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Thursday, October 20, 2005
Fil-ams boost swim bid
MANILA – The quest for gold in the medal-rich swimming got a needed boost with the discovery of three new US-based swimmers led by 17-year-old sensation Erica Totten, who have expressed willingness to don the national jersey in the 23rd Southeast Asian Games (Seag) on at the Trace Aquatic Complex in Los Banos, Laguna.
Philippine Amateur Swimming Association (Pasa) national training director Carlos Brosas recommended Fil-Ams Robert
Walsh, Michael Reyes and Totten, who recently broke two RP records in the 400-meter individual medley and 100m butterfly in the Lomeno National Swimming competition in Florida, USA last July.
Totten, currently studying at the Boiles School in Florida, is also mentored by Jeff Poppet, who helped Miguel Mendoza won the gold in the 1,500m freestyle in the 2003 Vietnam Seag.
The inclusion of the three brings to seven US-based Filipino swimmers in the RP swimming team for the Seag. Others are Athens Olympians Miguel Molina, Miguel Mendoza, JB Walsh and Jackie Pangilinan.
Robert Walsh is a member of the MAC Swimming team in Virginia, while Reyes is a standout of the Irvine Novo Aquatics Club in California.
Other candidates for the Men’s team are Molina, Timmy Chua, Kendrick Uy, Lambert Guiriba, James Walsh, Evan Grabador, Bonus Bordado, Ryan Arabejo, Benjamin Uy, Ernest Dee, Jan Michael Chiu, Mark Tano, Mikhael Reyes, Ferdinand Frigillana and Danila Michaelmars.
Official line-up
Others in the distaff side are Luica Dacanay, Marichi Gandionco, Jaclyn Pangilinan, Jenny Guerrero, Lizza Danila, Denjylle Cordero, Heidi Gem Ong, Chrizel Lagunday, Nikki Santiago and Bianca Uy.
Pasa president Mark Joseph said the official line-up will be known only after the candidates have entered into a contract with Pasa agreeing to abide by the team’s training policies. The signing of the agreement is set on Saturday.
“This is practiced in many countries and will become a standard practice for Pasa now and in the future. We want to avoid another situation wherein certain swimmers avoid participation in the national training program,” Joseph said.
Earlier, Joseph said they target six of the 43 golds at stake in the aquatics event in the biennial meet. A total of 232 swimmers from 11 nations will see action in the swimming event based on the submitted entry forms. (FCC)
(October 20, 2005 issue)
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