Cebu Sports Blog by John Pages

Finally, it’s here! War! It’s Mexico vs. RP

I live in Talamban. Veco says that we’ll experience power interruption starting 10 last night until 9 this morning. I hope they turn on the switch at 9 or earlier today. I don’t want to miss the World Cup. Who wants to? Nobody. I know that this morning, traffic will halt. Streets will stand deserted. Cars parked. Engines asleep. Cebuanos will be facing the flat screen to cheer, clap, slam the table if our own is KO’d, stand and touch the ceiling if a Mexican is twisted and mangled like a taco. Go, RP!

SISO. Did you watch Star Sports last Thursday at 10 p.m.? I hope you did. Me? I got teary-eyed. The story of the three Siso children—Nino, Sally Dine, Sally Mae—of how they were tutored and nurtured by their late father Dino (who passed away last year to cancer), is both heart-breaking and inspiring. Asked if they’ve given up hope in tennis now that their father is gone, the Siso siblings replied, “No. Because dad was happiest when we’re playing.” (In case you missed it, e-mail me at [email protected]. I’ll send you a DVD copy.)

FOOTBALL season is back. Next weekend, it’s the annual San Roque Football Festival. On August 25, it’s by Mizuno. This is excellent news. Football today, among children, is more popular than basketball. Not to criticize the game with the orange Spalding ball and 10-foot-tall ring. I played elementary basketball varsity at La Salle Bacolod and recall those moments as some of my life’s most memorable. But football is better for Filipinos. Why? Because while we cried and lost in Tokushima, Japan, on the football world scene, we have a chance. Not as an RP team. But as individuals. For you don’t need to be 6-foot-8 like LeBron James to be a star. Look at Maradona. He stood 5-foot-5.

Philboxing.com

One of my favorite RP websites is www.philboxing.com. If you follow the sport of Z and Boom-Boom and AJ, check it out. It’s also one of the most popular of all RP sites. Remember Manny Pacquiao’s last fight? The site registered over 20,000 hits. Wow. And best of all, it’s operated by two of the friendliest and humblest of people: Salven Lagumbay and Dong Secuya.

Role models? Meet the Lagman 6Js

Tomorrow, a Sunday, August 12, 2007, Jacob Lagman (the country’s No.1 tennis player in the Boys 12-and-under category) will fly to Seoul, South Korea. He’ll join two major events spanning two weeks. His father, mentor and coach… Jess Lagman… will travel with him. Here’s an article I wrote for Sun.Star Cebu in March 4 of last year…

Jess and Julie and Julian and Julius and Jessica and Jacob are all, as you can see, one and the same. They’re all J’s. But one thing more binds them together. Their second name.

Lagman. Open these back pages often, visit an age-group tennis event at the Cebu Country Club, surf the internet, go to Google and type “Cebu junior tennis,” and you’ll hear a familiar tune.

Lagman. They’re all J’s. They’re the 6J’s. They’re one family, one team, just like yours and mine. But here’s the twist. When you visit their home, you’ll notice that it’s packed with one more item that ours don’t possess.

Trophies. How many trophies? I called Jess and Julie, the parents of the other 4J’s, to ask. They couldn’t give a reply. So I had to await the answer that evening. How many trophies? “About a hundred,” answered Julie. One hundred? Trophies?

Jacob Lagman

This Sunday, August 12, 2007, the father-and-son tandem of Jess and Jacob Lagman will fly to Seoul, Korea. Not to vacation. No, it’s the middle of school for the 12-year-old Jacob (above photo, at the center). They’ll be out for two weeks to join two major tennis events in the South Korean capital. Jacob, the country’s no.1 in the Boys 12, will carry the RP flag together with the RP Boys-10 no.1 player, Vince Marc Tabotabo. Good luck!

Jacob (right most) with his older brother Julius (left most)

Pinay In Action

Among all the athletes in Cebu, one of those I admire the most is Noy Jopson. He’s a multi-awarded athlete at a multi-discipline sport—swimming, biking, running—called triathlon. Noy is a record-holder at triathlon. And not just the ordinary race—but the full Ironman. He’s joined that, completed the race in 13-plus hours, and won a handful. Noy, who’s now part of the team running Holiday Spa (in Banilad), sent me this e-mail:“Pinay in Action (PIA) is a series of talks (about women’s issues: breastfeeding, anti-violence, and health), a running clinic and a fun run. Senator Pia Cayetano will be in Cebu this Aug. 11-12: On Saturday, at the Holiday Gym and Spa (1:30–4pm) and at the Milo Marathon on Sunday. Please invite friends, especially moms and expectant mothers. Raffle prizes will be given away at the “Handa Ka Na Ba” seminars. Admission is free! — Noy Jopson”

Siso siblings on Star Sports tonight!

Sally Mae and Bernardine Siso with coaches Butch Bacani (at the back, right) and Mike Mora

You’ve read their three names. Clapped at their trophies. Saw her photo receiving the Outstanding Cebuana award from Mayor Tommy Osmena. Last year, we wept upon hearing of the shocking death of their 40-year-old father, Dino.

Tonight, if you have cable TV, I urge you to tune in to Star Sports at 10 p.m. The show is called “ACE by Sony Ericsson.” It’s no ABS-CBN or GMA-7 production. It’s a weekly tennis show aired all over Asia. Maria Sharapova? James Blake? They’re often featured there. Whose turn is it tonight?

Bernardine, Sally Dine and Sally Mae Siso. It all began four months ago when Mikel Ugarte called to say that Anthony Suntay, the famous TV host, wanted to video a short documentary on the Sisos. I called Anthony, made arrangements for us to meet two Saturdays later at the Casino Espanol and, next thing we knew, the Sisos were being interviewed by Anthony. And so tonight, finally, it’s here: Star Sports, 10 p.m.

From London to Paris, what an adventure

At Wimbledon, Randy with you-know-who

RANDY AND CHRISTINE DEL VALLE spent 3 ½ weeks in Europe last June and July. Twice, they watched the world’s most revered tennis event, Wimbledon. Andy Roddick. James Blake. Venus Williams. They gazed at them. They ate strawberries and cream and sat on the All-England Club grass.

They saw Roger Federer! They did? Well, here’s the story: Among the hundreds of pros, Randy’s favorite is the Swiss. And on the two days that he and Christine watched Wimbledon, they longed to see his idol. But it wasn’t to be. He could not get tickets to the Centre Court.

“There was this booth near the bus stop leading to Wimbledon,” said Randy. “Dozens of people lined up and photos were taken. So, we were curious. When we drew near, we saw him… Federer!”

“But it wasn’t him,” said Randy, laughing. “It was a look-alike. He had a headband on, wore Nike, and looked just like Roger. All the TV cameras were pointing to him as he were the one. Plenty of people lined up for a photo-shoot with ‘Roger’… including me!”

Woods… Federer… Henry…

If you’re a golf fan or a tennis addict or follow football… wow, those are three of the world’s most popular sports… then you’ve got to watch this…

Click on this if you can’t play the above video.

Hoop Jams!

Charlie Pages, my younger brother, is the best basketball player in our family. At the Cebu International School in high school, he played off-guard and forward. In college at the University of San Carlos (USC), he dribbled for the Commerce team during the Intramurals. Until today, he shoots three-pointers, does the cross-over and jumps to touch the rim of the 10-foot-tall basketball ring.

Hoop Jams. You’ve probably heard of it. Six years ago, ever the basketball fan, Charlie organized the 1st Hoop Jams. It’s a basketball tournament among friends, among different companies in Cebu. Today, the Hoop Jams is on it’s 6th year. How time flies. The games are played every Monday, Wednesday and Friday (from 7:30 to 10 pm) and every Sunday from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Bright Academy gym in Banilad. The finals is set on August 22.

Enjoy more photos…

Cebu to New York? That’s a distance of 42K

LAST SUNDAY at 6 a.m., I stood alongside 3,000 college students wearing green jogging pants and white T-shirts marked “USC.” I stretched, jogged in place, chatted with Andrew Jimenez (my buddy from the Rotary Club of Cebu West), then stood in line ready to join the University of San Carlos (USC) Power Run. When Fr. Vic Uy, the school’s Vice-President for Finance, pulled the trigger to start the stampede, thousands of rubber shoes pounded the asphalt.

I ran the 10K. The route started at the Provincial Capitol, traveled straight down Osmena Blvd., weaved through Gen. Maxilom and Gorordo avenues, cut through the middle of the Cebu Business Park, traversed along Juan Luna Ave., then pedaled the same route back to the Capitol end line.

Sweat drenched my sleeveless shirt. My shorts felt as wet as swimming trunks. My heart pumped 160 beats per 60 seconds. In the end, after 56 minutes and 46 seconds of running, I crossed the mark with the big banner at the top that said: FINISH.