YEARLY, the Department of Education holds the Central Luzon Regional Athletic Association or CLRAA Meet not only to select the region’s representatives to the upcoming Palarong Pambansa but also to inculcate discipline, teamwork and excellence, and to promote sportsmanship and camaraderie among the athletes the twenty (20) Schools Divisions in the region.
This yearly convening of players, trainers, coaches, and sports enthusiasts not only aims to provide an avenue for the development of our youth’s physical skills, but it also seeks to be an opportunity for them to build their character through hard work, dedication, and healthy competition.
For many young athletes who reached this regional event, this is already considered a great achievement, having gone through the district and division level athletic meet. This year’s theme “Sports: Building Character, Shaping Dreams” aptly captures the important role of sports as a complementary aspect of the youth’s development.
The sport events include Archery, Amis, Athletics, Badminton, Baseball, Basketball, Boxing, Chess, Football, Gymnastics, Sepak Takraw, Softball, Swimming, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Tennis, Volleyball, Special Olympics. Billiard, Futsal and Sepak Takraw-Girls shall be demonstration sports.
Likewise, there are special events for students with disabilities which aim to promote inclusiveness for and among these athletes despite their uniqueness and special needs. It was in 2008 during the Palarong Pambansa in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan when the special games were first included.
This means that we have to open ourselves to the idea that some students who may not be interested in academics may have a brighter and better future in other fields such as sports and the arts. Hence, when DepEd introduced the Senior High School, students may opt to take the Arts Track or the Sports Track.
With the likes of Yeng Guiao, Arwind Santos, Jason Castro, and other famous young players who have become successful in the field of sports, many students dream of becoming one of them as well. The CLRAA Meet becomes the suitable ground to discover aspiring students who wish to pursue their dreams as professional athletes in the future. It is where they can showcase their prowess and strength in their sports events as a product of their hard work and dedication during their rigorous training and preparations.
To all the student athletes, good luck in your respective sports events and continue to build your dreams through sports!