If you’re a fan of the two-time defending champion at Roland Garros–Rafael Nadal–or if you’d like to take a peek at what goes inside the daily schedule of one of the world’s most celebrated athletes, check this out…

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Before our family vacationed in Boracay last week, my last visit to the island was in 2005. Then, I had three major complaints: First, the beach line was littered with garbage. Second, stray dogs ran amok and chased you everywhere. Third, “pump-boats” docked as they pleased, often right straight at you while you’re swimming on [...]

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Last month, together with a few friends named Jourdan and Ronnie and Jingle and Steph, we got wet, our muscles ached, we starved for a few hours, swam, paddled, laughed, high-fived, and our hearts beat 168 times in 60 ticks as we did the one adventure that’s become more and more famous each year: Rafting [...]

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A 245-lb. man signed up for a weight loss program complete with a personal trainer. It included a run each morning at six. So when the doorbell rings the next morning, he’s ready. As he opens the door, he sees the most beautiful blonde he’s ever seen. Tall, well-endowed above a slim waist and long [...]

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If there’s one activity I recommend all parents convince their children to try, it’s this: Wall-Climbing. At first, staring high up at the 21-foot climb, your eyes pop wide open, your heart pounds, and your palms sweat. You’re scared. And that’s OK. That’s normal. Aren’t we all scared trying anything for the first time? But [...]

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The French Open—also known as “Roland Garros,” in honor of the heroic French aviator who braved the clouds during World War I—is the only tennis Grand Slam sortie played on clay. The U.S. and Australian Opens are on hard-court; Wimbledon is on grass. The difference?Clay is slow. On cement, the ball skids off the floor. [...]

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  Last May 19 to 23, Cebu held the biggest junior tennis event in the Visayas and Mindanao: The Gullas Tennis Cup. Now on its 12th year, the event attracted 216 entries of boys and girls aged as young as seven years old and as old as 21 years old. Thanks to the tennis-loving tandem [...]

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I love reading quotations. They’re quick, at times funny, and always mind-provoking. Take what Muhammad Ali once said: “I’m so fast I could hit you before God gets the news.” My favorite? “I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted [...]

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Cebu City Vice Mayor Mike Rama with (left to right) Allan Lim, Jovito Lee and Domingo Te I share with you an e-mail sent by Dr. Jovito Lee: 1. We read your article regarding the (PBA) event last May12, 2007. Our chapter and leadership training organization, Metro Cebu Uptown Jaycees, Inc. and its foundation, the [...]

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The biggest junior tennis event in the Visayas and Mindanao is now on-going: the Gullas Tennis Cup, now serving aces and firing smashes after one dozen years. The two venues are Cebu Country Club and Casino Espanol. The games started last Saturday (May 19) and will run until Wednesday (May 23). Drop by and watch [...]

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Dr. Potenciano “Yong” Larrazabal III (center of the photo) has a complete website for Cebuano runners. It shows all the events about to kick off this 2007. It shows pictures, commentary, articles. If you reside in Cebu and you’re into the cheapest available form of exercise–running–then bookmark this site (http://www.runforsight.net) and mark it as one [...]

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For many years, one of the top junior tennis events in Cebu has been the Head-Penn Junior Age-Group Championships. This year was no exception. Held at the Sancase Tennis Club in Mabolo from May 15 to 17, over 153 participants joined from all over the country. I attended the awarding and helped distribute the trophies [...]

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Gina Juan with Men’s World No. 1 Lin Dan at the Aviva Super Series event in Singapore last May 6 One of the top female badminton club players in Cebu, Gina Juan (who plays regularly at the Casino Espanol de Cebu) sent me something hilarious. Question: Are you crazy about this sport? Like thousands of [...]

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“The Big Dome” in Quezon City… the Araneta Coliseum The other day, May 15, I wrote a column in Sun.Star Cebu entitled, “Cebu Megadome: What We Needed Yesterday.” Yesterday, I read good news. Sylvan “Jack” Jakosalem, the recently re-elected Councilor of Cebu City and the chairman of the games, amusement and professional sports committee at [...]

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Coach Butch (right) with Michael Mora and Jana Pages Last night, I had dinner with “The Coach.” If you’ve been in touch with Philippine tennis the past 30 years, you know him. Davis Cup captain. Mentor to dozens of RP’s finest. US-trained. Harry Hopman-tutored. Articulate. Passionate. Inspiring. There are many words to describe Coach Butch [...]

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This is NOT the Cebu Coliseum Last Saturday night, I parked near Colon Street, strolled about 157 meters, and stepped inside the Cebu Coliseum. San Miguel Beer, the most famous bottle ever produced in this country, paraded 6-foot-6-tall giants who dribbled and dunked as the building’s parquet floor shook. It was the PBA—“Live In Cebu!”—and [...]

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Last night, I watched San Miguel Beer come-from-behind to beat Red Bull Barako, 98-93, in a PBA game at the Cebu Coliseum. The game was hot! Sitting inside the Cebu Coliseum felt like you were being cooked inside a La Germania oven. It was that hot. And they said it had air-conditioning? I’ve been to [...]

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Name me a child—or adult—who doesn’t like Spiderman. I have one: my mother-in-law, Malu Mendez. She dislikes spiders. No, make that hates spiders. Anything brown and web-like and crawling with eight legs, she stays at least 957 feet away. But Spiderman? Because of Jana, her grandchild, she’s willing to catch a glimpse of the movie. [...]

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With TV host Bobby Inoferio in Cebu last year Jack Biantan is a giant. He stands six-foot-one. Weighs 330 lbs. Three hundred thirty pounds? “Actually, I’ve lost count on how much weight I carry,” Jack once told me. “Because every time I step on my weighing scale it says…… Error!” Hehehe. Jack and I laughed.  [...]

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      ROGER FEDERER, the undisputed world No.1 on all tennis surfaces except clay, is on two current publications: Time and Men’s Vogue. In Time magazine, the 25-year-old Swiss is counted as one of “100 Most Influential People In The World.” Wow! For the winner of 10 major titles, that’s major. Guess who penned the piece [...]

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