A POST by Dr. Alvin Roxas, whose son Ethan is competing in the Palarong Pambansa, had me intrigued about how big the ARMM players are in meet. In the post, the elder Roxas was asking how to prove if an athlete is indeed 12 years old, if the papers used are late registered documents.
I know that in international youth football tournaments, Fifa--the AFC and AFF, too--no longer trusts official documents because these are easily doctored but uses bone scans and other scientific procedures that can tell one’s age.
Anyway, when I saw the pictures of the semifinal game, I found out why there were questions about the ARMM players’ eligibility. Not only did they stand almost a foot taller than the Cviraa players, their build made one question if they were indeed 12 years old. It’s not scientific but I asked friends to estimate their age by showing a photo and their guesses ranged from 12 to 19, with Ricky Ballesteros--who is no stranger to age issues in meets--pointing out how their muscles in their legs suggest they aren’t elementary pupils.
Of course, it’s not scientific and they could all be 12 but it’s the Palaro, and some strange things have happened in the past, like that college student who competed in elementary baseball.
Thankfully, despite playing with a size disadvantage, the Region 7 elementary team showed their heart and grit, blanking ARMM, 4-0, to advance to the finals against Wviraa, which was to be played as I wrote this. However, I learned that win or lose, Cviraa filed a protest before the match.
I hope that even if ARMM lost, organizers of the Palaro will address that to settle the issue and, of course, to give those who were questioned a chance to prove their age.
FUTSAL. The Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu led Region 7 dominated the futsal finals against NCR, 10-2, to become the first team from the region to win the futsal gold. I had an idea that Ateneo would win the final, given the caliber of its players—Itsuko Bacatan, Arantxa Trebol, Triza Musni and Rizza Mae Ugbaniel, who had stints in the national team. However, I didn’t expect the final to be that one-sided.
Girls’ football in Cebu is at par with the country’s best and I think Mandaue’s victory in the Palaro won’t be the first.