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Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Pages: Summer, tennis and the ‘bad’ GK Project
By John Pages
Matchpoint
Tennies, anyone?
Watch Roger Federer. Please do. Ask Philip, your 12-year-old son, to sit beside you and watch. It’s summertime. He’s got a lot of time. So does your eight-year-old daughter Christine. Ask her to gaze at Maria Sharapova. Ask her to listen to the shrieks after each shot. Study Roger’s forehand. Sit amazed as he glides like an effortless cheetah around the court. His slice backhand? A knife? Is that a knife he’s holding? Yes, he’s relaxed. Cool. Just like the Swiss Alps .
Be honest, parents.
Who doesn’t secretly dream his son to be a Tiger Woods? A LeBron James. A Lance Armstrong. A Ronaldinho. A Kobe Bryant. Kobe? Nah. A Roger Federer? Of course.
Who doesn’t secretly dream his daughter to be a Michelle Wie? A Martina Hingis. A Mia Hamm. An Annika Sorenstam. A Laila Ali. Ali? Nah. A Maria Sharapova? Of course.
Well, April has arrived and the temperature is rising — so it’s the best time for sports.
Let’s talk tennis. The Sancase (San Carlos Seminary)Tennis Club, the biggest in Cebu with four clay courts, is offering its annual Summer Tennis Clinic. Here are the details, courtesy of Dodong Du, Rene Aquino and Doms Elnar.
The first batch runs from April 3-28 and the second from May 1 -26, all from 8 a.m. to 12 noon. This is open to all ages and levels, beginners, intermediate or advanced players. Registration is only P1,000. You can either go straight to Sancase Tennis Club along Juan Luna Ave. in Mabolo. You can also call 232-4315 or call Dennis Torres, the overall in-charge, at 0920-9508915.
After the Holy Week, another club will offer tennis lessons: the Casino Español de Cebu, from April 17-21 from 7to9 in the morning. Head coach is retired Colonel Jun Teves. Fee is P1,000 with free T-shirt. Call Casino Español at 253-1260.
BADMINTON. Louie Moro is a sports fanatic. He loves Formula One racing and swings a straight 250-plus yard drive at the golf course. Two decades ago, I remember him coming home from the US. He took along a Puma Boris Becker racket. He wore Andre Agassi’s jeans shorts and Nike T-shirt. He served like John McEnroe.
Today, Louie Moro is into badminton.
A few days ago, he e-mailed me with a brilliant idea. Why not organize a badminton tournament and raise funds for charity?
Thus, the 1st Hitachi Cebu Interclub Badminton tournament on April 8, 2006 at the Port Side Badminton Courts was born.
“This is a battle between the top eight clubs in Cebu,” wrote Louie. “Davis cup style: three Men’s doubles, one mixed and one ladies.” The clubs? Casino Español, Courtyard, Portside, Shuttlecock, Poona, Raquet zone, Pats and Metrosports.
“This is a team competition and 100 percent of the proceeds (P3,000 per club) go to charity,” he added. Together with Louie and Lynn Moro in the Couples for Christ project are Cholo and Chuchay Verches, Oliver and Tet Ko, Dado and Hermie Rosales, Ed and Pam Dingal, Kenneth and Peggy Leonardo, and Edwin and Tiffany San Nicolas.
“This tournament is being organized for a noble cause,” read their invitation letter, “as 100 percent of the funds raised will be donated to the Gawad Kalinga (GK) Project of the Couples for Christ, specifically the GK site in Budlaan, Talamban, Cebu City. As you may already know, the aim of GK is to alleviate the conditions in life of the poorest members of our society by caring for them, restoring their dignity, and integrating them to society through various programs.”
Badminton? Gawad Kalinga?
A perfect doubles pairing.
But wait. Something’s not right. If a poster of this project were printed, it would read: “Gawad Kalinga goes… Bad!”
Bad.
My suggestion: With such a good project, a name change.
Goodminton.
(john@brightacademy.edu.ph)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (April 4, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here. |
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