Star Athlete Close-up Martus Teodoro Jr.

CEBU, Philippines - For him, scrabble is one of the best inventions of man.He firmly believes that the game of scrabble is not just about memorizing words, but is also about good strategy combined with probability and statistics theory.

With that line of thinking fueled by unflinching desire to excel in his field, no one would ever wonder why Teodoro Martus, Jr., has spurred himself into one of Cebu’s revered words wizards who currently reigns as the Philippines’ No.1 player.

The 26-year-old Martus is no ordinary athlete. An engineer by profession, he is a full-time faculty in the College of Engineering and Architecture and Industrial Engineering Department Head of the University of the Visayas (UV)-Main Campus, his beloved alma mater.

Martus finds scrabble very challenging and interesting. He shared that when he was a kid, he was fond of playing puzzles, which for him have semblance with scrabble wherein you will try to spot the perfect words out of the available letters on the board and out of the letters that you have in your rack. 

“It also keeps my adrenaline flowing especially during exciting games in a tournament,” said Martus, who is also the Visayas coordinator of the National Scrabble Association of the Philippines (NASCAP).

Just like other sports, Martus said you have to be patient if you want to be a good player. “Most importantly, practice and play as many games as you can.”

Martus was met with many challenges when he was still a struggling player. 

“During the first time I joined a competition, I was badly beaten by a Senior who had undergone training with the high school varsity team of our school,” recalled Martus. “I felt so depressed but I told myself that I would learn more about the game and I would master it in the future.”

Indeed, Martus took all his frustrations constructively, learn from his setbacks painstakingly and fought with renewed vigor to eventually carve his own niche in the sport closest to his heart.

Martus started to make a name when his team topped the scrabble event of the Milo Little Olympics in 2002. “I was the best board no. 4 player and received special awards at that time,” Martus said.

In that same year, he saw action in a national tournament for the first time, placing 19th out of 60 participants during a NASCAP-sanctioned event in Manila.

From that moment on, Martus started his journey to the top of the hill. “This time, I am very eager to get a national championship, my determination and devotion for the game is getting stronger and deeper,” he said.

Martus has reaped countless honors for the country both here and on the international stage. In 2005, he captained his team to the overall title of the 1st Philippine All-Students Championship in Manila, besting prominent universities such as UP-Diliman and FEU.

He won his first national championship in September 2007. It earned him the right to represent Phl to the World Scrabble Championships in Mumbai, India where he wound up 58th among 110 entries.

The following year, Martus bagged his first ever international crown through the 7th Causeway Scrabble Challenge in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. He competed in the open category and bested 80 contenders from 10 countries.

When asked what drives him to play scrabble here and abroad, Martus replied: “ I just want to make scrabble as one of the popular sports in our country. By winning tournaments abroad, maybe it would help attain my dream.”

Pressed further on his ultimate goal, Martus candidly answered that “I would love to see new talented players. I am willing to train them and pass on the torch.” (FREEMAN)