G.A.M.E. girls

One advantage about attaining a certain level of experience (a polite way of saying once you get older) is that you are at times placed in the position of developing new talent in your field. I’ve been fortunate enough to have had doors opened for me, and to have opened doors for those coming up in sports broadcasting.

Recently, I’ve had the pleasure of seeing four young female sportscasters cross over into mainstream television, via a new magazine program aired over IBC-13 every Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. It’s called G.A.M.E Girls.

We picked the name because the four letters in the word "game" can stand for anything. "G" can mean glamor or guts; "A," the arts and action; "M" may represent money, machismo; "E" can be skewed toward entertainment, entrepreneurship, or everything else.

The four attractive ladies hosting the program, ranging in age from 21 to 26, all have one thing in common: they cover sports for a living.

Mabel Reyes is a disc jockey for Wave 89.1, and works the 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. shift. Although she appears in television and print commercials, she’s also doing courtside reporting for the PBA telecasts on NBN and IBC, and has shown true polish and depth in her assignments.

Peaches Aberin comes from a family of professional models, being the youngest sibling of beauteous sisters Apples and Orange. She has worked the sidelines for the NCAA and PBL telecasts, and is a pre-school teacher full-time. In fact, she’s already putting up her own pre-school.

Agnes Tapia also worked the court for the NCAA broadcasts, and is now a mainstay on the PBL telecasts. She’s a communications major at De La Salle University, and will be graduating after one more term.

Ria Gamboa is also a DLSU student, taking psychology. She covers sports for the school paper, and wanted to do production work for television. But instead of being behind the camera, she ended up in front of it.

These four young sportswomen now demonstrate their versatility every week, as they cover a wide range of topics seen on very few other television programs. One main difference you will notice with G.A.M.E. Girls is that the message is always positive. It is a program that uplifts the good and artistic and worthy in Philippine society, and offers solutions instead of problems.

Tomorrow’s episode is a clear example. Despite the travel advisories of other countries and the interruptions in the services of foreign embassies in the country, three young foreigners have chosen to seek a life in the Philippines. Kirk Collier is the trainer of Batang Red Bull in the PBA, and conducts basketball clinics for kids. Andrei Roslovtsev grew up in Russia, where he has trained since childhood in classical styles of dance. Now, he hopes to help Filipinos climb to world standards in international dance sport competition. Bobby Asanin is the younger brother of entertainer Lana Asanin, and is a popular professional model in his native Germany. But he found the country to be a great environment to work in, and hopes to stay.

Other stories include interviews with experts regarding how sportswear has crossed over to the fashion runways all over the world. What are the latest trends in sports fashion, and which sports currently rule the industry? How do you look athletic even without spending hours in the gym?

Speaking of sports, the show also tackles the need to bear arms in times of war, spotlighting the Defense and Sporting Arms Show. It also focuses on the peculiarly exotic tastes of those who set up the popular The Red Crab chain of restaurants.

"It’s a challenge for all of us, because we’ve never really done this kind of stuff before," Reyes admits. "But it’s a lot of fun, and we’re learning a lot, particularly since the program is predominantly in Pilipino."

Meanwhile, because of its wholesome, positive message, G.A.M.E. Girls has already attracted the attention of major advertisers, though still in its infancy. Columbia International Foods, manufacturers of the widely known Champi, I-Cool and Frosty Pop candies, has decided to support the program.

Three other advertisers are waiting to weigh in, too.

The most heart-warming thing about G.A.M.E. Girls is that it has proven that there is room for good news on Philippine television. With its positive image and creative production, it is slowly gathering the support it needs to last. And that’s good news for an audience tired of hearing about the dark side of the world.

* * *

G.A.M.E. Girls is seen every Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. over IBC-13. You can e-mail the hosts at [email protected].