SUMMER is almost here, or, if you consider the weather, it’s been here for days and won’t be going away soon.
But I’m talking about the time when school is out--for those following the old calendar--and kids have all the time in the world.
If you haven’t picked a summer activity for your kids, better start considering your choices now. There are a lot of summer sports programs, some of them for free.
For years now, the Cebu City Sports Commission have conducted free summer clinics for at least 16 sports. They are staged in the schools that have gyms and are led by student athletes who compete for Cebu City in LGU-based meets.
I’ve always thought that this is the perfect way for the kids who compete for Cebu City to pay it forward. It also gives the summer clinic participants a glimpse of what they could become in the future should they stick with their sports of choice.
It doesn’t always have to be the more popular sports like basketball or volleyball. Pick a sport that you know is being offered in the collegiate programs, because if your kid becomes good enough, he might get a scholarship.
You have chess, weightlifting, track and field in college sports. Some parents are apprehensive and think their kids don’t have the skills.
Well, if he can run, throw things and jump, then he or she has the basic skills for athletics. The summer clinic is where he can hone them.
Weightlifting is also a good sport to pick up since it is gaining steam, thanks to the success of Hidilyn Diaz in the Rio Olympics in 2016 and in the Asian Games in 2018.
It’s also one of the sports being offered by the CCSC summer clinic and is already part of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. calendar, thanks to Felix Tiukinhoy.
The Philippines is also hoping to win a gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics and after Hidilyn’s silver medal in Rio, that’s a big possibility.
Aside from the free clinics, there are also other regular summer clinics of the Cebu City Sports Center, Milo Best and the various summer programs of the football clubs.
So, you have a lot of options for your child this summer. Getting a few shades darker is a whole lot better than having eye problems from too much gadget use.