This weekend of August 1 to 3 is one crazy weekend for sports. It’s like a 3-in-1 coffee sachet all stuffed in one packaging. Taking place this weekend are the Ironman 70.3, Milo Little Olympics Visayas Regional Finals and opening ceremony of the CESAFI 2014 season. Was it a good idea to get all these in one weekend? Was this going to somehow dilute the Cebuano sports fans? Is this a good situation for Cebu Sports?
The good news for all is that there surely is no problem with this 3-in-1 package that we’re experiencing. In fact, it’s a great sign for Cebu sports. The more sports, the merrier! The wonderful thing about all this is that each event is distinctly its own and doesn’t compete with the other. The Milo Little Olympics is a grassroots event for students in two divisions: elementary (Under 12 years old) and the secondary (Under 17) divisions. It’s also mass-based and features students from both the private and public schools of Metro Cebu and others parts of the Visayas. With over 200 schools represented and over 3,000 athletes involved, it’s easily the biggest in terms of athlete participation. Athletes get the unique opportunity to experience what it’s like to be part of a multi-sport event, similar to the Olympics, albeit on a smaller scale. Games are played in different venues with the Cebu City Sports Center as the main hub with other venues serving as satellite sites. Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu serves as a sub-hub host for basketball, volleyball, grade school football and taekwondo. The University of San Carlos North Campus, Alta Vista Country Club, Citi Green Tennis Courts and Metro Sports also serve as venues for different events. The city is thus in a buzz of sorts for sports. And while all that is ongoing today as the games resume, the tri-city combo of Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue and Cebu is going to be locked in a huge traffic jam, but for a good reason: the Ironman.
The Ironman is unique in the sense that it’s an elite sport featuring an international caliber of triathletes and a host of fitness buffs who turn to triathlon for that fitness “high.” It’s not a sport that every Juan can just get into anytime as it takes tons of heart, dedication, sacrifice, and resources to get into it full-time. Although it’s not a mass-based sport, the streets of Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue, Cebu and Talisay are expected to be filled with local folks who ironically don’t even know who they’re cheering for. But that’s the fun part of it. They’re there for the novelty of the sport, to check out the hundreds of foreigners who have come to Cebu, and to provide support for Cebu’s hosting, hoping that this will become an annual event for an extended run. Mastering the swim-bike-run discipline is one of the toughest achievements is sports and this is why triathletes are literally “iron men,” persons made up of iron. These guys are crazy, one might say. Yes, they’re crazily on love with triathlon.
Then we have the opening of the CESAFI 2014 season, the biggest inter-collegiate competition/show in Cebu today. Now on its 14th season, the CESAFI actually traces its roots way back to the early days of college basketball. Yesterday’s opening ceremony was for the entire season that covers a variety of sports although basketball is acknowledged to be the main event of the season. There was the traditional grand palabas yesterday where all member schools showed off their talents. The annual Miss CESAFI was also held as the beauties of all schools stood out and stole the show. The opening fits as a perfect way to kick off the sports season as all schools gather under one roof to celebrate what CESAFI stands for: a united league of schools. I almost forgot to mention that two basketball games were played yesterday but just like in previous years, these games were drowned in all the excitement of all the dances, performances and Miss CESAFI pakulo’s. A full schedule of basketball games will be played today as the tournament gets off full-blast. Southwestern University (SWU) and the University of the Visayas (UV) are the title favorites in the collegiate division but the University of San Carlos (USC) and University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) has beefed up its roster to serve as a darkhorses. USJ-R has also brought in a veteran coach in Jun Noel who has coached at every level of basketball except the PBA. The high school division is a toss-up among 2012 champion SHS-Ateneo de Cebu, UV and USC. The “something new” this year is that the CESAFI collegiate finals will be covered by ABS-CBN’s Sports and Action.
Talk about a busy and sports weekend for all! I do love coffee, so for this weekend, I won’t mind a 3-in-1 sachet.
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Time-out: Congratulations to Sophia Ynez Gandionco for winning the Miss CESAFI 2014 competition (high school division). AMDG! >>> You can reach me at bleachertalk@yahoo.com.