IPAGPAPATULOY ng Equestrian Philippines ang kanilang pagpapaunlad sa sport kahit pa may isa pang national sports association na kinikilala ang Philippine Olympic Committee (POC).
Sa katunayan ay hindi tumitigil ang EquestrianPH sa pagsasanay sa mga riders nila sa katauhan nina international champions Toni Leviste, Joker Arroyo at Colin Syquia.
Sinabi ni EquestrianPH president Carissa Coscolluela, maraming kabataan ang mahuhusay na riders na kayang katawanin ang bansa sa hinaharap bagamat nangingibabaw ang politika na siyang sumisira sa nasabing sport.
“We established EquestrianPH in 2018 because we want to continue the initiatives we started so that the sport can continue to grow,” saad ni Coscolluela sa 57th “Usapang Sports” ng Tabloids Organization in Philippine Sports (TOPS) sa National Press Club sa Intramuros, Manila.
“Madami na rin kaming initiatives na ginagawa for the sport. Two years ago, Toni, Joker and I then decided to formalize out effort and put it under one umbrella which you all know now as EquestrianPH,” giit ni Coscolluela sa weekly public service program na suportado ng Philippine Sports Commission, National Press Club, PAGCOR, Community Basketball Association at HG Guyabano Tea Leaf Drinks.
Inamin ni Coscolluela na ang kumplikasyon sa liderato ang nakaaapekto sa sport.
“For many years there was a conflict. Matagal pinag-awayan. But we realized there’s no point in fighting with them. It’s not going to resolve anything. The reason we want to be part of the leadership of the NSA was to help make a difference. Now we’ll do it without being a part of the NSA,” paliwanag niya.
“That’s why we put this group together. Kalimutan na natin kung ano ang ginagawa nila at hindi nila ginagawa. That’s not our problem. We want to give the (equestrian) community what the community deserves to have in terms of development program and competition,” dagdag ni Coscolluela.
Ayon naman kay Arroyo, ang pagsasagawa ng maraming aktibidades para sa sport ang makaiinganyo sa mga kabataang rider para ituloy ang napiling sport.
“We can have more riders competing at international level. Right now, we only have a handful of riders who can qualify to the regional championships, like the Asian Games and the SEA Games. Soon, mag-re-retire mga yan.So, there’s a need to develop riders in the training pool,” dugtong ni Coscolluela.
Sinabi ni Arroyo na nagsagawa na ang EquestrianPH ng mga serye ng kompetisyon noong nakaraang taon at nakapagtala sila ng mga magagaling at bagitong riders.
“It’s the first time in the country in over a decade that we have a full-blown championship series wherein we invited riders from all over the country and they were able to compete in a series of competitions where they can get points towards championship titles. That’s really how you breed champions by encouraging them to start early and train early,” sabi ni Arroyo.
Isa sa talented young riders ay si Paola Lorenzo, ang 20-anyos na management engineering student ng Ateneo de Manila na tinanghal na overall champion sa EquestrianPH-organized showjumping competition sakay ng kanyang 13-year-old Selel Francais chestnut gelding.
“Paola is an extremely talented athlete and has proven on multiple occasions to be a reliable team member who always delivers. She is an excellent student, and it has been an honor and a pleasure to be a part of her development as a rider,” dagdah ni Arroyo, nagsisilbi ring coach ni Lorenzo.
Inihayag nina Coscolluela at Arroyo na ang nakaraang indoor championship series ay nakadiskubre din ng outstanding champions kabilang sina Lara Zobel, Nicole Camcam, Alex Ynares-Villalon, Minxie Romualdez, Nikki Aboitiz, at Anda Lagdameo.
Umakyat sina Zobel, lulan ng kanyang bagong mount Lander van Bijsterveld, at 14-anyos na si Camcam, ginabayan ang Aralea T, sa podium bilang category champions sa 1.10m class.Kinuha din ni Camcam ang top honors sa 1.00m category sakay ng Con Amber.
Sina Zobel at Camcam ay nagmula sa regular training jaunts sa abroad, kung saan ang una ay nakapag-establisa ng base sa France, habang ang huli ay sa United States.
Kinubra naman ni Ynares-Villalon, lulan ng Un Chti du Banney ang 0.75m category, bagamat hinati ang kanyang oras sa competitions at intense pressure sa college application process.
Tinanghal si Romualdez, isa sa pinakabatang participants sa edad 12, na kampeon sa 0.65m category lulan ng kanyang reliable at speedy Irish pony, ang Magic Mio. (DENNIS INIGO)
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