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SPORTS
VOL.5 ISSUE 78 • JUNE 21, 2012
EDGEDAVAO
PTA: bringing back tennis’ glory days
Phil Younghusband scores against a Philippine Navy defender during the recent UFL match between Phil’s team Loyola-Meralco and Navy. Meralco won 10-0 with Phil scoring an amazing 5-goal output.
By Neil Bravo
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Cherifer football on Sunday By Neil Bravo
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HE Cherrifer 7-A-Side Football tournament kicks off on Sunday at the Tionko Field with some 50 teams expected to crowd the hunt for the five titles at stake. Davao Football Association (DFA) Secretary General Erwin Protacio said
the tournament will be held in cooperation with the UP Mindanao’s CWTS program and is supported by Cherifer Vitamins. The categories, according to Protacio, are Under-14 girls and boys, Under 12 boys, and Under-10 boys/ girls or mixed, and Under 8 boys/girls or mixed. Team entries will be
limited to 8 in the U-8, 16 in U-10, 16 in U-12 and 8 in U-14. “Teams, clubs, or schools in Davao City are welcome to participate. Deadline of submission of line up and photo copies of birth certificates is at the Coaches’ Meeting on 22 June 2012 (5:00 PM) at the DFA Club House at Tionko Field,” said Protacio.
Players not listed in the line-up and without birth certificates will not be allowed to play. Each team shall be composed of 12 players. Trophies and medals will be awarded to the top three (3) teams in each category. There will be a special prize for the Most Valuable Player. (NJB)
Joseph Ng (left) and aul Gotianse (right) show fine form dring the recent Dynasty Cup at the Rancho Palos Verdes. First Tee won the championship. (BOY LIM)
The Money Game: Floyd, Manny goes 1-2
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EW YORK – Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, the boxers that fight fans worldwide want to see in the ring together, top the list of the 100 highest-paid athletes released by Forbes magazine on Monday. Mayweather, who ranks No. 1 for making $85 million off two fights last year, is serving a threemonth jail sentence for domestic battery in Las Vegas, having failed in a bid to serve the remainder of his
time under house arrest. While his doctors and co-manager warned that staying behind bars might cause irreparable damage to his fitness and risk his boxing career, the undefeated US fighter is expected to climb back into the ring, likely later this year. But Mayweather will not be fighting Filipino icon Pacquiao in the megabout that boxing fans have sought for years. Pacquiao, second on the list at $62 million from
earnings and endorsements, lost to unbeaten US fighter Tim Bradley on June 9 and they are set to fight a rematch in November. Tiger Woods, who had topped the Forbes list since 2001, fell to third this time with $59.4 million, his earnings off $16 million from the previous year and by half since his peak in 2009, mostly due to lost endorsement deals. It was in 2009 that Woods, a 14-time major
champion chasing the 18 major titles won by Jack Nicklaus, saw a sex scandal erupt that caused him to start his 2010 season late and 2011 saw Woods nagged by injuries. Woods went on a 17-month win drought until he won last March at Bay Hill in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He followed up with a victory earlier this month at the Jack Nicklaus-hosted Memorial but has not won a major since the 2008 US Open.
EMEMBER the glory days of tennis? Time was when the best junior players that roamed this planet were home-grown players from the Philippines. Felix Barrientos, Manny Tolentino, Andres Battad, Raymond Suarez, and Joseph Lizardo. And then came the void in between the juniors ranks and the pros. Today, tennis is slowly but surely picking up its lost glory once more. One reason is a group that is working to bring back the glory days of the sport, sans much of the fanfare. The Philippine Tennis Academy (PTA) has been working quietly since August last year. The group works behind the scene with the primary objective of selecting young tennis talents and enable them to reach the top 10 in the International Tennis Federation junior rankings. With a common bond to resurrect the sport, long time tennis lovers and patrons led by sportsman -businessman Jean Henri Lhuillier, Oscar Hilado, Rommie Chan, and Hanky Lee, the bunch of tennis-crazy businessmen formally got together and formed the PTA. The PTA’s vision is not only limited to identifying and training talents from the homefront but more importantly, provide the opportunity to under-privileged boys and girls in the countrysides to use their skills and help them out of poverty. Afterall, the country teems with talents, especially those from the ranks of ballboys and ballgirls, whose only window of opportunity is when they are picked up by a generous supporter or when they get an athletic scholarship. What better way to start the program than to enlist the country’s former standouts. Thus enter former national tennis players Barrientos and Suarez who unselfishly pitched in their share of international tennis experience with the young PTA talents. PTA’s first wave of trainees were composed of Roxanne Resma from Cagayan de Oro, Anthony Craig Pantino from Cebu, Khim Iglupas from Iligan City, and Tami Nguyen from Alabang, Muntinlupa. The first batch was formed last year and within a short time, these young tennis hopefuls have already shown tremendous
improvement. Resma is the country’s top-rated 16 and under player today and has represented the country in the Junior Federation Cup in Australia. Pantino at 11 is already dominating the 14 and under group and already plays in the higher and tougher 16 and under class. Nguyen was a semifinalist in the PCA Open and has earned a tennis scholarship to the University of San Diego while Iglupas is currently the country’s best in the 14 and under girls. “Individually, we have been sponsoring players in the past and we felt it was time to pool our resources together with Nino Alcantara as our first project. We believe Filipinos are talented tennis players especially at their younger ages but when they get older, nawawala na competitiveness. That is why we will start them young and look for college scholarships for them in America,” said Chan. Chan said among the US colleges they are targeting to send the PTA talents are Fresno State University and Sta. Clara University both in California. To get the PTA program rolling further down to the countrysides, former tennis standout-turned-coach Andy Maglipon was hired by PTA as project director. Maglipon’s mission is to bring the PTA pool to a nationwide coverage. In a matter of months, the PTA created four satellite centers in Davao, Cagayan de Oro, La Carlota and Bais to serve as the stable of junior players and ensure the steady flow of talents. The PTA plans to expand the program further to Subic, Cebu, and Palawan.
Jenni Celine Dizon (top) and Dana Mariella Abad (bottom) are among the standouts of the PTA Davao satellite center.