gaming. Bad schedule. Sila
na naman nung nakaraang taon, sila na naman
ngayon. Dapat kumukumpitensiya na sila sa labas para
"sila" naman na nagsisimula ay "sila naman". Saan ang
motibasyon na dapat ay nakapunla para sa mga
nangangapang freshman? Na-review na ba kung maari
nang isalang ang matagal nang nakaupo sa bangkong
atleta? O dili kaya'y naghihintay na lamang ng suporta
mula sa mga nag eeli-elitistahang student leader kuno
na pre-occupied sa isang napakagarbong "beauty
pageant" sa bawat school event. Pamilyar diba? Tipikal
na Filipino culture, mahilig sa pageant... di ba nga
halos lahat ng sulok may masasabing "pageant" mula
Miss Talipapa, Mr. Suwave, Mrs. Banyera. Pinoy na
Pinoy! Hindi ako nagtatangi sa mag ito pero ano nga
ba ang "sense", ano ang nais na iparating?
Imeldification. Bakit di niyo tignan kung maari niyo ng
palitan ang mga officers ng bawat sporting event?
Bakit hindi pag-aralan ang mga rules kung angkop ba
sa students? Baka naman may marunong sa faculty? o
sa non-teaching employee kaya? Ano naman kaya ang
mensaheng maipaparating nito sa isang baguhang
kolehiyala o high school? How could we erase the
blemishes of cheating? Meron ba?

Isa sa aking sina-saluduhang mga atleta ay ang
naghihingalong Martial Arts team ni Sir Noel Sumingwa.
Opo, ang walang kakupas-kupas na "Dragon" ng LC
martial arts Club. Mantakin niyong kayang kaya niyang
magpa-demonstrate ng routine sa ilalim ng puno ng
santol at sirok ng mangga? Hindi nahihiya ang team na
ibuhos ang kanilang high kick sa ere para lang ipakita
ang abilidad, ang pormang may disiplina. This team
should have a space in the Gym with real equipment!
Alam ni Sir Noel how it's like to have nothing to come
up with something but we can't wait to have
"quantum physics" take its effect. I mean, gosh
having a Champion coach is not enough to motivate
martial artists. This is not classical anime or
something. Martial arts is a discipline that Filipinos are
excelling in and out of the country. International
martial arts enthusiast come to this part of the world
just to train and learn variations from Kali to Sikaran,
etc.. Kaya support what the team deserves.

I met an athlete in a school in Pangasinan, yeah their
gym was in bad shape. The student paper keeps on
publishing how bad the gym was... but then, the lack
does not kill their morale. It sucks but their team was
struggling and they produce Champions. Should they
be given better equipment, their Champions are not
just ordinary Champions. However, when they should
be given a chance to compete in the Nationals, make
a step further to join the Olympic team... Hmmm some
crocodiles kill their hope. Yeah sad but true. Mafias in
the National Team. There's no unity to come up with a
powerful team. You can just feel how that Olympic
coach sighed. OMG! The lack, yeah the Lackl.

Sepak-takraw. Is sipa still our National Sport? Di
naman kasi importante ... (Hahah. No sense of
Nationalism nga ang kabataan ngayon. Biruin niyong
kailangan pang magpalabas ng directive si Sec. Lapus
just to stop playing canned Lupang Hinirang during
Flag Ceremonies. Well, do you still know how to sing
Lupang Hinirang with your heart?); Darn, do we know
how many teams that are viable for any sporting
events? Authorities would boast of the well-publicized
accomplishments of many students who made it to
the national or international arena but the reality is,
they only did little to the development of such talent.
Sad reality. I would say that those who made it to
these scenes are really the lucky ones because they
are well-supported by their parents, if not... let us
give commendation to PTO/PTA for their full support.
Give commendation for the Politician who signed some
clearance and gave financial support out from his own
pocket? (and make sure we dont forget to vote for
him in the next elections.) In most schools, an
athlete is lucky if student leaders will raise funds or do
something for the delegate. Sa barangay nga namin,
mismo yung mga atleta ang nagso-solicit pero
nakakainis, makikita mo lang silang tambay na naman
pagkatapos ng liga. When funds are available, there
are delegates... if non, hmmm maybe look forward for
another event next time or next school year anyway
the final exams are approaching, focus on your studies
instead. The high spirited athlete would go anyway.
Assuption of Risk factor. If he still have PE, inform the
instructor to make an exemption, don't tell other
students they might get jealous. For the remaining
subjects, make-up exams. Enter at your own Risk. Be
a Hero, they would just have to be too proud of the
"bacon" when you are LUCKY but truth is; the school
did only little. This is a sad reality again. Napapansin
ka lang kapag nananalo ka. If natatalo, normally
authorities would rethink of Politics behind the
sporting event: corruption, cheating, etc.; then wala
ng pasasalihin or kaunti na ang suporta the next time
kasi feeling nadaya yung result or di na worthy yung
competition. That should not be the attitude. Mas
masarap kaya ang matalo, at bumagsak, at
bumangon... It's better to fight and avoid
procastinations than to be Impotent. Impotent na
nga, wala pang erection.

We hate Politics in Sport. Some school authorities
really hate it to the point of discouraging inter-school
competitions. Others dance to the music. Can't beat
them, join them. Yeah, the fact that sports should
promote an apolitical environment as in the case when
Pacquiao's fight would allow politicians to enjoy the
fight nor we see the world leaders in Olympics to
convey their support... though the hot part is "We get
more ringings with activists outcry of Freeing Tibet".
No one would dare to talk much in media if a religious
fundamentalist burned himself as a form of protes.
Rather, we would track the medals, see who is the
hot babe or adonis among the athletes. Fact is, We
love sports to death that we are most amazed to see
our heroes demonstrate their world record skills. It is
like being in the game itself- inspiring, empowering,
adrenaline rush, sometimes stupid because it is spoiled
by technicalities and boboos from different factors,
protests due to age, scoreboards, unsportmanlike
behaviour, drugs, and shits. Hate Sports and Love it.
It's like reliving the Gladiator movie.

Worse and more exposes. In public schools... kids are
taught to lie on their age just to have a grip of that
scholarship; never try to break that old rule for the
school's glory. That expose is nothing more different
when that gymnast was asked... Too bad the
Standards imposed does not favor one's winning
strategy. Win, no matter how it takes. Be otherwise,
you'll break the rule then you'll have no future. Yet,
does an athlete ends being an athlete when the Game
is Over?