All set for Davao Region Prisaa Meet

SOME 900 delegates of athletes, coaches and officials will vie for honors and tickets to the national championship when the Southern Mindanao Region Private Schools Athletic Association (SM Prisaa) Meet unfurls on January 9 to 11 in Tagum City.

Prisaa regional executive director Joaquin "Boy" Sarabia, on Thursday's Davao Sportswriters Association (DSA) Forum at Dexter's Pizza Stadium in Matina, said: "It's all systems go for the regional meet. Tagum is ready to showcase its new and modern sports complex that will host centerpiece events like swimming and athletics."

Sarabia said Tagum's sports complex boasts of an Olympic-sized 50-meter pool and a warm-up 25-meter pool and rubberized track oval, among its other key features.

The Rotary Park will be the venue for men's and women's tennis, men's and women's beach volleyball, sepak takraw, men's and women's basketball while the Energy Park (E-Park) will host men's football, men's baseball and women's softball.

Also entered in the regional meet are men's and women's chess, men's and women's badminton, men's boxing, men's and women's karatedo, men's and women's taekwondo and men's and women's volleyball.

"The 330-member Davao City Prisaa delegation remains to be the team to beat but Davao del Norte and Davao del Sur may also pull off surprises in events where they are good at. The three units will play a round-robin format for most events where the top two teams will battle for the championship," he said.

He added Davao City will likely dominate all ball games except for beach volleyball that's being dominated by Tagum spikers of Davao del Norte in recent years.

Prisaa chair Dr. Emmanuel Angeles and Davao del Norte Governor Rodolfo del Rosario are expected to grace the opening rites set at 2 p.m. on January 9. The dance sports competition and search for Mutya ng Prisaa will then highlight the opening day ceremonies.

Top regional performers will advance to the national finals on Feb. 11 to 16 in Pangasinan.

Tagum City, meanwhile, bid for the hosting of next year's National Prisaa Championship along with Zamboanga City since it will be Mindanao's turn to host the annual games in 2014. It will also host the Davao Region Athletic Association Meet next month.