Tale of three Fil-Ams

This is a story of three overachieving Fil-Ams involved in US sports. The first is Washington Wizards cheerdancer Myra Aznar of Burke, Virginia. The second is strength and conditioning coach Stephen Afable King of Falls Church, Virginia. And the third is Chatsworth High School all-star guard Michael Palarca of Los Angeles, California.

Myra, born and raised in the US, is in her second year with the Wizards. Her father is from Bicol and her mother from Bohol. She earned a bachelor’s degree in art from the College of Architecture and Urban Studies at Virginia Tech.

Aside from dancing for the Wizards, Myra works as a graphic designer.

"Success is not the key to happiness," said Myra. "Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you’re doing, you’ll be successful. My goal is to have a successful career, family life and dance as long as I can."

Hundreds of hopefuls show up for tryouts every year for 15 slots on the Wizards dance team. Choreographer Wanda Brown chooses the dancers who must be within the age range of 19 to 30.

The Wizards Dancers perform at every Washington home game at the MCI Center and execute routines that require strength, flexibility and timing. They also appear in charity events in the Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia areas. Aside from their busy appearance schedule, the Wizards Dancers report for a team workout and rehearsal two nights a week for three to four hours each session.

Myra’s first cousin Karen said the NBA cheerdancer was in Manila to celebrate her grandparents’ diamond anniversary three years ago. "She’s very shy," said Karen whose daughter Karelle Vanessa Aznar-Martinez turns one on Sunday. "She can hardly understand Tagalog but she loves the Philippines, especially the beaches."

Like Myra, Karen is a huge basketball fan. While Myra cheers for the Wizards, Karen is a Ginebra diehard.

Myra was one of three Wizards Dancers nominated to perform at the recent All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas.

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King, 25, earned a master’s degree in exercise science at the University of Georgia last year. His father Fred is a retired World Bank economist and mother Yolanda Afable, a UST commerce graduate, is from Balayan, Batangas.

One of three children, King is single and hopes to find a job as a coach in the Philippines.

"I have worked with multiple teams in the strength and conditioning aspect," said King. "I have always been interested in sport, the competition of it and just seeing what the human body can do that the elite athletes can make the most amazing plays look routine. I have had prior experience working with a basketball team when I was at Georgia.

"My specialization is Olympic lifting, which I believe is the most beneficial way to train athletes because it helps train motor patterns and builds power as opposed to only strength. Almost all sports take place with not enough time to ever reach maximal strength so you are forced to react in such a short time that you must muster as much power as you can in under half a second."

King said he grew up embracing Filipino values and eating Filipino food like adobo, sinigang and bistek Tagalog. He has visited the Philippines thrice.

King pointed to Michael Jordan as the perfect example of an athlete who benefited from Olympic lifting. "Jordan used it for his explosiveness through vertical jumps," he explained. "It also helped him train his body’s movement patterns of transferring power from the feet and through the body. He used it to build leg strength and power through the back and shoulders."

As a University of Maryland intern, King was exposed to the conditioning program of the champion women’s basketball team.

Those interested in King’s services may reach him at [email protected].

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Palarca’s father Fernando is Filipino and his mother is Caucasian.

At Chatsworth, the 5-8 guard is known as a cage phenom. He’s averaging 18.3 points, 7.0 assists and 4.9 steals a game as a senior this season. His assist-to-turnover ratio is 1.95. He has posted single-game highs of 29 points and 11 assists. And he is hitting 81 percent from the line. Palarca has scored more than 1,000 points in his prep career.

Which college Palarca will enroll in next school year is a big question mark. California State at Northridge (where Japanese-American Michael Dorsey Takahashi played), Pacific and California State at Bakersfield are options. Xavier, Duquesne and San Diego State are other possibilities.

Palarca’s father Fernando said his son is open to play for a UAAP or NCAA school.