Sports overload

Don’t you just wish sometimes that you don’t have a job or other responsibilities and just play your sport?

Only very few of us can become professional athletes, who we get paid to play. Since there was no chance for me to become a professional athlete, I chose another avenue to enjoy sports and get paid doing it by being a sportswriter.

I don’t get paid as much as the professional athletes, but I can enjoy sports (most of the time watching it) and get paid doing so when I write about it.

Well, at times I also get to take part in the events as competitor or as member of the committee that is running things. If I were to go back more than 20 years ago and choose a career again, I’d still choose to be a sportswriter.

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The past two weeks have been very busy for the sporting world. There are so many events happening here that we seem not to have enough people to write about them and newspaper space to print the articles about them.

There was the Cebufest, which had a major finale last weekend. I spent several hours last Saturday afternoon at the South Road Properties and even if I probably just stayed put in one place, I’d have seen so much action.

I first went to the dancesport event then watched the chess event that featured human chess pieces playing the various roles in the 64 squares set up on the lawn.

Then the demonstrations in arnis, taekwondo, jiu-jitsu, and yoga followed in the same venue where the chess event was held.

I also walked several meters farther to witness flag football, rugby, football, an Ultimate Frisbee. Across the street softball was played and I was told that several meters away, there was also the air soft competition.

There were also the kite boarders as well as enthusiasts on skateboards and long boards on the road.

On the sea, there were people doing the stand up paddle, wake boarding, and kite surfing.

On the air came a group of skydivers.

I’ve been to many events that featured various sports, but what probably makes the Cebufest different was that it was relaxing and not so taxing to watch all the action.

I still owe my football buddies a visit as the 11th National Interclub Football Cup kicked off last Saturday in various venues.

The event will run until Sunday and I have promised my teammates in the Cebu Amateur Football Club that I will join them for the awards ceremony this weekend.

While trying to visit the sporting events here, I can’t also take my mind off the Philippine National Games in Bacolod City. Among the sports that we are participating in is judo and we have a pair of Japanese-Filipinos who are joining our standouts in Vicente ‘Nonoy’ Fernandez III and Joaquin Fernandez.

I wish our players all the best.

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MILESTONES: Belated birthday greetings to my mistah Lt. Col. Dennis ‘Star’ Estrella and to Richard Alforque, who turned a year older last Monday.

The same goes to The Freeman columnist Valeriano ‘Bobit’ Avila, Hans Congmon, Gemma Gulbe-Geshelin, Joel Montebon, and Charisse Velez, who celebrated yesterday.

Today’s greetings go to Dr. Arthur Padilla, Johnny Kiener, Dr. Erwin Lim, Atty. Karen Quiñanola-Gonzales, and Melanie Chua-Ng.

More power to all of you! — THEFREEMAN