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SPORTS
IRON GIRL
The Rise of RS FEmale Triathlete
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by IVY JEAN SILAGAN
enth grader triathlete Mearianne Suico clinched her record-high victory in the 3rd leg of Lanorteman Triathlon series with a gold medal in the 29 and Under Female Sprint Distance Category on November 24, 2019 at Sultan Naga Dimaporo, Lanao del Norte.
Among her other wins are the Sultan Naga Dimaporo Award as the Fastest Bike Split Female Sprint Distance Category. “I’m very thankful to everyone who supported me throughout my whole triathlon journey. The program changed my point of view not only in triathlon but also in how I want to live my life,” Suico said. But behind the victory, she also mentioned all the trials and hardships she felt before and during the race. “During the race briefing, some of my opponents were from Unilab (some of the strongest triathletes belong there) so i definitely felt nervous at that point,” said Suico. She also mentioned how she almost fell behind during swimming which spiked her nervousness even more. Despite that, she showed great willpower as she quickly caught up during the bike split race. “My teammates were very supportive of me. That’s why it was all worth it in the end,” she added. Mearianne, a 10th grade studenttriathlete who hailed from GRSHS-X has seemingly one of the most promising athlete journey. Starting from November last year, she has actively joined in several marathons and went for her first triathlon in May 2019. In less than a year, she has joined in many marathons and triathlons namely in Davao (Penong’s 5150 and Go For Gold Sunrise Sprint), Dipolog (Dipolog Triathlon bythenumbers 106),
PASSION. Mearianne Suico in her journey through out her runs in the different Triathlon events across the country.
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Photo retrived from MEARIANNE SUICO’S FACEBOOK ACCOUNT
scholastic SPORTSMANSHIP
athletes
A day in a studentathlete's life by IVY JEAN SILAGAN
Being a student in Gusa Regional Science High School-X is gruelling enough considering the institution’s standards imposed upon its students and staffs. However, being a student plus athlete is tougher and requires immense priority-check.
Art by JAMES PUNSALAN
from the Gusa Regional Science High School-X were qualified to represent the East I District Eco-Warriors in the upcoming Cagayan de Oro Athletic Association Meet on September 27-29.
Krizzia Rivera, a Senior High student, has her own share of difficulties being a student-athlete. She trains at Capitol University Basic Education Dept. (CUBED) every Wednesdays and Fridays and joins her fellow schoolmates in training a match every Sundays. Still, tight schedules didn't stop her as she was recently qualified to the Division meet after winning against different schools from East I district. "Class ends at 4:30 pm and that's the time where we start practicing. Sometimes it lasts until 6-7 pm especially in training
for a competition," said Rave Arao, the libero of RS' volleyboys team who qualified for the Division Meet. "Sometimes it gets overwhelming that i don't get to comply some requirements but I still prioritize being a student first than an athlete," he added. In fact, there were also other student-athletes who takes on tougher challenges such as Mearianne Suico who recently won 2nd place in both legs of Lanorteman Triathlon and has joined many national triathlons prior since November last year. From Davao to Camiguin to Pampanga, she has joined almost 10 triathlons/marathons in less than a year. "It's very tough, but its my passion and i set up my priorities, so I think I can go through to it," she said. Life as a student-athlete is tough, but their love for their respective sports is what kept them going despite their busy school life.
NOT TODAY by JOHN PAUL ESTARES
RS Ballers bounds for finals meltdown continued from page 20 19-25, in the Division Meet Men’s Volleyball on September 27, 2019 at Camaman-an National High School. Cailing of South District sizzled as he scored the first point of the match with a strong quick attack over East I District’s wall blockers. South District made a 5-0 run in the first set after an error committed for the side of East I District, 6-11. Mirez broke the scoring run of South District as he tallied 2 service aces to cut down the lead, 8-11, while, middle blocker Pabualan took flight for a back-to-back solid block. Pabualan, on the other hand, cut down the lead by one as he pummelled an off the block attack to regain the momentum for the side of East I District, 15-16.
Finals bound comes short for rookie Santome
7th grader Khazandra Santome of Gusa Regional Science High School-X (GRSHS-X) fell short in luck after being held off against tough contender Cherry Estrabela from Lapasan National High School (LNHS) in the elimination round of East District 1 Table Tennis Women's Category in straight sets; 11-1, 11-1 on September 6, 2019 at Lapasan National High School. Estrabela seized the game after showing off her complete dominance against Santome to secure a spot in the final round. "It was a great game and I really prepared for that match to secure a victory," Estrabela said after her sweet victory. Estrabela started the match aggressively as she pulled away a backspin attack to take a 2-0 early lead against Santome. Series of errors were committed by Santome that resulted to Estrabela's early momentum, 5-0. Santome broke her scoring drought as she chipped in a flick
shot to cut down the lead, 1-5. Estrabela immediately stopped Santome's run late in the first set after scoring a down the line kill, 8-1. First set came to an end after Estrabela tallied a strong backspin kill to take a 1-0 lead. Estrabela's dominance gone berserk in the second set after pulling a 3-0 start. Meanwhile, Santome continued to fight her last hope as she scored a counter-drive kill to cut down the lead by two. Late in the second set, the lead ballooned upto nine points for Estrabela that resulted to
Santome's last hope meltdown, 10-1. Santome ran out of fuel in the second set that resulted Estrabela to close out the game and seize a 2-0 victory after a thunderous backspin kill. "It's okay, it's all about fun and experience that matters," Santome said after the loss.
Art by DAN JUBAY
Gingoog (Trayatlon ta Gingoog Tres and Sea2Summit Race), Camiguin (Mt. Hibok-hibok Triathlon), Butuan (Butuan Triathlon Trilogy) and Clark, Pampanga (Triman Triathlon). But it wasn’t until on June 16 where she had her first individual medal upon winning 2nd place in Lanorteman Triathlon Series (1st leg). On September 22, she grabbed her second win in triathlon by placing 2nd in the second leg of Lanorteman Triathlon Series at Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte. But according to her, it wouldn’t be possible without the support of her family, who were also active in the field of sports. “Ako jud ang gusto mag triathlon and grabe jud maka support akong parents as in todo-todo dabest jud sila (I really want to join triathlons and my parents are very supportive. They are the best),” Suico said. She was also supported by her coaches Leian Cruz, Noel Tillor, and Naldex Cabingas. She mentioned further goals of topping her age group and hopefully grabbing more wins in her name specifically the Ironman Triathlon, currently the most popular triathlon in the Philippines. “I enjoy doing marathons and triathlons and as long as it’s your passion, there is no problem,” she said. When asked about how she manages being a student athlete, she answered that knowing what to prioritize is the key. “For me, it boils down on the time management. It’s hard but you can do it as long as you know how to prioritize,” she said. “Sometimes, I sacrifice my bonding time with myself and some friends due to training camps but it’s all worth it,” she added.
Chess Boys step off backto-back District peat, Girls advance to Division by IVY JEAN SILAGAN & HANZ CALIO
GRSHS-X Chess Boys set aside their prime as Kahlil Yagao and Jan Mark Torres finished to 2nd place behind East Gusa National High School (EGNHS) while Chess Girls moves forward to Division Meet during the 2019 East I District Meet at Gusa Regional Science High-School on September 6, 2019.
This marked as the first time in a few years of the Chess Boys losing the District meet throne. Both boys won the first round against Capitol University Basic Education Department (CUBED) but ended up in a draw against EGNHS in the last round. Yagao said in an interview, “For others, us winning 1st runner up is a great achievement but it’s quite disappointing for us since for the longest time, RS Chess Boys always prevailed in district meet.” Meanwhile, Carissa Marie Careras and Lierah Abejuela survived the three rounds against Lapasan National High School, Capitol University Basic Education Department, Cugman National High School. They were qualified to the Division Meet after perfecting their score. “Wala jud ko nagexpect nga magchampion mi since wala kaayo mi training atong before district pero pag mag training heavy jud tapos ang mga senior chess players ang naghelp sa amoa para ma enhance ang among skills,” said Abejuela. (We didn’t expect that we will be champions since we didn’t have enough training for the meet but senior chess players helped us through to enhance our skills) “I am really proud of myself and Ate Carissa because even though we haven’t trained much, we still won and represented our school for the upcoming Division Meet,” she added.