The role of Moms play in molding young athletes

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Parents help mold a young athlete, combining home, school, sports and leisure time can be difficult and they help focus young minds and provide the correct balance between activities.

Balance, agility and coordination skills are learned with emphasis on the fun, enjoyment and social aspect of the sport.

Basketball has always been considered the unofficial national sport of the Philippines. Just count the number of basketball courts – makeshift or otherwise – in any given city or barangay and you can surmise how popular the game is among Filipinos. It is no wonder that more and more kids are picking up the sport at younger age.

To help nourish these young athletes’ love and skill for the game, Alaska has again launched the Jr. NBA Philippines 2017.

A partnership between Alaska Milk and NBA Philippines, the Jr. NBA Program aims to cultivate young athletes’ potential through a series of school and open basketball clinics, Regional Selection Camps, a National Training Program and the NBA experience trip. It also seeks to help these young talents form the habit of getting the right nourishment by drinking milk and through leading a healthy and active lifestyle. 

According to the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), obesity has become one of the most pressing nutritional issues of Filipino children today with about five in 100 Filipino kids who are overweight. Alaska Milk emphasizes the need for children to start leading healthier, energetic and nutritionally-balanced lifestyles through programs like the Jr. NBA Philippines to entice kids to put down their gadgets and pick up a sport instead.

Photo: Vince Custodio Facebook 

And as moms, you can help your budding basketball player reach his or her star athlete potential.

Here’s how you can support your young champ from the sidelines. 

Demonstrate SPORTSMANSHIP. 

Not every game your champ will be in will be as clean as a whistle. Kids will be kids. So, don’t be surprised if they play rough sometimes. Teach your son or daughter to be the “bigger” athlete by taking the high road. If for instance, your kid’s team loses a game or an important point, teach him to refocus instead of losing steam. Train him to reassess what he could have done better and how he can apply it next time.

Learn the game further with your kid. Brush up on some Basketball 101 by going online, watching games or just asking other basketball fans. Before you know it, you both can comment on the directions of the point guard, critique the flow of the movement in the paint, and observe how the team executes zone defense and triangle offense like the best of them.

Emphasize the value of TEAMWORK. 

 Do you remember when you were a kid and you didn’t want to follow rules or just wanted to be let alone? Well chances are, your child will also have a spell and will refuse to go to practice. Be understanding, yet firm. Tell him that he is a crucial part of the team and that he should feel privileged to be part of it. Help him realize the importance of commitment and teamwork.

Cultivate a positive ATTITUDE.

One of the mistakes most parents commit is that they pressure their child to perform well and win the game. Don’t overburden your child by focusing on the outcome of their game. Emphasize to them that what is most important is that they are enjoying every minute of what they are doing. Allow them to discover the highlight of the sport and to fall in love with every aspect of the game because once they’re hooked, their dedication, passion and performance will follow.

Give time and space. Big name athletes didn’t excel in their sport overnight. They practiced, practiced and practiced. If you want your child to reach his potential, don’t be afraid to give him the time and space to practice. Let him dribble away during his spare time, watch and rewind recorded NBA games, or even bring his basketball with him wherever he goes.

Highlight the importance of RESPECT.

In professional sports, athletes are often pitted against each other. While your budding star athlete is still young, make him realize that his only real competition himself. Show him to benchmark against his own personal bests and not see or tag other athletes as “the enemy.”

You also need to become a good example. Leave the coaching to the coaches. Let’s face it, it’s hard to shake off the game even when you get home. Stop yourself from over analyzing each move point by point or from criticizing your kid’s play. Your job as parent is to be their quiet strength and their pillar of support – even when they lost the deciding point. Be an encourager and not their worst critic.

Remember, the most powerful yet simple thing a mother can do for a young athlete is to provide unconditional love and support. Nourish your child in and out of the court. Ensure that your child gets the proper food and nutrition while undergoing training. This helps them perform better by powering up their bodies to function at its optimum and has the “fuel” needed to recover after training day. Drink Alaska Chocolate Powdered Milk Drink. It has energizing nutrients namely, magnesium, calcium and potassium that keep young athletes' bodies in winning form.

And as always, be their number one fan by telling your kid you love them before or after every game, whether they win or lose.

With your love, support, and the proper training and nourishment, your son and daughter has the potential to make it to the big leagues. Help them reach their dreams.

Negros Island Region: We are 100% ready for Palaro 2016

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Negros Island Region (NIR), which is a newly created region that will be competing for the 59th Palarong Pambansa for the first time, is 100% ready and confident that its athletes will take center stage in the national sporting competition.

According to Department of Education (DepEd)-NIR Regional Director Gilbert Sadsad, “Although this is the first time, we will do our best to compete [with the other regions]. We are ready [and] we are vying for championship.”

In January, DepEd Secretary Br. Armin Luistro FSC said this year’s staging of the Palaro will have many “firsts.” 

Luistro said that, “I want to highlight that this is Albay’s first ever hosting of the Palaro. This is also the first time that 18 regions will take action—not the usual 17 regions—because of the participation of the Negros Island Region,” he explained.

NIR’s athletes have undergone series of trainings, one of which is the 25-day training from March 1 to March 28. 

“We conducted concentration (trainings) financed by the local government of Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, and some cities, that also extended financial assistance to the athletes during the training for 25 days,” Sadsad said.

The said training was separately conducted in Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental, and Dumaguete City.

NIR will send 747 official delegates, including student-athletes, coaches, and other regional officials; of which, 481 are student-athletes. 

Sadsad said that NIR will also be fielding participants to the special games.

One of the highlights of the Palaro is the special games for children with special needs. These include athletics, swimming, goal ball, and Bocce – a ball sport closely related to bowling. Athletes with special needs are given the chance to be scouted and compete in the games of the Palaro.

Student-athletes from NIR have already been given the allowance, equipment, and vitamins they need for the competition.

The region’s official delegation will arrive in Albay Province on April 4. Sadsad said the NIR is planning to conduct continuous trainings in the host province.

Fiber is an essential part of an athlete’s diet, says POC nutritionist

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Sepak Takraw standout Emmanuel Escote, whose team won silver in 2015 SEA Games, says POC’s newest nutrition program helped him improve his diet.

Donning the Philippines’ colors in the biggest sporting event in Southeast Asia—the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games), which recently concluded in Singapore—Filipino athletes showed that they can slug it out with the best athletes from neighboring countries.

The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) has new programs for the SEA Games representatives in order to realize their full potential and ensure that they are at their peak condition during this much-hyped event and other international sporting events in the future.

SEA Games silver medallist for Decathlon Jesson Ramil Cid says he had to do his best during training to make sure the he performs well in the SEA Games.

The Philippines’ foremost sportsmen successfully translated these programs into more wins after improving the country’s seventh place standing during the 2013 SEA Games in Myanmar, to a sixth place finish, bagging 30 more medals in this edition of the Games.

POC enlisted the help of professionals in the fields of sports science, sports psychology, sports vision, sports rehabilitation, sports training, and nutrition in order to whip the athletes into shape and to achieve their optimal fitness level.

Before heading to Singapore, athletes from different sporting events went through rigorous training and special programs that rendered them more competitive than usual.

“Ngayon mas naging doble yung hirap na ginagawa namin compared sa ibang international competitions; mas mahirap talaga yung training for SEA Games. Parang gusto na naming sumuko minsan pero pinipilit namin kasi para ‘to sa country,” said Olympic Rowing representative Justine Vinas, who missed the podium after settling for fourth place.

Emmanuel Escote, who is the spiker of silver medalist Sepak Takraw team, said they trained intensely to top their successful performance in the recently concluded King’s Cup Sepak Takraw World Championship in Thailand. “Mas binubugbog namin ‘yung sarili namin ngayon! Siyempre kung ano ‘yung skills mo ngayon, kailangan mo pang higitan.”

While athletes have varying motivations for playing for the national team, they share one cause—to bring home a win and make their fellow Filipinos proud.

“Para sa ’kin, masarap i-represent ang Pilipinas. At saka yung karangalan na maiuwi mo yung mga medalya sa competitionmo, isang malaking bagay na yun e!—isang malaking karangalan,” declared Escote, who is now on his 4th playing year in the national team.

“Magandang opportunity po ‘to! Masaya kasi hindi ka lang nagbibigay ng pride sa bansa mo kundi pati kay God—‘yung talentko ginagamit ko sa magandang bagay,” Jesson Ramil Cid, the country’s silver medalist for Decathlon, affirmed.

Athlete’s nutrition

Acknowledging the important role of good nutrition in an athlete’s performance, POC created a sports nutrition program to make meal plans for the athletes depending on their specific needs.

In the process, POC nutritionists learned that many of our national athletes are constipated and lack an understanding of proper nourishment in achieving optimum health.

To address this issue, the POC partnered with a leading supplement brand in the country, C-Lium Fibre. With the tie-up, fiber was incorporated in every athlete’s meal plan in order to reach the 25 to 30 grams of recommended daily fiber intake. Athletes were asked to take C-Lium Fibre in husk form mixed with water, first thing in the morning.

Philippine Olympic Committee enlisted the help of professionals in the fields of sports science, sports psychology, sports vision, sports rehabilitation, sports training, and sports nutrition in order to whip the athletes into shape and to achieve their optimal fitness level. (From L-R: SEA Games sepak takraw silver medallist Emmauel Escote, POC nutritionist Luningning Caravana, SEA Games decathlon silver medallist Jesson Ramil Cid, POC nutritionist Yancy Liwanag and Rowing representative Justine Karyle Vinas)

“’Nung dumating kami, many of them are constipated kasi unang-una sa lahat hindi nila alam kung ano ‘yung mga dapat nilang kainin. Ang ginawa naming approach is to make sure na balanced ‘yung kinakain nila at ma-achieve nila ‘yung required daily fiber intake with the help of C-Lium,” said POC nutritionist Luningning Caravana.

“Ang fiber naman kasi, in general, ay tumutulong para mailabas ‘yung dumi sa katawan natin, mapababa ‘yung cholesterol, and, at the same time, nakakatulong sa weight management para mas makapag-perform ng maayos ‘yung mga athletesnatin,” she added.

After just a couple of weeks on the program, athletes readily reported experiencing regular bowel movement and no longer suffering from bloating or other signs of digestive disorder.

SEA Games first-timer Vinas claims that the bloating of his stomach disappeared after he started POC’s nutrition program. “Regular na ’yung bowel movement ko! Personally, nakatulong talaga ‘yung nutrition program ng POC—may meal programsila for us and we consume the required daily fiber intake —kasi nga mahirap mag-training pag may nararamdaman kangdiscomfort sa tiyan. Ngayon wala na akong iniisip, training na lang talaga.”

The Sepak Takraw standout, on the other hand, revealed why POC’s newest program has been a tremendous help. “Nagbabawas ako ng timbang kasi feeling ko ‘nung last game mabigat pa ang katawan ko. From personal experience,nakatulong ‘yung nutrition program sa aking bowel movement so feeling ko it helps na rin sa pag-maintain ng weight ko. With the help of the program, nare-reach namin ‘yung required daily fiber intake.”

C-Lium Fibre—available in husk and capsule formats—is made from natural psyllium plant, which is a good source of soluble and insoluble fiber.

According to the National Fiber Council, the soluble fiber in psyllium absorbs water, turns it into gel, then attaches to food, sugars, cholesterol, and fats in the stomach. It then helps to expel these from one’s digestive system. A high-fiber diet also helps lower the risk of developing life-threatening diseases such as heart disease, certain forms of cancer, diabetes, and stroke.

Coach Jim Saret who is heading POC’s newest program says that C-Lium Fibre is a very good and convenient product to reach the required daily fiber intake.

“I think it’s one of the most important supplements we need to take as individuals. C-Lium Fibre is actually a very good product and it’s very convenient and so there’s no excuse for you not to be able to get the right amount of daily fiber because it’s so accessible,” said Coach Jim Saret.

Coach Toni Saret, who is co-heading POC’s program with her husband Coach Jim Saret, said that nutrition also plays a big role in an athlete’s performance.

Coaches Jim and Toni Saret believe that fiber is one of the most important nutrients that the body needs.

“You cannot work out with poor nutrition. Fitness and sports are always tied up with proper nutrition; you cannot have one without the other or else you cannot attain your optimal performance as an athlete,” said the female coach.

With new partnerships such as that with C-Lium Fibre, POC has high hopes that our representatives will perform better in different international sporting events like the Olympic Games and this will translate into medals for the country.

“You can never question the Filipino spirit. We will always fight; they will always continue to fight despite the odds and being the underdog; lalaban at lalaban pa din ang Pilipino. So that makes me really proud to be a part of this program,” said the Coach Jim Saret.

With the growing popularity of sports in the country, Filipino athletes are drawing increasing national support, which inspires them to do better in the international arena like SEA Games. (From L-R: SEA Games sepak takraw silver medallist Emmauel Escote, Rowing representative Justine Karyle Vinas, and SEA Games decathlon silver medallist Jesson Ramil Cid)

POC nutritionists Luningning Caravana and Yancy Liwanag say that sports nutrition is an integral part of an athlete’s overall performance.

Philippine Olympic Committee partnered with C-Lium Fibre in order to help athletes achieve the required daily fiber intake that their body needs. (From L-R: POC nutritionists Yancy Liwanag and Luningning Caravana, coach Toni Saret, 2015 SEA Games sepak takraw silver medallist Emmauel Escote, Rowing representative Justine Karyle Vinas, and coach Jim Saret)

C-Lium Fibre is a product of Pascual Laboratories, Inc., and is available in major drugstores nationwide.

SM Ice Skating Supports Top Filipino Figure Skater Michael Martinez

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Figure skating is an expensive sport. This is particularly due to the costs of ice time and coaching. Figure skating is a sport and activity in which individuals, duos, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. The four Olympic disciplines are men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing. Ice skating consisting of one or more planned sequences of required and optional spins, jumps, and dancelike maneuvers, originally consisting of a program in which the skater traced prescribed, usually elaborate figures.

Michael Martinez, Philippines' first representative in the Winter Youth Olympics, as he vies in the 2013 Nebelhorn Trophy, a qualifying event for the 2014 Olympiad in Sochi, Russia. 

Michael Martinez, considered as the youngest and most accomplished senior level skater from the Philippines, having collection a total of 194 medals and trophies since 2005.

Martinez, who enjoys a rank of 19th in the International Skating Union (ISU) Season’s Best World Rankings, primes up for rigorous training abroad in his determined effort to nail one of six berths to Sochi to be disputed in the Sept. 25-28 Nelbelhorn tourney in Oberstdorf, Germany.

He began skating in 2005 at a shopping mall ice rink. He trains mainly in Manila, and also spends several months a year in California with coaches Ilia Kulik, John Nicks and Peter Kongkasem.

Martinez debuted on the Junior Grand Prix series in the 2010–2011 season. He won his first senior international title, also a first for the Philippines

"Now that I deserve to represent the Philippines in the 2014 Olympic Games, this meant that I would have to train more and harder. It also entails a lot of sacrifice and hard work on my part, and more expenses for more lessons, not to mention the sacrifice by my family in terms of time and finances," Martinez said.

“Ice skating is really expensive so this will be a big help to pay for coaches, ice time,” said Martinez. He shared to us that he regularly spends about $100 per hour for the services of his coach alone.

This 16-year-old recent high school graduate is looking forward to become the first Filipino Winter Olympian.

“I’ll try my best to make it to the Olympics,” he added.

Seeing the potential of Martinez, a home-grown talent, SM Ice Skating took the lead in supporting his endeavors and will upkeep his tournaments as the young achiever continues to give glory to the country.

SM Ice Skating gave Martinez a checque to help fund Martinez' training in the US to ensure that the young Martinez will eventually bag our country a gold medal during the Olympics.

Me and my children had admire him when we watched him skates on ice at the SM Mall of Asia Skating rinks.

Good luck Michael! 

Watch this video of Michael Christian Martinez , 2012 World Junior Figure Skating Championship.

Palarong Pambansa Pangasinan 2012 Goes Clean and Green

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"Expect a clean and green 2012 Palarong Pambansa!" This is the pronouncement ofEducation Secretary Br. Armin Luistro, FSC during the signing of the memorandum of understanding between the department and this year’s host the provincial government of Pangasinan represented by Governor Amado T. Espino, Jr.

Luistro said the department will seriously pursue the campaign to make the Palaro an environment-friendly event by requiring food caterers to dispense with plastic and styrofor in the preparation of meals. “We started this in Dipolog, Zamboanga last year, we will do it better this year,” said Luistro.

On another clean aspect, Luistro announced that the DepEd will ensure that athlete screening and games officiating will be clean and fair to all in keeping with the true spirit of the sporting event.

“The Palaro is a venue for values formation among our youth, this is where positive Filipino values should apply,” he explained.

Luistro added that the Palaro should not be made a once-a- year event but a continuing activity to really develop the athletic prowess and sportsmanship of the young. Likewise, the games venue should not be so constructed as to last for just a year. “It should be made to last for years so that many athletes can use it for a continuous sports program."

The 2012 Palarong Pambansa is set from May 6 to 12, 2012 to be participated in by elementary and secondary students from public and private schools.

As stipulated in DepEd Memo No. 22 series of 2012, this year’s host of the annual national sporting event is the provincial government of Pangasinan and DepEd Regional Office 1 assisted by the schools division office of Pangasinan and the city schools division offices of San Carlos City and Dagupan City.

Luistro describes the Palaro as an important component of the basic education curriculum because it promotes physical education and sports which are part of the full development of the youth’s potential. “When we say total human development, we mean to develop persons who are physically fit, socially responsible and globally competitive,” he said.

DepEd has allocated some P136.5 million for this year’s Palaro. Most of the events will be played at the Narciso Ramos Sports Center in Lingayen while the rest will be in the cities of San Carlos and Dagupan and the towns of Bugallon and Binmaley. Some 10,000 athletes, coaches and sports officials from the country’s 17 regions are expected to participate in the country’s biggest sports spectacle.

Student –athletes who stand out from the Palaro serve as feeder to the National Sports Associations for further training for international competitions. “In a way, the results of the Palaro provide a database for a more sound and relevant school development program,” added Luistro.

The sporting events are athletics, arnis, badminton, baseball, basketball, boxing, chess, football, gymnastics (women’s artistic gymnastics, men’s artistic gymnastic and rhythmic gymnastics), sipa takraw, sepak takraw, softball, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, and volleyball.

For the differently-abled, there is goalball, aquatics, bocce, long jump, shot put and 100, 200 and 400 meter dash.