Of course, she did not only come home with a silver medal; she brought much more. We have all become very proud of what she has achieved. She reminded us of many things. The Filipino can do a great deal with limited resources. Simplicity and humility can be very elegant. Dreams can come true with enough perseverance. With the Olympics, we realize the need to take sports development very seriously. The value we give sports and athletics can be seen in the limited number of units allotted to it in our curriculum. Yet, when we really thin k about sports and athletics is as the Greeks saw it is very important for a balanced life.
Among the things that I came across in my readings is that with physical activity, the more mature persons can maintain their independence because it keeps their bones healthy and results in “efficient heart and lung functions.” But beyond the physical, the activity makes us realize more our sense of “self-worth”.
The article points out that sports and athletics might be a less expensive way of promoting good health because it can be a “treatment and rehabilitation of communicable and noncommunicable diseases.”
From the essays on the value of sports for young people, I gathered that it is helpful because its activities “require dedication, fair play and strategy”. It was also stated that “sports offer youth a chance to improve their capacity to make decisions and accept responsibilities.” It emphasized that it implants among the youth, “the value of planning, time management, and how to deal with hardship and how to deal with mistakes.”
Sports provides “stress relief” from academic pressure. Sports is a very effective way of “channeling energy” that would otherwise be used on “drugs and sex.” In fact, “the promotion of sports reduced the spread of Aids.”
Sadly in the past, young girls could not avail of these benefits because of traditional expectations regarding activities for girls as can be gathered from this poem of Erlinda Kintanar-Alburo, “Penpen de Sarapen, Pildi ang Pabilin”:
Si Dodong Dikoy ug si Agaw Pepe
Nangatkat sa camachli mora’g tabili
Kay magpahudyong sila og bakokang
Tingali hangtud ang bulan mosubang
Si Day Marian sad diay ug si Gaw Fely
Maglung-ag-lung-ag kuno sila’g camote
Kay natuman na ang sugo pagpanilhig
Manghagdaw ron sila’g sugnod sa kamalig,
Nganong di man ni Dong Dikoy sulayan
Ang luto-luto kay siya man tay pilia’g sud-an Ug nganong di man pakatkaton si Day Marian
Nga siya may atong kampyon sa dagandagan?
Despite the constraints to which females were exposed, early on, Cebuanas have excelled in sports as the LAW Center Inc. in collaboration with Cebu Province Heritage Cards shows. Among the Cebuana trailblazers are Visitacion Badana Ribagorda and Josephine De La Viña. According to the heritage account, Visitacion “Bessie” Badana “executed an astounding best broad jump to win the first Gold Medal in Track and Field for the Philippines in the Third Asian Games.” The Japanese Sports Press had been “truly charmed” by her “refreshing friendliness.”
The other Cebuana trailblazer in the field of sports is Josephine de la Viña. She won a gold medal in the Fifth Asian Games in 1968 for shot put. She started as a softball player in Labangon Elementary School. She developed her skills in then Cebu Institute of Technology where she got training in discus throw, shot put and javelin.
Now we have the Magna Carta of Women which gives a very strong push for females in sports. Chapter IV Section 14 mandates, “The State shall develop, establish and strengthen programs for the participation of women and girl-children in competitive and non-competitive sports as a means to achieve excellence, promote physical and social well-being, eliminate gender-role stereotyping, regardless of sex, gender identity and other similar factors.
“The State will also provide material and non-material incentives to local government units, media organizations and the private sector for promoting training, and preparing women and girls for participation in competitive and noncompetitive sports, especially in local and international events.”
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