SINCE THEY started almost a decade ago, Edward Hayco and the rest of Dancesport-Team Cebu City have proven they are a class of their own, yet they did not sit on to their laurels and last year put Cebu City in the world map by setting the Guinness record for the biggest dance class.
Hayco, the director of DTCC Dancesport who has often shied away from the limelight, will be recognized for that record-setting effort and will receive the Sportsman of the Year award in today’s Sportswriters Association of Cebu-San Miguel Beer awards at the Casino Español at 6 p.m.
Hayco never claimed the triumph as his own and has waived off the bragging rights in favor of all those who supported DTCC to conquer that once impossible dream—setting the record for biggest dance class with 7,770 participants on June 27,2009 at the Cebu City Sports Center.
Teachers
That mark was almost thrice the previous record set in Hungary just a month before with 2,289 participants at the Puskas Stadium in Budapest on May 23.
“This is phenomenal. Fantastic. I did not think that it was possible to bring all these young people here,” Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmena said after witnessing the mostly young dancers set the record.
Dance teachers, some of whom came from Manila, worked overtime for weeks to perfect the moves of the participants since Guinness had strict requirements.
“Dili man ko tigsayaw pero makakita ka sa uban nga pareho ug goal namo, ma-excited pud ko, so nisayaw pud ko ug maayo. We are all excited and we are having fun,” one of the 7, 770, Abellana National School’s Ivy Lilo-an said during their dry-run a week before the event.
After setting that record in June, Hayco and DTCC organized the 3rd International Dancesport Festival at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino in Lahug, attracting not only Pinoy athletes but those from Europe and Asia as well.
Aside from that, the businessman-sportsman also showed DTCC has a two-pronged approach in helping the sport grow by conducting grass roots events in the barangays as well as sending teams to national tournaments. (Pooled Report)