Monday, June 23, 2008 A father’s influence By Marian C. Baring Sun.Star Staff Reporter
SOME parents will never tolerate having their children play billiards. Count Renato Cumayas out.
Cumayas and the rest of his clan were at SM City Cebu yesterday to cheer on his youngest son, Jerson, who went on to claim the elementary division title of the Manny Villar Cup-Sun.Star Super Balita 9-Ball Challenge over Joshua Ababon.
Cumayas, an elementary school teacher, negates the bad image that billiards has among some parents and said only the parents can be made accountable for the bad image of billiards—of the sport being a quicksand that takes kids away from school.
“That is why it is very disappointing when we hear stories that kids had to leave school just so they could pursue a billiards career. How the parents could allow such, is more disappointing,” said Renato, who even introduced billiards to Jerson, to get him away from his peers.
Cumayas, who is also at the forefront of his son’s blossoming career, believes that his son, or anybody for that matter, can still be good in billiards and be good in school.
“I see to it that I monitor him. He needs to balance his schoolwork and studies. That makes me a strict parent, I guess. But it is for his own good,” said Cumayas.
After seeing the potential in his son, Cumayas brought a billiards table, where they worked on his kid’s skills.
“That table is off-limits except a few minutes after school and after my work and during weekends,” Cumayas added.
Cumayas feels that it will be a waste if kids could not continue school just because of billiards. “It is all up to the parents to guide their children. If we were able to do it, then everyone else can,” he said.
Jerson has been training for two years and since competitions for young boys are scarce, he plays older players, until such time when nobody wants to compete against the diminutive sixth grader from Tayud Elementary School.
They signed up right away after hearing of the Superbalita Challenge and hit paydirt when Jerson won the elementary division title.
“All his hard work and discipline finally paid off,” said Renato of Jerson, who is also a chess champion in the Lilo-an District.
Up next for the little boy is the high school title though the father is in no rush for the young pool champion.
One of the reasons that red flags are raised about kids playing billiards is their skipping school that’s why it was a breath of fresh air when Cumayas as well as
highschool winner Junmark Alegado became testaments that billiards should not be a hindrance from getting schooled.
Alegado, the 2006 Superbalita elementary champion, studies at the University of the Visayas in Toledo City.
Like Jerson, Alegado is “feared” in any pool hall in his city.
Alegado, who won, 9-3 over University of Cebu’s Elihil Pepito in the secondary finals yesterday, assured his parents and his school that education comes first.
“I always play billiards, but I never take for granted my education. It always comes first,” said the 15-year-old, who proudly announced that he never flunked a single subject because of billiards
With his good performance in school, Alegado has given his school a good reason to trust him and gave him the certification to join this year’s competition.
Alegado won the 2006 elementary division, but failed to compete last year, when the school thought it was a bad idea to allow a student to play billiards.
“I plan to be a better player and be a world champion and if not have a career someday,” Alegado said.
