RECORD BREAKER
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. A teacher guides her students in Cebu City’s successful attempt recording the world’s Largest Archery Lesson and Largest Archery Tournament yesterday at the Cebu City Sports Center. (CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON)
The momentous event is a resounding success.
This was the assessment of the country’s sports bigwigs who witnessed yesterday’s historic event at the Cebu City Sports Center Gym, where world records for the Largest Archery Lesson and Largest Archery Tournament were broken.
Cebu City Sports Commission Chairman Edward Hayco, the primemover of this Guinness Book of World Records attempt, officialy announced yesterday that the event officialy marked a new record for the Largest Archery Lesson ever staged and broke the old record held by the USA in the Largest Archery Tournament.
“As of 12:47 p.m. of Oct. 18, 2014, we at the Cebu City Sports Commission together with the Department of Education, Cebu City Division, Philippine Sports Commission, Architect Don-Don Sombrio and coach Pacheco Valenzona, are proud to say that we have reached the record of the Largest Archery Lesson with 745 students, and have beaten the world record for the Largest Archery Tournament with a total of 13,102 participants,” a beaming Hayco revealed.
Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman Richie Garcia, for his part, praised Hayco and Sombrio and emphazised the need for the private sector to help the government in developing young Filipino athletes.
“Impressed talaga ako sa outcome ng event na ito. And I thank Chairman Hayco and Mr. Sombrio for making this all possible. Si Chairman Hayco has done it already (making it into the Guinness Book of World Records) with dancesports and chess,” said Garcia.
“I fervently hope that this will continue to grow, and this will not stop here. There should also be more competitions in archery to keep the interest in the sport high,” he added.
Lawyer Jesus Clint Aranas, the secretary general of the Philippine Archers’ National Network Alliance (Panna), expressed elation on what he saw, saying he has not anticipated that the event would be this big.
“Sports is a unifying factor. What is happening here in Cebu City is something to emulate. And what are we trying to emulate? We are emulating the importance of the private sector’s help in supporting the limited resources of our government in terms of sports development,” said Aranas. “Prior to this event, I admit that my heart was not really for grassroots development program. But after seeing this momentous event, I had a 180-degree turn around,” admitted Aranas.
Aranas then revealed that he is making Sombrio in charge of the grassroots development program for archery of Panna in the whole Philippines.
The twin event of the CCSC can also put Cebu City in the world map of archery as Simon Wee, an international judge/jury, council member of the World Archery Asia and treasurer of the Southeast Asia
Archery Federation, promised to bring this event to the bigwigs of world archery.
“I’m totally impressed. I didn’t know it was going to be this huge. I am going to write a report to the Asian archery body and to the officials in the world archery of what happened here in Cebu City,” promised the Singaporean Wee.
Meanwhile, Cebu City Councilor Eugenio “Jun” Gabuya, who was also present alongside Rep. Raul del Mar, said that he will propose to allocate a space for archery in the South Road Properties (SRP), where a 10.5-hectare space is planned to house different sporting activities.
“We are allocating a 10.5-hectare area at the SRP for sports and I promise you that I will reserve a space there for archery,” said Gabuya.
The participants who successfully broke the US’ record of 9,426 participants in the Largest Archery Competition, came from 69 elementary schools and 40 public high schools around Cebu City.
Yesterday’s competitions were for the elementary students while secondary students take their turn today.
“The Guinness attempt, as far as we at the CCSC are concerned, is only a means to our end. This event is two years in the making and we almost gave up six months ago. Luckily for us, Mr. Sombrio and Ma’am Angtud decided that we give it one more push. So here we are today,” said Hayco.
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