OH BAGUIO! Oh Baguio! With the scent of pines all around and cold breeze that touches the skin with shiver of cooling feel where the breath of cloud fogs the surrounding and dimming the mood to a slumber feel.
Oh Baguio! My Baguio, my haven, my home, my sanctuary, you keep me stick to my sanity.
For most of us who dwell in this humble and wonderful abode called the “City of Pines,” living and thriving here posts quite an experience. The climate is one of the city’s come on, aside from its sceneries and wonderful people. Baguio City is branded to be the haven of athletes and home of the warrior spirited champions.
This is proven time and time again, in many occasions, in many competitions, and in many champions produced who carries with them the true Baguio City brand.
But how are the lives of athletes in Baguio City? First, everyone should understand that Baguio climate is not just normal cold. It’s beyond the tolerable cold that even a “Baguio Born” would put a jacket on to at least bear with the chill so imagine the effort to drip a sweat in training that somehow works to the advantage of the Baguio athletes.
The thick cold air somehow develops their lungs and their stamina to adjust with lesser supply of oxygen, thus, giving them the advantage when they compete in a much warmer place with a much thinner air.
Baguio City’s weather dilemma affecting the athlete’s training is the typhoon season.
When a typhoon hits the country, monsoon is likely to strike the city, even after the typhoon has exited. Living in the city with unlimited downpour of rain that usually lasts for weeks which makes the city a “wetland” are times that Baguio athletes face the real challenge because most of the training facilities are outdoors and weeks of rain makes it impossible or critical to train outdoors.
Baguio lacks indoor sports facilities. Most of available indoor facilities are private owned and it will cost you even use for a couple of hours. If only someone would look into this ordeal and provide a public sports indoor facility for our athletes, then, what our athletes achieved in the past could be maintained and or surpassed.
There are available areas in Baguio, for example is the area beside the athletic bowl swimming pool. Like the Marikina Sports Center, we can have that area for a building with several floors to cater several to sports.
Marikina like Baguio is a wetland during rainy days but they have the indoor facility which could cater to their athletes and their resident’s fitness needs.
Baguio badly needs a similar facility to cater to our residents and athletes and it could become a reality if only some Baguio officials take it into consideration.
As they always say, “health is wealth” and what better way but to offer a facilities for fitness and wellness.