Davis Griffey XTerra

This weekend will go down as one of the biggest weekends of sports for Cebu. And I must admit that it’s not because of basketball or boxing. This weekend, we’re literally doing something else for a change, a welcome change, I must add. In a span of three to four days, we’re having Ken Griffey Jr. conduct baseball clinics for baseball enthusiasts at the Aboitiz Field. We also have the ongoing Davis Cup tie between Japan and the Philippines at Plantation Bay, and we have the first XTERRA Philippine Championship Off-Road Triathlon right in our backyard of Liloan!

First up was the baseball clinic of the player called “Junior.” Even though baseball is nowhere as popular as basketball and boxing, Jesse Bernad of Fastball says that there are a good number of baseball players just waiting for the right breaks to make baseball pick up again. Note that baseball was once a popular sport through the influence of the Americans. In a chat over the phone, Jesse was excitedly describing how some three batches of 100 participants each had the chance to be taught by a legend of the sport. The highlight was how Griffey gave a demo on what has been described as one of the sweetest and most natural swings of the sport. He smashed homerun distance balls at BP (batting practice for non-baseball fans) almost at ease. I just hope that this triggers more kids to go out and play baseball.

And then there’s the Davis Cup at the Plantation Bay. Working together to making it all happen are the Lapu-Lapu City government, the PHILTA and the Cebuano sports fans. It’s turning out to be both a fun-filled experience and a tough serious tennis series for both sides. Where else can we get the comfort of staying at a posh resort and play tennis on the side? (I meant it the other way around of course.) We see here how setting up a perfect network of partners can make an activity successful. The local government has gone all out to support the activity and it’s obvious wherever you go especially along Basak and Marigondon. You’ll see traffic enforcers and policemen at practically every corner, and since one has to park far from the venue, there’s a free shuttle ride for all. Remember how we worried about not having a venue for this kind of events? Well go and check out the court at Plantation Bay with the 1,500 capacity mini stadium. The bleachers are the type which can be dismantled and set up wherever these are needed. Sure, there are minor concerns such as crowd behavior/manners at a tennis match and the searing heat, but these won’t take away the beauty of it all. And although we’re down 0-2 as I write this piece, we already know it has been one successful event already. A complete turn-around to win it 3-2 would be the perfect ending to all this, wouldn’t it?

When I wake up this morning, I might just hear the sound of mountain bikes from not too far away as the XTerra triathletes ride their bikes between Catarman proper and the Calero area going to the Porter Marina. They’ll also be swimming off the shores of Amara in Catarman, right below Liloan’s most popular landmark, the Parola. Their run portion will see them make a 10K trek along Catarman’s seaside trails, pass over the “li-lo” under the Suba bridge, leading to Papa Kit’s Marina and Fishing Lagoon. Who knows, the triathletes might even make a detour and take the 400 meter zipline that takes them over Silot Bay. They might even decide to buy lechon or lechon manok at Liloan’s popular Sunday food street right in front of the town hall. To top it off, even our Mayor is joining the race (relay division). Homecourt advantage? I have a feeling that Liloan will now be known more for hosting a bunch of foreigners and locals swimming, biking and running, then feasting on masi, lechon and rosquillos, all in one day! And don’t forget the meat roll, too.

Time-out: Have you even heard of these places? This proves once again that Cebu can and should become the sports tourism destination for the country. Forget Manila; make it Cebu! Did you even realize that the venues for all these are not focused on Cebu City? While Plantation Bay in LapuLapu City and the Mandaue area are well-recognized in Cebu, here comes Liloan laying claim to hosting an XTerra Triathlon! I can even proudly say that these international off-road triathletes are going to race on some paths that I’ve ran or biked on before (but they’ll do it ten times faster).

Kudos to all those who brought the Davis Griffey XTerra weekend to Cebu. Thanks for believing in Cebu, and may the doors finally open to bring in more.

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Time-out: Hi CFA. Why the sudden change in rules for Girls Football? Without prior notice? Since when did League Type suddenly become a one-day championship affair? Pls explain in the spirit of “Fair Play.”You can reach me at [email protected].