Jins appeal for support

A group of 20 students, ranging in age from eight to 16, has been invited to compete at the fourth Chicago International Taekwondo Winter Games in Norridge, Illinois, on Nov. 11-13 and head coach Nap Dagdagan isn’t sure if the team can participate because of lack of funding support.

What a pity if the jins are grounded because this is an excellent opportunity to invest in the youth. The tournament will feature age-group levels and organizers expect participants from various US states, Korea, China, Japan and Vietnam so it isn’t just for fun – this is serious competition. The experience to be gained from the event will go a long way for sure.

Most of the jins are students of the Diliman Preparatory School (DPS) which wrested the Philippine Athletic Youth Association (PAYA) overall championship from Ateneo on its first year of participation last season. DPS president Nikki Coseteng, a former senator and the first female PBA governor, is spearheading the effort to raise funds for the team. 

Heading the cast is UP sophomore Camille Alombro who topped the Pinoy Sports Idol Season 9 contest in 2009. A silver and bronze medalist at the Korea Open last year, the 16-year-old Alombro was supposed to receive funding from Pagcor for her participation in Norridge but no check has yet been released. 

Also in the contingent are Alombro’s brother Ray, Amber Acosta, Johanna Razon, Gabriel Lamarca and Janin Marcaida – all from DPS.  Others are J. E. Averie Belsonda, Elijah Buencamino, Guillano de Dios, Jerome de Guzman, Justin de Jesus, Marco de la Cruz, James Arvin Flores, Karlos Gaerlan, Keonn Gener, Robert Pangilinan, Charmaine Ragutana, Marigold Taculog, Renzo Toelos and Vince Aaron Yango. The youngest in the group is Gener, an 8-year-old Ateneo student.

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No less than tournament director Iris Wegener of the Got Qi Athletic Center sent a formal invitation to Coseteng for DPS to participate in the competition at the Ridgewood High School Gym. 

Dagdagan formed the lineup and listed Maria Luisa Fernando Pangilinan as head of delegation and Sheila Rose Escarnuela as team manager but at the moment, the trip is on hold – unless the funds come in. The tournament fee is $3,500 for both player and guardian. The team plans to leave on Nov. 6 if the trip pushes through.

One of the promising jins in the roster is Acosta, an 11-year-old Grade 6 student from DPS. She was introduced to taekwondo only two years ago and has now collected 10 gold, three silver and two bronze medals in 16 competitions, beating veteran black belters even as a red belter and now as a brown belter.

 “Amber joined the Milo Taekwondo Sports Clinic two years ago and my husband and I were surprised to find out she was named most outstanding student,” said Acosta’s mother Michelle. “We weren’t able to monitor her progress during the clinic but when we attended the graduation, we were told how gifted she is. Coach Nap thinks highly of Amber. She just shot her way up to the top. Now, whenever there are competitions, coaches look out for Amber. We’re very proud of her achievements particularly as she hasn’t been a competitor for too long.”

Acosta isn’t just a champion athlete. She’s also an outstanding student in school, having been accelerated one grade – it was supposed to be two grades but her parents felt she was too young to be elevated so quickly, and she’s in the top three of her class in the honors section.

 “Unfortunately, there is no government funding for the team’s participation as it was with the Azkals and our dragon boat team,” said Acosta’s grandfather Ronnie Litiatco. “Thus, we are turning to the private sector to enable her to go to Chicago. In the two years that Amber has been competing, she has already established quite a reputation with her exceptional performance.”

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Acosta was recently voted Best Player at the Smart National Taekwondo Championships.

“Most everyone in the taekwondo community knows Amber, especially in the grade school category where her prowess and skills exceed others,” said Dagdagan. “She has established herself as one of the best in taekwondo. She has proved herself as representative of the Quezon City team to the annual DEP-ED division meet. She was on several occasions, the top player in the national events organized by the Philippine Taekwondo Association. She is one of the best in her category in the past several tournaments at the Nationals, National Inter-School and AAPS in the grade school division. Her skills and expertise as a taekwondo athlete are definitely indispensible to the enhancement of the overall capability of the DPS taekwondo varsity team. Her excellent skills at a very young age can bring more honor and glory to our school and country for many years to come.”