Our sporting prides

The Thirsty Football Cup, which set the trend for festival-type tournaments in Cebu kicked off yesterday at the Cebu City Sports Center.

The football festival has grown by leaps and bounds the past many years and from a one-day event, it now runs for three days to accommodate all those who want to join including an increasing number of out-of-town teams.

I had the chance to play in the first few editions of the Thirsty Football Cup in the 36-above category at the old Sacred Heart School-Jesuit Field in the Cebu Business Park and also at the Cebu City Sports Center.

The last Thirsty Cup that I had a chance to join lasted until the wee hours of the night due to the bad weather, but despite that, the players did not really mind having to play while it was raining.

I hope the fine weather stays until tomorrow and I would again like to congratulate the Pages family – Bunny and his children John, Charlie, and the rest for making the Thirsty Cup not only an annual event, but most importantly one that we Cebuanos can be very proud of.

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Another sporting event that we Cebuanos can be proud of is the annual Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia Unity Volleyball (GUV) Cup, which is the biggest volleyball event of the whole country.

Yesterday morning, I was tasked by the Cebu Volleyball Association (CEVA) to present the grassroots program dubbed as E-GUV to the mayors during the Provincial Development Council Meeting at the Capitol Social Hall.

The E-GUV with the letter E meaning extensive, is the program which complements the tournament in terms of developing the skills of coaches and the younger players.

More than just playing or coaching volleyball, the program also includes training in sports nutrition, psychology, and even in the management of injuries.

The program also has a component that teaches the local government units to develop their own tournaments and market them.

This will also include the development of a local pool of referees that will cut down the cost of holding events as the officials come from the area and the organizers need not spend extra to transport and house them.

More than coming up with the plans, the success of this program hinges on the cooperation of government and the private sector as well as the Department of Education, which will be a key element in the implementation for the kids, who are enrolled in their localities.

The presentation to the mayors was just one of the many little steps taken before the project would take off and I hope to see this succeed so that it becomes a model that can be used by other sports in the near future.

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MILESTONES: Happy birthday greetings go to Alta Vista’s Thelma Canonigo-Maxilom, Waterfront Cebu City Hotel’s Hazel Jane Kiunisala, and Jose Viking Logarta, who are turning a year older today.

Advance greetings go to Acht. Phoebe Espinosa-Cale, Michael Bronce, and Atty. Joseph Gonzales, who are celebrating tomorrow.

More power to all of you!