Nine-year-old gets swim scholarship

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Swimming League has embarked on a swimming scholarship program for outstanding swimmers from the club level in line with its mission to provide both athletic and academic education for young boys and girls.

The Learning Garden Montessori School-Parañaque, headed by Jean Zurbano, is one school which recently granted full scholarship to a PSL swimmer – six-year-old Marc Bryan Dula, an outstanding age-grouper who already has 72 medals and 13 trophies to his name.

“It all started when Dula arrived in Manila nine months ago and Al Papa, coach of the Susan Papa Swim Academy, saw the potential,” said PSL president Susan Papa.

Al Papa gave him a free swimming lesson.

“It is kind of hard,” Papa recalled, “He couldn’t speak Tagalog and I can’t speak his dialect pero nakuha sa tyaga”.

Papa sent Dula to a tutorial to teach him how to speak Tagalog and English.

His coach recalled that in his first competition, the young boy finished last. Thereafter, he started winning gold medals and eventually became a consistent most outstanding swimmer in the PSL monthly competition program.

“This boy is lucky because right in his elementary he already has a scholarship. Club swimmers normally don’t earn scholarships until they reach college,” Papa said.

Zurbano said the boy is without a doubt a potential swimmer, but needs education.

She was amazed that Dula passed the entrance exams.

“He can read well, we are happy to help Dula as well,” she said.

Dula is now trained by his father, Marlon Dula, who is also trained by the Susan Papa Swim Academy to be one of the PSL coaches.

“We want to help as many kids as we can. That is my sister Susan’s mission – make swimming the avenue for free education, to help the state somehow,” Al Papa said.