Hindi natin alam kung papano nangyari ang aksidente.

It was posted:

Let us pray for the fast recovery of one of our

schoolmate…

Walang masama sa pagdarasal. Ang pagdarasal nga

“can move mountains”. Hindi ba? Gusto ko lang

iparating sa mga authorities na bagaman ito ay

matatawag na aksidente. Hindi kaya’t mayroon ding

matatawag na kapabayaan o pagkukulang?

Pagsasawalang-bahala sa kaligtasan ng mga

estudyante na may kinalaman sa aktibidad ng

paaralan? Do all schools have safety rules on sporting

events?

Sa aking pagkakaalam, itong insidenteng ito ay

matatawag na grabe kung pag-uusapan ang bahaging

nasaktan. May mga aksidente narin noon na kung saan

nasaktan ang isang pep squad member. Hindi ko

sinasabing sa pep squad na ito, dito ring nagmula.

Sinasabi kong maaaring sa ibang departamento

sapagkat ang bawat Kolehiyo ay may sari-sariling pep

squad at ang main pep squad naman usually na pang

inter-school ay binubuo ng mga miyembro mula sa iba’t

ibang departamento. Isa ito magandang tradisyon at

magandang ehemplong pagpapakita ng “true

leadership” ng mangilan ngilang guro. (Sinu sino pa po

ba sa mga guro ngayon ang may ganitong dedikasyon?

Mangilan-ngilan nga lamang hindi ba? Kung meron man

natitira ay yaong mga matatawag na lamang na

“remains”, coaches for compliance sake.) Dapat po

natin tularan ang mangilan ngilan na aktibong

nagtataguyod ng interes ng mga estudyante.

Bagama’t ito ay bahagi lamang ng usaping pang-

akademiko (maaring tutulang hindi nga pang-

akademiko sapagkat ang sigaw ng mga elitista ay

ibalik muli ang focus sa Agham at Teknolohiya);

sapagkat ang Isport daw ay hindi naman ang

pangunahing interes sa Kagawaran ng Edukasyon. (Is

this the reason why DE is no longer DECS?) Atin pong

alalahanin ang mga sinimulan ng the “great Dr. C.” who

lived by example, advocating the value of physical

fitness in overall health.

Bagama’t mukhang “cheering” na lamang ang

bumubuhay sa mapaklang sporting event ng bawat

paaralan at inter-school competitions; kung

pagbabasehan ang mga kumento sa LH blog at mga

opinyon ng common students; dapat din nating alamin

ang masalimuot na problema ng isport. Dapat,

dagdagan ang safety precautions sa mga practices ng

CHEERING o anumang event. Have it written. Science

should be applied in each stunts. It’s not just an art.

“I’ve watched some documentries on how stunts are

executed, it’s not just a matter of coming up with it

successfully (PE teachers know this) but behind

that… SAFETY should always be a priority. Needless

to say further, should we qualify an athlete’s

assumption of risk factor?” O dili kaya’y nasabak

lamang sila sa naturang sporting event simply because

there is no better choice or simply this is quite the

easier choice than to take another exam? Or given No

choice? Oh yeah, because this is like an unwritten rule

kagaya ng isang Dean’s prerogative over who

deserves to pass, who deserves to attend the

capping and badge ceremony, who deserves to

proceed in OJT or level higher and move one step

further, who deserves to graduate with flying colors.

Fact is, this is categorized in extra-curricular activity

to break some gaps in deliberation of grades. Or

rather, a poor interpretation and exercise of the so-

called Academic Freedom. Make sport an option to

supplement academics? If Logic could solve this

mystery, how would the logic gurus translate these?

Or just be blind and ignore the facial expressions of

students who don’t want what they are doing? Watch

them in youtube, have fun, laugh till it hurts.

Kaya nga napakahirap maging isang boxer kasi

maraming exercises… Inaanyayahan kong suriin ng

studentry at mga student journalist ang

napakahalagang bahagi ng usaping pampalakasan sa

paaralan. Meron nga bang matinong sports program

ang bawat paaralan? Or simply it reflects how poor

and we lack so much that we can’t even have a good

match in major events such as the Olympics? Or we

have the poorest Characters behind it that we can’t

be proud of having?

Kung ikaw ay isang mapanuring estudyante,

napagtanto mo na ba kung ano ang importansya ng

PRISAA fee na inyong binabayaran? Bagamat hindi

natin nalalaman kung ano nga ba ang halaga ng

PRISAA sa buhay ng isang simpleng mag-aaral. Para sa

iba’y ito lamang ay payak na “patungkol sa simpleng

kataga na sports.” Para sa isang tunay na atleta, ito

ay higit pa sa salitang sports. Ito ay nagpapahayag

dapat ng isang “pagkakataon” ng isang malalim na

paghubog sa isang pambihirang kakayahan ng

indibidwal. Ang salitang sports ay sumasalamin sa

isang kahusayan na hindi lamang pampisikal na bahagi

ng katauhan ang nahuhubog kundi ang kabuuan ay

natututong maki-ugnay sa bawat isa para namnamin

ang salitang “tagumpay” at “karangalan”. Ano nga ba

ang kalagayan ng mga paaralan sa PRISAA? Marami ng

atletang sinubukang bagtasin ang rurok ng tagumpay

sa kabila ng “kawalan o kakulangan ng suporta” at

pansamantala’y maging popular pagkat nailimbag ang

kanilang nagawa sa mga pang-estudyanteng

publikasyon o promosyon. Hanggang pagpapalimbag na

nga ba? Hanggang padayu-dayong kumpetisyon kung

saang may piyesta na lamang ba? Manalo,

magpakasaya sa buong gabi sa isang night spot at

hintayin ang umaga? Let’s aim for the National and

International Events. We can! Gaano ba kataas ang

ating pangarap? Gaano ba kataas tumalon ang isang

MVP? Makakaya ba niyang patumbahin ang mga

naghahariang mga kakumpetensiyang paaralan? Can

we give a good game or just mumble our bitterness

because of a beauty pageant? Kailan naman tayo

sisigaw sa level ng pang UAAP? One hundred years

from now?

Walang bang maayos na sport program? Everyone is

just preoccupied by Imeldific display of lighting

torches. Halos maghingalo na ang noo’y mga buhay na

buhay na guro ng PE. Nirarayuma na ang bawat kasu

kasuan ng mga ito sapagkat nanamlay ang kanilang

aktibidad. Papano’y wala namang malinaw na polisiya.

Wala hindi ba? “How do you make a Champion?” Paulit

ulit lang naman ang mga naglalaro sa basketball diba?

(Performance has never been so bland.) Kaalinsabay

ng ibang sporting event mula track and field,

badminton, tennis, chess, darts, volleyball, etc, sila-

sila na naman (minsan nagdo-double body ang isang

participant… dalawa or tatlo ang sport niya, conflict

tuloy sa schedule. Hindi na nakapagtataka if may

manalo by default.). Bad gaming. Bad schedule. Sila

na naman nung nakaraang taon, sila na naman

ngayon. Dapat kumukumpitensiya na sila sa labas para

“sila” naman na nagsisimula ay “sila naman”. Saan ang

motibasyon na dapat ay nakapunla para sa mga

nangangapang freshman? Na-review na ba kung maari

nang isalang ang matagal nang nakaupo sa bangkong

atleta? O dili kaya’y naghihintay na lamang ng suporta

mula sa mga nag eeli-elitistahang student leader kuno

na pre-occupied sa isang napakagarbong “beauty

pageant” sa bawat school event. Pamilyar diba? Tipikal

na Filipino culture, mahilig sa pageant… di ba nga

halos lahat ng sulok may masasabing “pageant” mula

Miss Talipapa, Mr. Suwave, Mrs. Banyera. Pinoy na

Pinoy! Hindi ako nagtatangi sa mag ito pero ano nga

ba ang “sense”, ano ang nais na iparating?

Imeldification. Bakit di niyo tignan kung maari niyo ng

palitan ang mga officers ng bawat sporting event?

Bakit hindi pag-aralan ang mga rules kung angkop ba

sa students? Baka naman may marunong sa faculty? o

sa non-teaching employee kaya? Ano naman kaya ang

mensaheng maipaparating nito sa isang baguhang

kolehiyala o high school? How could we erase the

blemishes of cheating? Meron ba?

Isa sa aking sina-saluduhang mga atleta ay ang

naghihingalong Martial Arts team ni Sir Noel Sumingwa.

Opo, ang walang kakupas-kupas na “Dragon” ng LC

martial arts Club. Mantakin niyong kayang kaya niyang

magpa-demonstrate ng routine sa ilalim ng puno ng

santol at sirok ng mangga? Hindi nahihiya ang team na

ibuhos ang kanilang high kick sa ere para lang ipakita

ang abilidad, ang pormang may disiplina. This team

should have a space in the Gym with real equipment!

Alam ni Sir Noel how it’s like to have nothing to come

up with something but we can’t wait to have

“quantum physics” take its effect. I mean, gosh

having a Champion coach is not enough to motivate

martial artists. This is not classical anime or

something. Martial arts is a discipline that Filipinos are

excelling in and out of the country. International

martial arts enthusiast come to this part of the world

just to train and learn variations from Kali to Sikaran,

etc.. Kaya support what the team deserves.

I met an athlete in a school in Pangasinan, yeah their

gym was in bad shape. The student paper keeps on

publishing how bad the gym was… but then, the lack

does not kill their morale. It sucks but their team was

struggling and they produce Champions. Should they

be given better equipment, their Champions are not

just ordinary Champions. However, when they should

be given a chance to compete in the Nationals, make

a step further to join the Olympic team… Hmmm some

crocodiles kill their hope. Yeah sad but true. Mafias in

the National Team. There’s no unity to come up with a

powerful team. You can just feel how that Olympic

coach sighed. OMG! The lack, yeah the Lackl.

Sepak-takraw. Is sipa still our National Sport? Di

naman kasi importante … (Hahah. No sense of

Nationalism nga ang kabataan ngayon. Biruin niyong

kailangan pang magpalabas ng directive si Sec. Lapus

just to stop playing canned Lupang Hinirang during

Flag Ceremonies. Well, do you still know how to sing

Lupang Hinirang with your heart?); Darn, do we know

how many teams that are viable for any sporting

events? Authorities would boast of the well-publicized

accomplishments of many students who made it to

the national or international arena but the reality is,

they only did little to the development of such talent.

Sad reality. I would say that those who made it to

these scenes are really the lucky ones because they

are well-supported by their parents, if not… let us

give commendation to PTO/PTA for their full support.

Give commendation for the Politician who signed some

clearance and gave financial support out from his own

pocket? (and make sure we dont forget to vote for

him in the next elections.) In most schools, an

athlete is lucky if student leaders will raise funds or do

something for the delegate. Sa barangay nga namin,

mismo yung mga atleta ang nagso-solicit pero

nakakainis, makikita mo lang silang tambay na naman

pagkatapos ng liga. When funds are available, there

are delegates… if non, hmmm maybe look forward for

another event next time or next school year anyway

the final exams are approaching, focus on your studies

instead. The high spirited athlete would go anyway.

Assuption of Risk factor. If he still have PE, inform the

instructor to make an exemption, don’t tell other

students they might get jealous. For the remaining

subjects, make-up exams. Enter at your own Risk. Be

a Hero, they would just have to be too proud of the

“bacon” when you are LUCKY but truth is; the school

did only little. This is a sad reality again. Napapansin

ka lang kapag nananalo ka. If natatalo, normally

authorities would rethink of Politics behind the

sporting event: corruption, cheating, etc.; then wala

ng pasasalihin or kaunti na ang suporta the next time

kasi feeling nadaya yung result or di na worthy yung

competition. That should not be the attitude. Mas

masarap kaya ang matalo, at bumagsak, at

bumangon… It’s better to fight and avoid

procastinations than to be Impotent. Impotent na

nga, wala pang erection.

We hate Politics in Sport. Some school authorities

really hate it to the point of discouraging inter-school

competitions. Others dance to the music. Can’t beat

them, join them. Yeah, the fact that sports should

promote an apolitical environment as in the case when

Pacquiao’s fight would allow politicians to enjoy the

fight nor we see the world leaders in Olympics to

convey their support… though the hot part is “We get

more ringings with activists outcry of Freeing Tibet”.

No one would dare to talk much in media if a religious

fundamentalist burned himself as a form of protes.

Rather, we would track the medlas, see who is the

hot babe or adonis among the athletes. Fact is, We

love sports to death that we are most amazed to see

our heroes demonstrate their world record skills. It is

like being in the game itself- inspiring, empowering,

adrenaline rush, sometimes stupid because it is spoiled

by technicalities and boboos from different factors,

protests due to age, scoreboards, unsportmanlike

behaviour, drugs, and shits. Hate Sports and Love it.

It’s like reliving the Gladiator movie.

Worse and more exposes. In public schools… kids are

taught to lie with their age just to have a grip of that

scholarship; never try to break that old rule for the

school’s glory. That expose is nothing more different

when that gymnast was asked… Too bad the

Standards imposed does not favor one’s winning

strategy. Win, no matter how it takes. Be otherwise,

you’ll break the rule then you’ll have no future. Yet,

does an athlete ends being an athlete when the Game

is Over?

Posted by Igmedio Damian at August 23, 2008, 9:39 pm