Palaro-bound champs

THE journey to greatness continues for Davao City champions who will comprise the bulk of the Davao Region Athletic Association (Davraa) delegation that will see action in the 2013 Palarong Pambansa set on April 21 to 27 in Dumaguete City.

The Durians defended their over-all championship against nine other delegations in the just-concluded 2013 2013 Davao Region Athletic Association (Davraa) Meet at Davao del Norte Sports and Cultural Center in Barangay Mankilam, Tagum City.

Davao City Department of Education (Deped) Physical Education School Sports (Pess) supervisor Jimmy Cerojales, said: "We have a very good performance in this year's Davraa Meet having won most events."

He, however, said they will have to evaluate the secondary boys football, secondary boys sepak takraw and elementary girls softball teams that lost in their respective finals matches.

Cerojales said the Palaro-bound Davraa team will try to improve on its 10th over-all finish last year.

"We are hoping to really better our performance in Dumaguete. That's our commitment to the regional director - improve from last year's finish," Cerojales said in an interview with Sun.Star Superbalita.

Davao City swept the championships in secondary boys and girls arnis, elementary girls arnis, secondary and elementary boys basketball, secondary girls basketball, secondary boys softball, elementary and secondary boys baseball, elementary and secondary boys and girls volleyball, elementary and secondary rythmic gymnastics and women's artistic gymnastics, elementary sipa, elementary and secondary boys and girls chess, secondary boys tennis doubles and secondary girls tennis singles and secondary boys taekwondo, among others.

Ateneo de Davao University third year High School student Jenni Celine Dizon, who defeated Krizzan Dumlao of Panabo City (8-4) for the secondary girls singles gold, said she has less than two months to prepare for the Palaro.

"I'm working to improve my serve and physical conditioning. I'm training daily. I go to the courts right after classes during school days. I'll train whole day during weekends. I will try my best to enter the finals and bring home the gold," the 15-year-old Dizon said.

Also joining Dizon to the Dumaguete-bound team are the Davraa secondary boys doubles pair of John Bryan and Jaffary Cariga who upset the two-time Davraa champion Jeleardo Amazona and Ryan Anabieza of Davao Oriental, 8-7 (3) in the finals.

Fide Master (FM) Austin Jacob Literatus of Doña Carmen Denia National High School and Ella Grace Moulic of the Holy Cross of Davao College also kept their regional chess titles.

Literatus earlier vowed to win a Palaro gold while Moulic will have to defend her two Palaro titles. Both are currently competing in the Mayor Inday Sara and Vice Mayor Rody Duterte Araw ng Dabaw age-group chess tournament as part of their Palaro preparations.

Davao City swimmers, who dominated the Davraa, will try to make a breakthrough in the Palaro where they failed to bring home a gold in the past years.

Landing on the top six or top seven in the Palaro will be a tall order for Davraa, thus, conditioning coaches and trainers will have to map out plans to ready their athletes for the war that lies ahead.

With a multi-million state-of-the-art sports complex in Tagum City, Davraa athletes have every reason to shine.