Sports for kids

While many schools are already on vacation, summer, as we call the school break in this land where there are only two seasons – wet and dry – is almost here.

I always discuss plans for the school break with my son so that we’d know what he’d do.  It has been the same for many years as football is always a top priority in his schedule no matter what.

This year, it’s still the same, but what really made me smile even wider was when he said that he’ll take up golf lessons.

I’m sure many golfing parents would love to hear the same sweet words from the children that they’ll pick up the game on their own volition without any promise of a prize or even “forced compliance” just to get them to the driving range.

It’s been two days officially as of this writing with his coach Raul Sorino and I hope that my boy would decide to spend more time with the sport, but then that has to be his choice.

For those parents who are yet to decide what your kids would do this school break, try reading the newspapers for ads and stories about the many summer clinics.

I have already responded to several queries from friends and acquaintances and one thing common among them is the interest to get their kids into sports.

Since I also have a daughter, I’ve been trying to get her into sports also, but she chooses not to, so there’s no point in forcing her to do something that she would not enjoy.

I do teach her judo at home, which we make very enjoyable so she would look forward to such lessons and not dread the time that she has to do falling exercises.  It’s a great way to bond too.

One lesson that I always keep in mind is that let us allow the children to enjoy the sport that they get into. 

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Many have scored Sunday’s fight between Filipino ring superstar Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez in favor of the Mexican.

Too bad for Marquez, these people who scored it in his favor were not the ones tasked to judge the bout in Las Vegas.

Personally, I am no big fan of Pacquiao, but each time he climbs the ring, I always hope that he’d win for the Filipino people.

It was a downright wrong decision for him to get into politics and I am very happy that he was knocked out in that arena.  But, when he is in the boxing ring, although I don’t bother to go out of my way to watch the fight, I always hope that he’d win.

Now that Pacquiao is a legitimate world champion –WBC super featherweight champ – let us celebrate his triumph and stop spoiling it with claims that Pacquiao was wrongfully declared winner.

What if he lost?  Would there be a senate inquiry?  I’m just curious.

By the way, one thing that really set me off last Sunday while I was enjoying the musicale produced by Don Bosco Technology Center and directed by Daisy Ba-ad, who was once a fellow teacher at STC, was when a friend asked me if it’s true Pacquiao was paid to lose.

What?  That almost threw me off my seat, not because I believed it, but because I got so pissed off.

It was a good thing that the show, which I watched with my family while almost everyone else watched the Pacquiao-Marquez fight, was great and it was easy to dismiss such text message.

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MILESTONE: Belated happy birthday to my nephew Kyle Alexis Q. Unto, who turned a year older yesterday.

I’m wishing the Kuya of his generation all the best.

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