Beach volley weekend

Are you planning a long drive or maybe an out-of-town trip this weekend?

Why not head southwest to the town of Moalboal to watch the Visayas Regional Eliminations of Nestea Beach Volley.

The venue is HK Beach Resort and the organizers said that it should not be hard to find the place.

There will be a total 24 teams vying for slots to the national championships set later this year in Boracay.

One of the most popular events in the Olympics and other major international sporting meets is beach volleyball. Aside of course from the beach attires that the players will be required to don, this sport is also full of action.

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The competition in Moalboal will start tomorrow and will run until Sunday.

If you intend to take your vehicle, the drive would take over an hour from Cebu City over mostly good roads.

The last time we went southwest, the only problem area was in Barili, but it was a very short stretch.

If you plan to take a bus, just head to the South Bus Terminal and once you get to the town proper in Moalboal, you can take a short motorcycle ride to the venue.

This is another example of a sports tourism event that will not only spur the economy of the host local government unit, but also encourage people in the area to try the sport.

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Ricky Ballesteros, the regional organizer of the event, bared that aside from beach volleyball, beach football and Ultimate (Frisbee) events would be held simultaneously.

One thing that also happens to a place when events like this are held is that the people would also try the sport after the event.

Moalboal has great beaches and there is a lot of room to play there.

It would not be a surprise if Moalboal would become a hotbed for these three events in the near future.

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In yesterday’s press conference for the event, there was one point raised about Cebu producing many champions. Grace Antigua, herself a volleyball legend, said that it is our access to beaches.

For those who don’t know Grace well, aside from being a top collegiate coach, she once one of the two queens of beach volleyball in the Philippines teaming up with fellow Cebuana national team member Thelma Barina.

Both of them are Cebu Sports Hall of Fame inductees for bringing honor, not only to Cebu, but also the country, in the sport of volleyball.

I promised Grace not to put a date when she ruled the beach volleyball scene, but it was before Nestea was holding the annual event, hehehe…

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MILESTONES: Happy birthday and welcome home greetings to my cousin Joyce Ann Q. Miranda, who is turning a year older today. Birthday greetings also go to Christine Inocencio, Ella Beverly Sarmago, and Ruby Allyn Farnal-Regoso.

Advance greetings go to my Tao sister Ailene Galicinao, The Freeman assistant news editor Bryan Roy Padilla, cartoonist Ramesh Rosillo, account executive Joy Ulla-Nacua, Lt. Col. Arthur Romanillos, Allan Jayme Rabaya, Portia Therese Abanilla-Blagtey, Bet Suplico, Dr. Jonathan Bendebel, Jane Gocuan, Mike Besa, and my fellow Gray Knights Erwin de Vera and Jose Christopher Bahan.

More power to all of you!