Fil-Am bet to go thru 2015 SEAG time trials

MANILA, Philippines - Fil-Am swimmer Elizabeth (Lily) Jordana is in town for the holidays from Houston and said the other day she’s ready to undergo time trials for the chance to compete for the Philippines at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Singapore on June 5-16.

Jordana, 18, expressed her intent in a meeting with Philippine delegation chef de mission and Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) treasurer Julian Camacho at the Spirals in Sofitel last Friday. She was accompanied by her parents Martin and Sarah and uncle Joaquin Jordana. Camacho said he’ll set up a tryout for Jordana at the ULTRA pool before she leaves on Jan. 7. National swimming coach Pinky Brosas welcomed Jordana’s participation and said he would monitor her performance.

Jordana, a high school senior, made the top 16 in the 50-meter backstroke, 100-meter butterfly and 50-meter butterfly at the National Club Swimming Association (NCSA) U18 long-course competitions in Indianapolis last August. There were at least 80 entries in each event. Last March, she made her debut at the NCSA competitions in Florida. Jordana has received over 12 college scholarship offers in the US.

“I’m excited to compete for the Philippines,” said Jordana whose father was born and raised in the Philippines and traces his roots to Naga City. “I’ve visited the Philippines since I was a little girl. Our family is close-knit and we love the Philippines. I think we’ve made at least 15 trips over. In Houston, I swim with Alex Busher who was just invited to join the Canadian national team. I told her about the possibility of representing the Philippines and we’re both so excited to be able to compete for our countries.”

Jordana’s father, who runs a construction design and consulting company, extrapolated her short-course clocking in eight events and found her times to be competitive with SEA Games standards. Her converted time of 2:17:73 in the 200-meter backstroke would’ve been good for a silver at the 2013 SEA Games and her clocking of 1:05:09 in the 100-meter backstroke for fourth place.

“I recently participated at the Pro-Am Classic in Oklahoma City and met Drury University assistant swimming coach Jason Hite,” said Jordana. “What a coincidence that Drury’s varsity has three Filipinos, one of whom is Jasmine Alkhaldi’s brother Fahad. I’ve read all about Jasmine, that she’s represented the Philippines at the Olympics. I hope someday to be able to meet her.” The two other Filipinos in the Missouri school are Gian Berino and Banjo Borja.

Jordana said since arriving in Manila last Tuesday, she’s been hitting the pool to stay in shape. She was at the Alabang Country Club pool with Gators coach J. S. Sampan a few days ago. “Last November, I began training with strength and conditioning coach Darren Williams of Optimum Pro-Am Sports in Houston,” said Jordana. “Every day, I do swim and gym work. I do injury prevention exercises, drills to strengthen my shoulders, push-ups, sit-ups and use eight to 12 pound dumbbells. If I qualify for the SEA Games, I want to be in the best shape possible. In the short-course 200-meter backstroke, I’ve already brought my time down by 3.9 seconds within a few months. I was actually training for butterfly when I realized I was doing better in backstroke. I think I’ll be even faster in backstroke if I refocus my training.”

Jordana trains under swimming coach Rey Aguilar, a former El Salvador national tanker, with the Dad’s Club Team in Houston. Camacho said if she’s chosen, Jordana may continue training in Houston and will be expected to fly to Manila to join the Philippine delegation leaving for Singapore. Jordana’s name has been included in the Philippine roster for SEA Games accreditation but her participation is contingent on her performance in the qualifying trials. “If she qualifies for the Philippine team, I can guarantee she’ll do her best,” said Jordana’s father. “She’s highly motivated. We don’t even push her, she works hard, she sacrifices on her own. She knows this chance to compete for the Philippines is a once-in-a-lifetime dream.”

“I’m impressed with Lily’s enthusiasm,” said Camacho. “I’ve looked at her resume and her swimming times. I can’t comment on whether she’ll make the team or not. Let’s see how our coaches evaluate her. I like her attitude. She’s very passionate about swimming and it’s obvious that even as she was born and raised in the US, she has close ties with the Philippines.”

Jordana said she brushed up on Philippine history before coming over. “I know the

Philippine national hero is Jose Rizal but I also know that another hero is Manny Pacquiao,” she said. Before the meeting with Camacho ended, she smiled and said, “Mabuhay.”

Jordana’s best long-course time of 31.39 seconds in the 50-meter backstroke is .03 faster than the Philippine record. She began swimming competitively at the age of five and is in the senior elite class of the Dad’s Club Team. One of three children, she’s an honor student and a role model who spends a lot of her off-pool time doing volunteer work in church as a teacher. Last Dec. 20, Jordana finished second in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 56.82 at the Pro-Am Classic in Oklahoma.