Fair Play: The Nestea experience and TCC chumps
THE last time I saw a beach volleyball game was back in 2005 during the Southeast Asian Games (Seag) in Bacolod City.
Last Thursday, I caught a few minutes of action during the Visayas eliminations of the Nestea Beach Volleyball Championships at the sand court in Parkmall.
Just like in Bacolod, the beach volleyball action wasn’t in the beach, but I think Cebu’s newest sand court is better than that of the Seag venue in Bacolod’s University of St. La Salle.
However, the Parkmall court shares the same fundamental problem like that of the transplanted beach at Bacolod—only the players are dressed for the occasion.
A pity.
Had Parkmall extended the sands to the bleachers, would the audience come dressed in appropriate attire?
Your guess is as good as mine.
Oh well, this reminds me of a little observation during the Seag beach volleyball contest. The crowd almost always swelled when it was the ladies’ turn to play, while the guys left when the guys played.
As for me? It was the tail-end of a 14-day coverage. So I conserved my energy. My eyes and ears were on full
observation mode during the ladies’ matches. I remember I was also busy advising our fotog for the interesting “crowd shots.”
Naturally, when it was the men’s team’s turn to play, I relaxed. So I went outside, grabbed a beer, and watched the games on TV.
Before you start writing that letter and reporting me to the governor, this is beach volleyball we’re talking about. Just before the Sydney Olympics in 2000, some wiseguy in FIVB, the world’s governing body for all forms of volleyball, ruled that women in beach volleyball must wear bikinis.
What kind of bikinis? A reporter from AP, the Pulitzer-winning news agency based in the US, computed that these bikinis must not cover more than 40 percent of their behind. I kid you not.
But I’m digressing.
Back to Nestea. I got to the venue just after lunch. I thought it was the perfect time to catch the games. No opening ceremonies, no speeches, no hoopla.
I was wrong.
When Mayor Jonas Cortes’ representative said he was going to read a speech by the mayor, which came after a couple of speeches from others, I thought, “Oh come, get on with the program!”
I came to watch beach volleyball, not to listen to people talk.
When it comes to sporting events, guests should know that NOBODY pays attention to the speeches, so why bother giving them?
Though beach volleyball may be an “eye candy” for guys like me, I doubt even the ordinary beach goer could last five
minutes in Parkmall’s sand court.
I sat at the bleachers, next to USJ-R coach Grace Antigua (who further reduced my hearing capacity with her whistles), and it was stifling hot. Nestea installed these nifty contraptions that spray cool mists every now and then but boy, it was still hot.
The players had no such luxury.
PAPER BEATS KING. Funny how things can change in just a year.
A year ago, the Cebu City Sports Commission (CCSC) was quick to praise a team of Cebuanos for winning the national title in the Inter-Cities chess tournament and the commission adopted the members for its Team Cebu City program.
Now, when it is supposed to defend its title, TCC chess is nowhere to be found.
Councilor Jack Jakosalem told Sun.Star that it was because the team failed to liquidate the funds previously given to them, while Danny Villagarcia of CCSC told Superbalita he asked the players how much they needed for the event but they failed to give him a figure.
The team defeated all sorts of odds when they won last year. Now, when they have the backing of CCSC, paperwork does them in?
From champions to chumps?
That’s wacky!
Last Thursday, I caught a few minutes of action during the Visayas eliminations of the Nestea Beach Volleyball Championships at the sand court in Parkmall.
Just like in Bacolod, the beach volleyball action wasn’t in the beach, but I think Cebu’s newest sand court is better than that of the Seag venue in Bacolod’s University of St. La Salle.
However, the Parkmall court shares the same fundamental problem like that of the transplanted beach at Bacolod—only the players are dressed for the occasion.
A pity.
Had Parkmall extended the sands to the bleachers, would the audience come dressed in appropriate attire?
Your guess is as good as mine.
Oh well, this reminds me of a little observation during the Seag beach volleyball contest. The crowd almost always swelled when it was the ladies’ turn to play, while the guys left when the guys played.
As for me? It was the tail-end of a 14-day coverage. So I conserved my energy. My eyes and ears were on full
observation mode during the ladies’ matches. I remember I was also busy advising our fotog for the interesting “crowd shots.”
Naturally, when it was the men’s team’s turn to play, I relaxed. So I went outside, grabbed a beer, and watched the games on TV.
Before you start writing that letter and reporting me to the governor, this is beach volleyball we’re talking about. Just before the Sydney Olympics in 2000, some wiseguy in FIVB, the world’s governing body for all forms of volleyball, ruled that women in beach volleyball must wear bikinis.
What kind of bikinis? A reporter from AP, the Pulitzer-winning news agency based in the US, computed that these bikinis must not cover more than 40 percent of their behind. I kid you not.
But I’m digressing.
Back to Nestea. I got to the venue just after lunch. I thought it was the perfect time to catch the games. No opening ceremonies, no speeches, no hoopla.
I was wrong.
When Mayor Jonas Cortes’ representative said he was going to read a speech by the mayor, which came after a couple of speeches from others, I thought, “Oh come, get on with the program!”
I came to watch beach volleyball, not to listen to people talk.
When it comes to sporting events, guests should know that NOBODY pays attention to the speeches, so why bother giving them?
Though beach volleyball may be an “eye candy” for guys like me, I doubt even the ordinary beach goer could last five
minutes in Parkmall’s sand court.
I sat at the bleachers, next to USJ-R coach Grace Antigua (who further reduced my hearing capacity with her whistles), and it was stifling hot. Nestea installed these nifty contraptions that spray cool mists every now and then but boy, it was still hot.
The players had no such luxury.
PAPER BEATS KING. Funny how things can change in just a year.
A year ago, the Cebu City Sports Commission (CCSC) was quick to praise a team of Cebuanos for winning the national title in the Inter-Cities chess tournament and the commission adopted the members for its Team Cebu City program.
Now, when it is supposed to defend its title, TCC chess is nowhere to be found.
Councilor Jack Jakosalem told Sun.Star that it was because the team failed to liquidate the funds previously given to them, while Danny Villagarcia of CCSC told Superbalita he asked the players how much they needed for the event but they failed to give him a figure.
The team defeated all sorts of odds when they won last year. Now, when they have the backing of CCSC, paperwork does them in?
From champions to chumps?
That’s wacky!
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