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Sunday, November 20, 2005
Homecourt Edge
By Jade S. Violeta
Sun.Star Staff Reporter
THE Philippine riders’ optimism is so apparent you can almost touch it. A number of pluses fuel their enthusiasm, including shimmering brand-new bikes provided by the Philippine Sports Commission that cost over P80,000 each.
Experience also counts. Although their preparations were partially hampered, the riders still had successful stints abroad, competing in various international tournaments that helped them assess their progress and that of their possible rivals.
“We are all ready to compete. We’ve had enough practice and exposure in local, national and international competitions,” said cross-country head coach Renato Mier.
The cross-country riders are the country’s strongest bets in the mountainbike event, with Mier boldly predicting a gold sweep of both the Men’s and Women’s divisions.
Leading the team are experienced riders Eboy Quiñones and Eric Feliciano, gold and bronze medalists, respectively, in the 2003 Vietnam SEA Games. With the entry of 18-year-old Cebuano sensation Niño Surban, the RP contingent becomes a dangerous mix of youth and experience.
Completing the team are Mark Aleonar and Marites Bitbit, who won the Women’s division bronze in Vietnam.
“Our strongest rival in the Men’s division is from Malaysia. But that rider won only the silver medal in Vietnam where Eboy (Quiñones) won the gold. So we still have the psychological advantage,” said Mier.
Although his team came up empty-handed in Vietnam, downhill coach Eboy Farr also shares Mier’s optimism.
In the dangerous downhill event, the Philippines will be bannered by Dumaguete City’s Joey Barba, Michael Borja, Parabanne Mendoza and lone lady bet Athena Beltran.
“We have a good chance of grabbing the Men’s division gold,” said Farr.
He said his best riders, Barba and Borja, have defeated their top Seag rivals during the 2nd Southeast Asian Invitational Mountainbike Championships held last June 12 at the same venue where the Seag competition will be staged.
Vietnam experience
The mountainbike event of the 23rd Southeast Asian Games is scheduled on Nov. 28-29 at the Ramon Durano Sr. Memorial Complex in Barangay Sabang, Danao City.
With a month and half of rigid training at the venue, familiarity of the race track is another big advantage.
To underscore the homecourt advantage, Mier recalled their experience in the Vietnam Seag in 2003.
“We were billeted some 70 kilometers from the venue, while our practice schedule was at 3 p.m. After a long drive from our billeting center, we usually arrived at the venue very late in the afternoon for our practice sesions,” said Mier.
“There were times when we arrived so late that the venue was already off limits to athletes. What we did was wait for the guards’ dinner break so we could sneak in and practice.”
Mier said they have no plans of doing the same thing to the foreign teams. However, there is one thing they’d do to maintain their homecourt edge.
“We won’t show them the exact tournament route until the start of the competition.”
(November 20, 2005 issue)
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