Month: September 2008

(Photo from Sun.Star Cebu)

Calling all High School students who love sports! This Sept. 27, the Sportswriters Association of Cebu (SAC), together with Hapee Toothpaste, will hold a Sports Quiz at the Ayala Center Cebu. The grand prize winner gets an Asus Eee PC while the 2nd placer receives a cell phone—all these apart from having your name splashed on newspapers and appearing on SkyCable’s Blue Info Club Channel 45. How does the contest work? Simple. A maximum of 30 high-schoolers will be asked dozens of sports questions with the highest-pointer the winner. If you’re interested, email me at [email protected].

Roger Federer. He’ll win his 5th straight US Open title today. Wow! Imagine that. At this time last year, after Roger won his 12th Grand Slam title, many hailed him as “The Greatest.” But, 12 months have passed and he has yet to win another major. Until today. Against Andy (not Roddick) Murray, Roger is lucky. Though the Briton has a surprising 2-1 record against the Swiss, Roger’s not facing a leftie who’s dominated their rivalry.

Mary Stephanie Agbay

While our taekwondo jins, our amateur boxer, our swimmers, archer, diver and the rest of the 15-person RP delegation to the Beijing Games disappointed our nation, one sport and one athlete made us proud.

His name? WWW. Wushu’s Willy Wang.

Participated in a field of over 40 nations, Willy Wang joined the demonstration sport of Wushu. No, it wasn’t counted in the official medals tally but, hey, a gold medal is a glistening gold metal. And not only did Wang, 24, take home the top prize—our RP delegation won more: one silver and two bronze medals.

Tony Quisumbing, one of the closest friends of my father-in-law, Jack Mendez, sent me an e-mail two days ago. A tennis aficionado who whips his racket at the same club where Ray Patuasi, Dodong Gullas, Mark Yang and Gerry Sta. Ana strut, Tony Q. is helping organize “The 2nd Sonny Young Friendship Games.”

For those who swing forehands at the Cebu Country Club, Sonny Young was a jovial and gregarious pal. But shock of shocks, one afternoon a few years back while playing the sport he’s relished for decades, Sonny collapsed after sprinting to retrieve a drop shot—then died of cardiac arrest.

This Saturday, one of the most awaited games in RP collegiate basketball will be fought: Ateneo vs. La Salle. Between the two squads, I admit being one-sided. For eight years until first year high school in Bacolod, I wore green. And so allow me to be partisan by quoting the Vice-President of our One La Salle Cebu Alumni Association (and Balamban’s top Councilor) in his text message exhortation.

Here’s Dave Karamihan: “La Salle is in a collision course with that school over the boondocks of Loyola Heights. They relish at this opportunity to pit their basketball skills and chants against us. But more often, they fall short, and retreat with head bowed down and tails between their legs to some cave only to come out in the next showdown.

Dr. Peter Mancao, not only one of Cebu’s top cardiovascular-surgeons but also one of this city’s tops in organizing running events, has another sortie scheduled this month. Here’s what Dr. Mancao, who’ll be in the Windy City with Dr. Yong Larrazabal this October 12 for the Chicago Marathon, e-mailed me:

“The Philippine Heart Association Cebu Chapter, in celebration of World Heart Day, will be holding a 5K and 10K Fun Run this Sept. 28. The assembly area will be at the Cebu Doctors’ University Gym. Technical support will be provided by the Cebu Road Runners Club; race director is Dr. Alex Junia.