Fair Play: The curse on gifted Cebuano athletes
IT’S been two years since I last saw a Cesafi football match and I was glad I finally got to catch one last Sunday.
Cesafi, this season, will be held at the USC field, so catching a few games isn’t too inconvenient for me since I pass by that field every day.
And by luck, the game I saw was between my alma mater, USC, and USPF, with the host winning 3-0.
It could have been more had USC not wasted its chances. Still, I liked what I saw and I think USC has a good chance to win the title. But of course, when it comes to Cesafi football, USJ-R, especially with Joselito Bono at the helm, is always the favorite. But I like USC’s chances and if they win the title this year, I’ll treat those coaches to a drinking spree.
I was in the sidelines with Dr. Joel Pascual, my kababayan who left Polomolok to study in Cebu back when John Lennon was still alive.
His son, Paolo, is the starting keeper of USC, (one more reason to cheer for USC) and as the dutiful dad, he was there to watch his son play and take pictures (Check my blog for his works).
I used to think that Paolo Pascual was one letter short of becoming famous, but this kid is already making his mark in his own way.
Which is quite admirable since I wrote about Paolo and his 8-under team back when they were cuddly kids at Paref-Springdale, under Graeme Mackinnon and Mario Ceniza, preparing for their first out-of-town event.
Paolo, right now, is in a bit of a bind, something gifted Cebuano athletes regularly find themselves in.
After a stint in the U19, he’s been invited to the RP team training camp for the Suzuki Cup, and at 19, he’d be the baby in the group.
Such an opportunity comes rarely, that’s why those who get it spend countless days pondering it.
Accepting the offer means giving up school. Unless USC graciously lends him for duties to the country, he’d miss at least a month, and even if he gets excused by his teachers, it would take a really special arrangement with USC for Paolo not to skip a beat if he returns to school.
In the days of YouTube, Facebook, and WiFi, he could, if he, USC and the PFF, would work around the problem.
But like other Cebuanos who get invited to the RP team, Paolo will realize that to make the team, you have to hurdle problems off the court before you even get to tackle those on the field.
It’s a sad setup that has prevented a lot of gifted Cebuanos from playing for the country and Paolo won’t be the last one to face it.
For a Cebu-based athlete, getting called to play for the country—unless it’s for the basketball team—is becoming a curse, not an opportunity.
And it shouldn’t be.
HECKLING PARENTS. By the way, there was something funny—and sad—in that USC vs. USPF game. I was enjoying the match, when suddenly, parents of a USC player started heckling the other team.
It began when their son was roughed up and the father berated that player—pointing a finger at him and shouting at him.
I wish he should just have shut up.
The USPF coach bellowed a sound advice after that, “AYAW NA PAMINAWA!!!”
Incidents like that look funny in a 12-Under or even 14-Under game. In a college game, it looks pathetic.
The parents were near the USPF goal line when they started heckling and I was within earshot and having a laugh.
“Abi nako sa elementary ra ang naa ingani.”
The USPF goalkeeper, though, was more diplomatic.
After another tirade, he just calmly said, “Saba na kaayo ka dira ma’am.”
That ended it.
I hope the next time those parents show up, they’d control themselves. I mean, it doesn’t look good for USC if they keep on heckling the other side.
If they can’t control themselves, it’s best that they don’t watch the games, I mean, would they want to see their son see their parents being told by a teenager, “Saba na kaayo ka?”
Cesafi, this season, will be held at the USC field, so catching a few games isn’t too inconvenient for me since I pass by that field every day.
And by luck, the game I saw was between my alma mater, USC, and USPF, with the host winning 3-0.
It could have been more had USC not wasted its chances. Still, I liked what I saw and I think USC has a good chance to win the title. But of course, when it comes to Cesafi football, USJ-R, especially with Joselito Bono at the helm, is always the favorite. But I like USC’s chances and if they win the title this year, I’ll treat those coaches to a drinking spree.
I was in the sidelines with Dr. Joel Pascual, my kababayan who left Polomolok to study in Cebu back when John Lennon was still alive.
His son, Paolo, is the starting keeper of USC, (one more reason to cheer for USC) and as the dutiful dad, he was there to watch his son play and take pictures (Check my blog for his works).
I used to think that Paolo Pascual was one letter short of becoming famous, but this kid is already making his mark in his own way.
Which is quite admirable since I wrote about Paolo and his 8-under team back when they were cuddly kids at Paref-Springdale, under Graeme Mackinnon and Mario Ceniza, preparing for their first out-of-town event.
Paolo, right now, is in a bit of a bind, something gifted Cebuano athletes regularly find themselves in.
After a stint in the U19, he’s been invited to the RP team training camp for the Suzuki Cup, and at 19, he’d be the baby in the group.
Such an opportunity comes rarely, that’s why those who get it spend countless days pondering it.
Accepting the offer means giving up school. Unless USC graciously lends him for duties to the country, he’d miss at least a month, and even if he gets excused by his teachers, it would take a really special arrangement with USC for Paolo not to skip a beat if he returns to school.
In the days of YouTube, Facebook, and WiFi, he could, if he, USC and the PFF, would work around the problem.
But like other Cebuanos who get invited to the RP team, Paolo will realize that to make the team, you have to hurdle problems off the court before you even get to tackle those on the field.
It’s a sad setup that has prevented a lot of gifted Cebuanos from playing for the country and Paolo won’t be the last one to face it.
For a Cebu-based athlete, getting called to play for the country—unless it’s for the basketball team—is becoming a curse, not an opportunity.
And it shouldn’t be.
HECKLING PARENTS. By the way, there was something funny—and sad—in that USC vs. USPF game. I was enjoying the match, when suddenly, parents of a USC player started heckling the other team.
It began when their son was roughed up and the father berated that player—pointing a finger at him and shouting at him.
I wish he should just have shut up.
The USPF coach bellowed a sound advice after that, “AYAW NA PAMINAWA!!!”
Incidents like that look funny in a 12-Under or even 14-Under game. In a college game, it looks pathetic.
The parents were near the USPF goal line when they started heckling and I was within earshot and having a laugh.
“Abi nako sa elementary ra ang naa ingani.”
The USPF goalkeeper, though, was more diplomatic.
After another tirade, he just calmly said, “Saba na kaayo ka dira ma’am.”
That ended it.
I hope the next time those parents show up, they’d control themselves. I mean, it doesn’t look good for USC if they keep on heckling the other side.
If they can’t control themselves, it’s best that they don’t watch the games, I mean, would they want to see their son see their parents being told by a teenager, “Saba na kaayo ka?”
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