Girl, 7, to break swimming record

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY - "I can also do that!"

These were the words of Ana Karenina "Siobe" Dalabajan after watching a five-year-old boy cross the Mactan Strait in October last year.

Dalabajan, Siobe to friends, was only six years old when Justin Daniel Junio crossed Mactan Strait last year and was immediately challenged by the boy’s feat.

Her father Dante said she could not forget the feat and has since wanted to do the same.

Siobe, now a first grade student at the Palawan State University, aims to equal if not surpass Junio’s feat and is now preparing for a swim of her own as she tries to conquer the more than 5-kilometer stretch of Puerto Princesa Bay from Barangay Sta. Lucia to the Bay Walk area in Barangay San Isidro, just a few meters away from the Puerto Princesa Sea Port. As part of her preparations, she crossed the 2.5-kilometer stretch between Isla de Caña to the bay walk last Dec. 31, 2006.

Logging in a time of 1 hour, 12 minutes and 58.37 seconds, Siobe together with five teammates at Puerto Princesa Hammerhead Shark Swimming Team braved strong winds, waves and current that made their swim meandering and thus extended the distance to 3 kilometers.

"At first, the team was like swimming inside a washing machine," PPHSST coach Danny Egot said. "It was so difficult that the team was hardly moving during the first 30 minutes," he added.

Swimming along with her were Gerrol Castillo a third year high school student of Palawan State University, Alfie Pilapil, Ivan Pilapil, Jeffrey Pelosa and Jeron Mercader all students of Palawan National School. All swimmers are consistent medallists at every swimming competition they join.

The swim was originally scheduled last Dec. 8 in time with the feast day celebration of this city’s patron saint, the Immaculate Conception, but was put off because of some technical problems.

Swimming sisters

Born on Nov. 4, 1999, Siobe is the youngest of three children of Dante and Cecilia Dalabajan. Her two sisters are also into swimming. She was only 4 years old when they joined a "Summer Learn to Swim Program" here, around the time when her father was still working in Cebu. Since then, they learned to love the sport and excelled in it. Sasha, 10 years old, reached the Palarong Pambansa last year while Isha, 9, made it to Mimaropa Regional Meet also last year.

Siobe first earned her medal (silver) in an aquathlon competition in year 2004 here when she was only 4 years old. Last year, she brought home 5 silver medals when she joined the Southern Tagalog Amateur Swimming Association Sprint Meet 2006 held in Calapan City. It was also her first competition outside the city according to her father.

Honor student

Apart from her athletic prowess, the 7-year-old swimmer is also an honor student. She got a 99 percent mark in the School Readiness Test administered by her school and an overall rating of Gifted Ready.

"She knows what she wants to do. And she has focus," Dante says of her youngest daughter. "She always does more than what is expected of her."

Aside from swimming, Siobe, who wants to become a teacher, is also fond of reading books and playing computer games.

And after achieving her recent accomplishment, Siobe has remained humble and typically an ordinary youngster. Asked if she is already a star in school, she simply replied "Hindi pa po. (Not yet.)"

Hammerhead Team

When Dante returned from Cebu in 2004, he talked to parents of other swimmers to organize a swimming team. "Before, we used to practice at the swimming pool of the Palawan Sports Complex. Rumors then circulated that the City Government desires to drain the pool because of the high cost of maintenance so I talked to the parents of the swimmers if we could shell out some amount for the maintenance," he said. Around this time, he also helped organize the Cetaceans Swimmers Association (CSA), which is now a rival team of the PPHSST.

Going to the sports complex, which is quite far from home, was stressful to the Dalabajan kids and the other swimmers. They go home from practice at 9 p.m. everyday, so Dante tried to find a more convenient pool for them to practice.

It was also then that he met Egot who now serves as the team’s coach and trainer. "I’ve heard a lot about him already when I was still in Cebu. So when I came back, I looked for him," Dante says of Egot.

Eventually, the two together with other parents of young local swimmers formed the Puerto Princesa Hammerhead Shark Swimming Team and registered it with the Philippine Amateur Swimming Association.

Right now he said there are about 40 members of the team. "And I’m proud to say that our members are children of ordinary fishermen, government workers, tricycle drivers, and teachers," he says. Despite this, they were able to make it to PASA, which is hard considering the financial obligations. he said.

Conquest of Puerto Princesa Bay

Driven by Siobe’s desire, the PPHSST in cooperation with the City Government has launched the conquest of Puerto Princesa Bay which aims to showcase the strength, endurance and will power of the swimmers as well as encourage private sectors to support the swimming program of the city. Egot also said that the swim also aims to heighten the awareness of the public about the need to keep Puerto Princesa Bay clean. "We want the next generations to enjoy what Siobe and her generation had the privilege of enjoying —which is a clean area where kids can swim," he said.

They will try to cross the Puerto Princesa Bay on Sunday, March 4 on the occasion of the city’s 135th Founding Anniversary.

She started her training with 100 laps per day as part of her preparation. "She is in high spirits," Egot says. "Her level of confidence is now higher after her 3 kilometer swim last year."

"Every week, we are adding 10-20 laps in her swim until such time that she will be able to swim the distance," Dante says referring to the distance from Bgy. Sta. Lucia to the Baywalk.

Before, Siobe says she was afraid that she might encounter sharks in the middle of the sea but now that she has been exposed in open water, she is "not afraid anymore."

"What we actually expect and hope is that whale sharks which have been seen in the area might swim along with her," Egot says.

Guinness record

The team also aims to register Siobe’s swim in the Guinness Book of Records. "Initially, we want to invite representatives from Guinness but we found out that it is very expensive," Dante said.

"The application alone will cost around 300 British pounds so that’s already a big amount," he explained. Aside from the application, the expenses of a representative from Guinness and the recording itself also have to be paid. What they will do now is that they will just submit the details of the swim. "But it will take time and the chance is lower for the record to be validated," he said. "We will just submit the data. What’s more important now is that we are confident that she can do it."

Dante also added that her December swim alone could have made it to the record books had it been official.

The current record stands at 2.25 kilometers and is held by Braxton Bilbrey, a 7-year-old boy who crossed the Alcatraz Channel. But the category of that in Alcatraz is channel. Siobe, he said, would swim in open water.

The team also wants to make sure the actual length of the swim could easily be validated. "That’s why when Siobe does her swim, we will use Global Positioning System to correctly plot the actual contour and distance," he added.

When they initially measured the planned path, it was recorded at 4.98 kilometers. "But with the waves and the current, I’m sure it will meander so with the help of GPS, we will be able to record the exact distance same as what we did when she swam last year," Dante explained.