Christmas wishes

What’s on your wish list this Christmas?

I know of many wishing for the latest tech gadgets or a nicer car, a boom in business, a home, the company of friends, and yes, world peace.

While some wishes are easy to fulfill, there are those that would take a lot of effort and money to materialize.

When we were kids life was much simpler then.

Maybe we wished for new clothes, new toys, lots of candy, and yes money to buy the stuff we want.

As the years pass, we become a little more complicated like how some describe their relationship status on social media.

It is but normal for us to wish for things every Christmas as this is the season of hope. It’s not all about Santa Claus, but Jesus Christ our Savior.

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Before you think I am going to wax poetic about Christmas and forget that I am writing a sports column, I am going to write down some of my wishes for sports this Christmas.

First, I wish for a better venue for indoor sports activities. The Cebu Coliseum has been around for ages and needs a major sprucing up.

The Hoops Dome in Lapu-Lapu City might be the answer, but it is just way outside Cebu City. Of course, this can only happen if such facility would get enough support from the community to make it a viable investment.

Second, I wish for a second outdoor facility like the well-utilized Cebu City Sports Center where our athletes can train with fewer people to compete for space with.

The CCSC has served us very well, but the volume of people using the facility makes it difficult for our serious athletes to train for their competitions.

I also wish for more private sector participation in sports programs. By this, I don’t mean just supporting competitions, but also helping develop the young athletes, the coaches, as well as the officials of the games.

We need to develop the skills of all three sectors if we want to see real improvement in our athletes.

Another wish is to see a good sports program after the age group level for sports like golf, tennis, football, and others.

Our athletes get to excel in the age group level, but once they are past their junior years, they seem to have nowhere to go.

It is good that the Pilipinas Golf Tour is here and the United Football League is also up and about. I still look forward to something for tennis, but I am sure many think the same.

Lastly, I would like to reiterate my call for you to donate your extra sports gear to the less privileged.

Your little gift could be the key to a brighter future for somebody. 

With many schools now boosting their varsity programs, the less privileged get a chance to have a good education, which could be the key to getting out of the rut that they are in now.

Let’s share even a little this Christmas.

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MILESTONES: Happy birthday greetings to my cousin Rosalie Lebumfacil-Cañete, Wilson Ng, topnotch photojournalist Tonee Despojo, Jamie Opinion-Ang, and Maz Pangilinan, who are celebrating today.

Advance greetings to Apollo Emmanuel Oriel, Sharla Jao, Pia Almendras-Pascua, Lolot Labrador-Neri, Teena Hernaez-Gomos, and Henrietta Kangleon, who are celebrating tomorrow.

More power to all of you!