A MOTHER’S DAY TRIBUTE

Kyla’s letter to her mom

Dear Mom, unconditional love and support for me

To my very special mom, I know that there are times when you just want to give up when the amount of challenges that come with being a mom becomes too hard every single day. I am glad that I was raised by a strong woman like you, mom, you have set an example of how a woman can singlehandedly run the house and influence the success of the whole family.

All of your efforts and sacrifices never go unnoticed. Thank you for your unconditional love and support

Thank you for your sacrifices. I will make sure that all your sacrifices were worth it. You might not be the perfect mother–no one is–but I thank God that He gave me a mom that helped me become the person that I am right now.

Through all the struggles, tears, and joys, you are my mother, and I love you.

n By RIERA U. MALLARI

PHNOM PENH – A

Filipina star is born in the Southeast Asian Games.

Gennah Malapit, a 16-year-old Palarong Pambansa standout and protégé of throwing legend Danillo Fresnido, only wanted exposure in the region’s biggest sporting spectacle, where dreams are planted and then harvested in the Olympics.

She ended up taking a silver that felt like gold in terms of promise and potential.

“Gusto ko lang po magkaroon ng exposure, para ma-equip ako sa future,” said the pretty Grade 10 student of Ambassadors of Hope Christian Academy in Tanay, Rizal. “Hindi ko akalain ito. Sobrang saya po.”

Innate talent

Built like a trackster with long legs and a strong upper body, the 5’9”

Gennah first tried running, but was convinced by her early sports instructors to try out javelin.

Yes, javelin of all sports -- an unspectacular discipline unlike volleyball, which she also dabbles with from time to time like both of her parents; or running, which gave birth to glamorous stars like the late track icon Lydia de Vega, Elma Muros-Posadas and Kristina Knott.

But the sport can take a backseat sometimes to the talent that cannot be bottled down, like Ernest John Obiena, who has transformed the “boring” event of pole vaulting into a glitzy affair, that whenever he jumps in the SEA Games, Asian Games, the world championships or the Olympics, Filipino fans of all kinds take a pause to witness him soar.

Five years ago, if you’d say that a Filipino pole vaulter will be known in the world and become a multi-brand endorser of an energy drink, distilled water, sneakers and even biscuits, then you must be nuts. That is what Gennah could be if her talents are handled right.

She paid attention to the janitor

Gennah’s love affair with javelin blossomed as soon as she held that spear right in her very first throw. And it was nurtured by the school janitor Rigor Gernale (of all people), who surprisingly knew how to hurl, the basics of the sport, how to embrace its fundamentals