Golden year for World Slasher Cup

It started in 1962 when Don J. Amado Araneta hosted the inaugural World Slashers Cup at the Big Dome. Now, on its 50th year, the prestigious Olympics of Cockfighting will celebrate its golden anniversary with a record-breaking cast of over 300 entries on Jan. 15-22.

Prestige, national pride and bragging rights are at stake in the derby which will pit the country’s top cocks against foreign breeds from Japan, Germany, France, Malaysia, Guam, Saipan and the US. Leading the charge for the locals are Patrick Antonio, Rey Briones, Boy Jiao, Ito Ynares and Rikki Reyes. They were all champions in various events last year with Antonio lording it over 274 entries in the first of two World Slashers Cups last January.  

Among the foreigners expected to compete are Roger Roberts of Georgia, Ray Alexander and Tyrone Kennedy of Alabama, Kali Casco, Mike Formosa and Chris Casilan of Hawaii, Larry Romero, Jason Campbell and Sedfrey Linsangan of Guam, Jorge Goitia, Jorge Torres, Jeff Hudspeth, Rodel Costales and Zaldy Sandoval of California, Zosimo Antivo of Las Vegas, Clarence Perkins of Kentucky, Martin Barla and Jose Carcillar of Chicago, George Berin and Peter Uren of Australia, Tony Ang of Taiwan and Randy Hall of Texas.

The foreigners include US-based Filipinos who remotely maintain gamefowl farms here and continuously send top-rated breeding stocks to upgrade their stables. The stocks come from the farms of renowned breeders like Bruce Barnett, Dink Fair, Carol Nesmith, Larry Romero, Brad Padgeth, Allen Hinds and Speedy Gonzales.

The event is being staged by the Pintakasi of Champions presented by B-Meg Derby Ace and Thunderbird Power Feeds. It promises to be the biggest and most competitive cockfest ever held in the country. In 2009, the January edition of the World Slashers Cup listed 207 entries. A year later, it was up to 240. Last year, the cast ballooned to 274. Now, the lineup has gone over 300.

Hostilities begin on Jan. 15 with the first set of entries in the two-cock eliminations. The second set of cocks will then face off on Jan. 17. The two-cock semifinals for Group A is scheduled on Jan. 18 while Group B is on Jan. 19. The four-cock finals for Group A is on Jan. 21 and for Group B on Jan. 22. For details, contact Boy San Pedro or Dong Lamoste at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, Tel. No. 911-3101.

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Only nine of 20 invited jins represented the Philippines at the fourth Chicago International Taekwondo Winter Games in Norridge, Illinois, recently as more than half backed out because of financial constraints.

Excluded from the cast were 16-year-old UP sophomore Camille Alombro, the topnotcher in the Pinoy Sports Idol contest of season 9 in 2009, and 11-year-old Diliman Preparatory School’s First Dan black belter Amber Acosta, the Best Player of the Smart National Taekwondo Championships last year.

A source said funds were supposedly raised by a consultant who never accounted for the collections and used the tournament to bring his family to the US. 

But the nine students who went on to compete did the country proud as each athlete excelled in the four events of poomsae (forms), breaking (demonstration kyokpa), individual sparring (black-belt and non-black-belt divisions) and team sparring. The jins’ ages ranged from 6 to 18. The youngest was Keonn Landon Davies Gener of the Multiple Intelligence International School. He bagged a gold, two silvers and a bronze. Gener recently took the gold at the National Age Group Championships at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. Although only six, Gener has caught the attention of scouts and coaches. The experience Gener gained in Norridge will go a long way in polishing his skills as he hopes to someday wear the national colors at the Olympics.

The senior competitor was Marigold Taculog who won two golds and two silvers. In all, the team hauled in 25 gold, eight silver and three bronze medals. Capturing golds in all four events was 15-year-old Domini Yu. Bringing home three golds were Vince Yango, 9, Averie Belsonda, 16, Johana Razon, 15, Marco de la Cruz, 13, Carl de Jesus, 15 and Gabriel Lamarca, 11. Belsonda, Yango, Lamarca and Razon are from the Diliman Preparatory School. Yu is from St. Jude, Taculog from UP, De Jesus from La Salle Greenhills and De la Cruz from the College of St. Anthony.

Coach Nap Dagdagan, Jr. said the jins proved themselves worthy of support for future competitions by joining all four events in the tournament. “Coach Nap believes in these kids and made them join all four events while athletes from various US states and Korea entered only their choice events,” said Terry Davies, a jin parent. “With all the hard work in training and dedication, these kids did their very best and all nine brought home a medal for each event. Coach Nap was happy with how these jins excelled in every event and is proud of the team. All the efforts these kids put in surely paid off. Hopefully, they will have a chance again to show how Filipinos can excel in taekwondo.” Maybe, next time, the jins will get support from benefactors who believe in promoting sports as a way to better lives.

Acosta’s mother Chie said it was a letdown that her daughter couldn’t compete in Norridge. The jin’s grandfather Ronnie Litiatco had raised $2,000 from friends, relatives and classmates but fell short of the $3,500 fee for athlete and guardian, not to mention plane fares. The money will be kept for Acosta to compete in an Orlando, Florida, competition in May.

“Amber won the gold at the division meet recently and is now part of Team Quezon City to the NCR Palaro,” said Chie. “She was also chosen as Nestle Kokokrunch’s Sports Star and will be featured in Good Housekeeping and Kids Zone magazines. She got an iPad, too. We are continuing to raise funds for the Orlando Games.”