Cebu keeps me going

The Freeman is 95 years old. And it just keeps on chugging, moving along. What makes an institution last that long? What makes people “stay young” beyond their 90 years of existence? What makes it click? I’ve always been amazed at people or institutions that have lasted through battles, struggles and victories through time. And the one virtue that stands out through all this is their deep sense of perseverance. Many businesses, companies or projects come and go but don’t last long. Some fade away overnight, while others can’t stand the tests of time. The Freeman is one tough hombre who has persevered through just five years short of a century. And we’re mighty proud to be part of this journey, albeit in our tiny, little way.

Thus, it’s somewhat both of an irony and a perfect timing that the campaign “Cebu Keeps Me Going” has been at the forefront of  The Freeman’s existence. As Friday’s editorial stated, “But for us at least, what keeps us going is Cebu. It could never be otherwise. The story of Cebu and its people is the only thing that sustains and nourishes us. For it is our story as well. Cebu's struggles and triumphs are our own too.”

As we reflect on our years with The Freeman, we too, realize that it really is Cebu that has kept us going in our little corner of the sports page every Sunday. We often ask ourselves, “Why the heck do we write about Cebu sports? Why go through all the research/study, monitoring of developments and being involved in Cebu sports? If you asked us this question awhile back, I would’ve replied with a shrug, a half-smile and “I don’t know. I just like to write.” If  you ask us the same question now, we have a more concrete answer, but “copied” from The Freeman. Cebu keeps me going. Cebu Sports keeps me writing and involved. I guess I couldn’t have found a better combination. As someone mad about sports and one whole loves to write (and talk) about sports, the column Bleacher Talk was a natural offshoot of this combination. On the sports side, we were once an athlete who belonged to the category of “will never make it to the big leagues, not even the minor stuff.” But we kept on playing, watching, monitoring and studying sports. We then joined people who organized events and set up sports clubs before putting up our own sports programs and activities. Part of all these activities was the need for PR: the need to broadcast and share our news with the rest of Cebu. And so we also wrote sports stories for press releases, sent letters to sports editors and wrote our own private themes or essays back in the time when blogs and the web were non-existent.

As a sports fan, we followed all the major sports events of  Cebu: college and commercial basketball at the USC Main Gym, PBA games at the Aznar Coliseum and Cebu Coliseum; the provincial and regional meets at the old Abellana National School’s Sports Complex (now called Cebu City Sports Center) with its asphalt tracks that also accommodated cycling competitions (did you know that?). We also had football games at the old CIS Football Field in Banilad and the Bohemian Football Field near Talamban. Tennis matches were played at both the Banilad Tennis Courts and Baseline Sports Complex. We also supported the Carmen football boys, Don Bosco Boys Home football teams to the Coke for Goal tournament, watched the Carcar baseball powerhouse teams of the past. You add all that to today’s sports activities that have levelled up a hundredfold and you have a rich and history-filled phenomenon called Cebu Sports. With Cebu Sports, you can never go wrong.

I’d like to end this piece by borrowing the last two lines from The Freeman editorial anew. “And so, for ourselves and for all of you, we dedicate this milestone to such a great place and such a great people. We thank everyone for such a wonderful time to be alive. What more wonderful reason can we ask than this for us to just keep on going.”

***

Time-out: Our prayers go out to all the victims of Typhoon Glenda. >>> You can reach me at [email protected].