CVIRAA 2011

Another edition of the CVIRAA has passed and so we ask again, “How was it?’” Like any major endeavour, the bottom line question must be asked, “Did the CVIRAA achieve its goals?” Sure, we’ll hear stories about how “successful” it was, but from what perspective: over-all organization? over-all hosting? or over-all performance of the athletes?

You’ve probably heard stories of how Tagbilaran did a good job of hosting CVIRAA 2011. The cynics will say it wasn’t that great, but we must put everything in the proper perspective. A major sports event must always be evaluated based on the goals set. As far as the CVIRAA is concerned, I recall the DEPED regional office and Vice Mayor Joy Augustus Young talking about how to break the fourth place jinx that we have at every Palarong Pambansa. The CVIRAA is very much part of the equation since this is where the region’s athletes to the Palaro will be selected. So for now, let’s forget about the over-all hosting, management and running of the games. These should be a given after all these years and the region shouldn’t get a failing mark in this department. If we are serious about breaking our Palaro jinx, the CVIRAA must be evaluated vis-a-vis our previous performances in the Palaro.

For starters, we should look into the performances of all our gold medallists and benchmark these against the gold medal performances of the past two or three editions of the Palaro. For instance, is the winning time of the 100-meter dash at par or better than the previous Palaro winners of the past two years? In this simple case study, Celina Mae Revalde won the CVIRAA 100-meter dash for high school girls with a time of 13.13 seconds. The winning time of the same event at the Palaro 2011 was 12.38 seconds. Celina, a junior at Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu, now has between today and April to cut the gap between both times. Is it possible? With the right approach, training and support, it sure is. But this is only one of the many events at the Palaro. At this stage, the CVIRAA’s sports managers must already be setting standards and goals for every sport so we know how much and what we need to do to get it done. The planning must start now so that the next three months can be used wisely and productively. Otherwise, having the CVIRAA held in November will turn out to be a useless exercise. We must also forget that we’re going to be evaluated on how we manage our delegation, i.e. transpo, accommodations, pretty uniforms and good-looking athletes. Again, that’s a given. The success of the CVIRAA must be gauged based on the learnings that we gained from our performances, and what we plan to do to get nearer to the gold medal standards.

Another factor to look into are the events which traditionally give us the points for an over-all championship standing. High school football has become a top-pointer for us thanks to the Don Bosco team of Coach Glen Ramos (spiced with a few other players). Obviously, the target here is to maintain the same level. The other side of the puzzle is to look at the events that have a potential to give us the much-needed points but which never really clicked in the past. Over-all, we score points in around 25 of the 30 events being played. That’s a good sign. It means that we’re competitive in these, but not getting to the top two of each event consistently. The goal here is to obviously go for the gold in these events which consistently give us points, and to also work on events where we were shut out.

One factor that strikes me every year is that money doesn’t seem to be a problem at all in every CVIRAA. It’s a multi-million peso project involving all the different DEPED divisions in the region with funding coming in easy. Transportation, uniforms, food, snacks, water, accommodations and over-all logistics support is complete. Allowances for athletes, coaches and tournament officials are also included, making this the richest sports event of the region every year. Since money isn’t an issue, let’s use this to take care of our athletes as they prepare for the Palarong Pambansa 2012. Let’s continue to pour resources into the training needs of our athletes, and this includes not only practice, but also providing tune-up competitions for them as they prepare for the Palaro.

So was the CVIRAA 2011 successful? Don’t ask that question now. Let’s talk again after Palaro 2012. Are you game?

* * *

Time-out: Happy birthday to Barbara Pao in Dumaguete! >>> You can reach me at [email protected].