Sunday, June 15, 2008 Junio, swimming phenom, joins UC on scholarship
ANOTHER young athlete is welcomed into the folds of another university at the start of the school year.
The celebrated channel-crosser, the seven-year-old Justin Junio, was taken in by the University of Cebu to become the university’s youngest scholar.
Since the athletic program of UC do not include the elementary students, Junio’s education is being shouldered by the Augusto Go Presidential Scholarship.
“It is a special scholarship. Mr. Go put him under the special scholarship because he sees a lot of potential in him,” said UC athletic director Bernard Ricablanca.
Fame
Junio shot to fame when, at five years old, he attempted to make it to the Guinness book of world records by crossing the Mactan Channel two years ago, battling a strong current, dead animals and murky and oil-spilled water.
His parents, retired Air Force Colonel Florencio and mother Velina, said that he has so much energy that swimming and training to cross channels is one way to emit all the pent up energy in his body.
UC will give him free schooling and in return, UC only asks to be recognized as his school in his competitions and future undertakings.
“He has been training for a long time to accomplish a particular feat and we will not go against that. In fact we support it. We only want him to bring UC’s banner when he competes,” said Ricablanca.
Force
While he is already a force to reckon with in open seas, he might be someone to be feared on the swimming pool soon as he will be trained in competitive swimming.
In UC, Junio, who is in the first grade, will have a busy schedule as he will also be trained under UC’s swim coach Rolando Alvarez.
“He will be trained in competitive swimming and we will slowly build him up to compete in different competitions,” said Ricablanca.
Alvarez trained young, novice swimmers from different schools, who all became medal winners in various swim meets.
Junio travels with a sports psychologist and his own trainor, pediatrician, sports medicine specialist, Child Development Specialist, sports nutritionist and conditioning coach. (MCB)
