Fil-Am hoping for SEAG slot

MANILA, Philippines - National swimming coach Pinky Brosas has advised Fil-Am Elizabeth (Lily) Jordana to compete in long-course events and focus on the 200-meter individual medley when she returns to the US as preparation for the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Singapore on June 5-16 in case she’s called to join the Philippine team.

Jordana, 18, showed up for a tryout supervised by Brosas at the PhilSports Complex pool in Pasig last Tuesday. Watching Jordana perform were PSC chairman Richie Garcia, POC first vice president Joey Romasanta and POC treasurer/SEA Games chef de mission Julian Camacho. After a 30-minute warmup, Jordana did laps in freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly for about an hour.

“She’s quite explosive,” said Brosas. “She has good flexibility and rotation. I think she’s a late bloomer as her body is still filling out. My estimate is she’s got at least four years of competitive swimming ahead. The coming SEA Games won’t be a closure for her, it’ll be the beginning. Her window is only opening up. There’s no doubt, she has potential.”

Brosas said there may be a spot for Jordana in the swimming team for the SEA Games. “She could join the relay and depending on her times, some individual events,” he said. “I want her to compete in long-course events in the US so we can get her most recent times. She has a very positive attitude. If she makes the qualifying cut, we’ll bring her to Singapore but that also depends on whether she can get her Philippine passport and clearance from the US Swimming Association.”

Jordana’s Filipino father Martin said he will apply for her dual citizenship at the Philippine consulate in San Francisco. Martin, born and raised in the Philippines, is now a US citizen married to an American Sarah Davis. Martin’s Philippine passport was still valid when his daughter was born in the US. The Jordanas were in town for two weeks during the holidays and went back to Houston, where they live, last Wednesday.

Jordana’s name was included in the list of Filipino athletes for accreditation to the SEA Games. The final lineup will be submitted to the Singapore organizers in April. By then, Jordana must have been issued a Filipino passport, clearance from the US Swimming Association and certification by the POC and Philippine Swimming, Inc.

Jordana said the short-course season ends in March but she will try to join long-course competitions before April to submit her times to Brosas. She will continue working with strength and conditioning coach Darren Williams of Optimum Pro-Am Sports in Houston to get ready for Singapore in case she is enlisted.

“Competitive swimmers usually go through four-year cycles from age group to juniors to seniors,” said Brosas. “In Lily’s case, she’s just starting at the senior level. It’s good timing that she only recently engaged a strength and conditioning coach. She’s doing weight training now to strengthen her shoulders. If you start weight training too early, your muscles could lock in and you lose flexibility. At the moment, she’s doing core training and I expect her times to drop as she gets stronger. If she focuses on the 200-meter IM, she’ll be exposed to doing four strokes so that gives us a wide choice of events. Lily could do 100-meter freestyle, backstroke and butterfly. I’d also be interested to test her lactate threshold to find out her ability to generate energy and her level of aerobic conditioning. My feeling is she has a high lactate threshold which makes her explosive. In her tryouts, I was impressed with her fitness even if she was on holiday break. She also showed good mechanics, endurance and technique.”

Jordana is now in the process of choosing which US university to enroll in. She has received over 12 swimming scholarship offers so far. Brosas said she should go to a school where the swimming program involves foreigners to assure a year-long regimen. “Ideally, Lily should enroll in a school that has a club component so that when the college season ends, the foreign swimmers can continue to compete,” he said. “Usually, the US swimmers go on break after every season. I’d prefer her to go to a school where the head coach takes her under his wing and not just endorse her to assistants.”

Brosas said performance in a short-course, 25-yard pool isn’t a gauge of how a swimmer will do in a long-course international meet. “You’re not in the water long enough doing strokes,” he said. “I’d like Lily to enter more long-course events. It will also be helpful if she enrolls in a school that has a 50-meter pool.” Brosas said he submitted 20 names for SEA Games accreditation in swimming. Jordana was a late addition.