It’s game time!

Sports malling just got interesting. Mall rat I am not. But sports stores lover I am.

No trip to the mall is complete without a dash – whether quick or prolonged – to the many sports (be they shoes, apparel or equipment) shops, which are part of a mall’s main attraction, for me, that is.

And it is these sports shoppers, their friends, family, and every one else in between that Toby Claudio, owner and operations manager of Toby’s, had in mind when he relaunched Toby’s Sports Arena at Glorietta 2 recently.

Imagine being able to pick your sport right in the store. "We want our customers to get a feel for their sport before they plunge into it," said Toby at the launch. "This means that they can try out the equipment and shoes before they opt to buy it."

And how!

The location of Toby’s Sports Arena is not new. Matter of fact, the store has been there since 2001. But what the Ayala Mall has allowed Toby’s to do is to expand its store to the space where the Ayala Museum Store used to be. Today, Toby’s is a 1,000-sq.m. sports arena, which has a basketball court, full badminton court, and a rock-climbing wall. Add to that, the store is designed like a true-to- life sports stadium and you have lovers of sports jumping for joy.

Today, there are a total of 37 Toby’s sports stores around the country. But this one at Glorietta is a showcase arena like no other sports store yet. Imagine, there is a track oval, a 30-foot high ceiling with exposed steel trusses, a stylized bleachers section – everything to make the shopper feel like a true sports champion. Try out the sport of your liking, why not?

And Toby proudly told me that the store has the widest variety of sports gear in the country. Interactive. Yes, that’s the operative word here. "At Toby’s, we don’t want our customers to just buy the goods. We also want them to experience the thrill of owning the stuff before they take them home," said Toby.

"Toby’s first opened its doors when Toby Claudio was five years old. His dad, Bobby Claudio, chairman of the board of Toby’s, had envisioned a toy store at the start," said Toby’s wife Babes Claudio. "When the toy store was there, people started looking for tennis rackets. Toby’s dad started selling them and then the sports store began."

From the time Toby’s sports store opened, it has been on the lookout for the best gear for the top sports of the times. In the ’70s, the store was a place where the best pelota equipment could be got. In the ‘80s, it was tennis. The ‘90s brought with them golf and also billiards.

Today, there is the comeback of badminton. But so, too, are the newer fitness trends like spinning, boxing, and kickboxing, which are done at the gym.

Basketball is one sport that is close to Filipinos’ hearts. Aware of this, Toby’s got the "Toby’s Shootout," which allows their customers to show off their shooting skills in two competitions – the three-point shootout, and the Stop and Pop. If you make the highest score in either of the games, your name is put up on the large billboard in the basketball area. "It’s a place where anyone can show off his shooting skills. It’s a favorite of many celebrities and PBA players alike who often play against their friends," added Claudio.

Nike, Adidas, And1, Reebok, Converse, Prince, Dunlop, and Yonex are among the brands of sporting equipment available at Toby’s. And adding to the list are other brands like Equipe Sports Apparel, Proteus Fitness, TKO Boxing, and Shakespeare Fishing equipment.

Name the sport and chances are, Toby’s got the gear and the goods to turn any sports person into a winner.

"Toby’s is not here just to get our customers to buy the equipment, we want to get Filipinos into the habit of playing sports," Toby said. "It has always been that way for us."

Toby, a sportsman himself who used to play on the UP varsity softball team and continues to stay fit by going to the gym doing boxing and playing badminton, knows whereof he speaks.

Starting ‘em young is where it’s at and that is a commitment Toby’s keeps. "Kids realize through sports that they can push themselves to achieve things they never thought they could. All this while having fun at the same time," said Claudio.

’Nuff said.

I took a stroll around the arena and liked what I saw.

I took a few shots at the basketball hoop. PBA superstar Alvin Patrimonio gave me some tips on how to improve my shooting style. And then there were the badminton sibling champs Kennie and Kennevic Asuncion who were more than willing to give pointers on how to play the game even better. The rock climbers were scaling the walls and coaxing everyone else to give it a try. I did get on a skateboard, for a few minutes, that is. It’s all about balance, I was told.

Anyone who has ever done sports knows that the greatest legends in the game are made because they are willing to share what they know about their sport. The better they are at the game, the more they have to share.

I just looove sports.