Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Pages: Tennis? This summer? Learn from RP’s best
By John Pages
Match Point
I COULDN’T surrender,” said Rey Bautista. “I remember my hardship when I was growing up, the time a bamboo pole was stuck in my head when I was a kid bleeding and walking 30 minutes before reaching home to find someone to remove it. I remember my poor parents. I couldn’t let them down.”
Hooray for Boom-Boom! Wasn’t he amazing? Listening to Edito Villamor, his trainer, dishing out advice (“Ari sa tiyan!”) between rounds, didn’t you feel proud to be Bisaya? After Boom-Boom’s win, when he raised both arms, stared at the TV screen, and screamed “Para ni sa imo, ma!” or words to that effect, didn’t you want to shed a tear?
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To me, the fight of the night was Bautista’s. De la Hoya vs. Mayweather? Nah. Lousy. I’m no boxing expert, but wasn’t it boring? Maybe it was the hype or the six-month wait. But that was no classic. Sure, we saw jabs and jabs and jabs, and we saw Floyd sliding back and sliding back and sliding back. That’s it? That’s it. Was that what the world awaited?
Maybe that’s why I liked Mike Tyson and adore Manny Pacquiao. They jump on you, bloody you, rifle you with machine-gun punches, rarely on the defense, always on the offense, and when they smell defeat dripping off the enemy’s sweat, they bite, chew, and then kiss you. Yes. Kiss you with a KO.
TENNIS. Don’t miss this chance: One of RP’s top coaches is in town and he’s here only for a month. So, go!
Butch Bacani, with 30 years of experience tucked inside his tennis racket, is in Cebu. Dubbed the “Smart/Butch Bacani Tennis Camp,” this clinic is for free! Yes. Believe it or not in this day of commercialism, it’s for free. So, go!
Sessions are MWF. Time? Beginners (8 to 10 a.m.), Intermediate (10 a.m. to 12 noon), Advanced (1 to 3 p.m.), and venue is Cebu Country Club. If you need more info, call Ging-Ging at 4161500 local 100. So, don’t delay, grab a racket, change to tennis shorts, and go!
RUN! Last Sunday, I woke up at 2:20 a.m. I bit my lips, shut my eyes, and tried to return to snoring. It didn’t work. My heart kept pounding. And so after a few minutes of counting sheep, I gave up, unwrapped the blanket and headed out. I checked my e-mail, read the news, and sipped San Mig coffee.
By 4:45 a.m., the time had arrived. I woke my wife Jasmin, showered, changed to sleeveless shirt, packed the iPod Shuffle, then left.
At 5:30 a.m., the Cebu Doctors’ University Hospital was flooded. Over a hundred—maybe hundreds—in running shoes littered the street sides. It was the “Run For Your Heart” campaign launched by Dr. Peter Mancao and his fellow doctors. What a fabulous idea! Never mind if these heart doctors lose patients because more people are fit and are less likely to suffer from heart ailments.
At 6 a.m., Councilor Yayoy Alcoseba fired the gun and hundreds trampled the asphalt. It was my first-ever attempt at the 10K. For Jasmin, the same—her first 5K. Since I’ve taken up running last year, I’ve loved every moment. Jogging along streets named Escario, Salinas, Mango and Osmeña, you observe sights you’ll never see on a car.
At the finish line, it was exhilarating. Vice Mayor Mike Rama ran the 5K and never lost his smile from start to finish. Cesar Montano ran one kilometer then gave a “Vote for Me” speech. Dr. Yong Larrazabal was, as expected, a cheetah in shorts—he won the 10K Doctors’ division in 40 minutes. Dr. Vic Verallo beat his personal record—he clocked 45 minutes. My time? I couldn’t—and still can’t—believe it: 47:49. Was the distance shortened or did my Timex malfunction? I expected to run one full hour but 47 minutes? My wife Jasmin also out-sprinted herself. She ran the 5K in 30:40. Good speed!
BLOG. I’m not joining the May 14 slugfest, but allow me to “plug” myself: Just last week, I launched my blogsite. It contains my past and current articles plus extra commentary. And here’s what’s best: pictures. As you’ll note from our writings, columnists can’t paste pictures beside our writings. But with the blog, they’re all there, in full-color. So please visit. I’m a click away at www.pages.ph.
(john@pages.ph)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. ( May 8, 2007 issue)
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