Baguio Defenders bag golds and silvers

MANILA -- Barely a week of preparations for a battle pitting the best kicksters in the country didn't stop six fearless Baguio boys from pressing their luck in the 2011 Adidas Martial Arts Week at the SM Mall of Asia, July 24.

The gamble paid off with two golds, five silvers, with a lone casualty.

Not bad for the super six, considering they were up against members of the best of the country, including highly-touted members of the Philippine Kyorugi (sparring) Team.

Baguio Defenders junior jins Keno Anthony Mendoza, Benjamin Keith Sembrano, Rencer Shane Lavestre; and seniors Billy Joe Soria, Patrick Castillo, and Anfernie Dizon knew they were up against blackbelts who've been training for weeks, even months prior the tournament.

Undaunted despite being informed only Thursday evening the same week of the tournament, the team proceeded to Manila Saturday while everyone else were deep in slumber -- less their regular supporters, less their families, and even less their mentor and coach Arnold Oglayon.

Oglayon committed to coaching the bulk of his taekwondo players in the 2011 National Poomsae Championships in nearby Rizal Memorial Coliseum, which tournament happened on the same day.

He delegated coaching duties to his most able lieutenant and player, Soria.

Sembrano, a senior at the Baguio City National Science High School (BCNSHS) snared first gold in his weight class.

Asked about the experience, he said: "Our decision to go would have been interpreted as either foolishness or bravery as we've never been in a competition without weeks of heavy training. Looking back, I'm glad we could actually say we did it out of courage and heart."

Following Sembrano in the same level of the victors' ladder is Mendoza, a veteran internationalist.

Mendoza in Filipino said, "The fight was really tough... but the daily sparring sessions we had, though not much of the regular heavy training we usually have with coach Oglayon before any tournament really paid off."

The third year prep high student from the University of Baguio (UB) added, "It kept us conditioned for any surprise competitions like this one."

Aside from representing Baguio in the tilt, both Mendoza and Sembrano are teammates in the Philippine Juniors' Sparring Team and are being offered juicy scholarship deals by bi universities in Metro Manila.

Meantime, settling for silvers that weighed as heavy as gold were Soria, Castillo, and Lavestre, all of whom are varsity players of UB training under the watchful eyes of Baguio Defenders Sabumnim Oglayon.

Aside from taekwondo, boxing, judo, wrestling, and karate were part of the martial arts event. (Isagani Liporada)

Published in the Sun.Star Baguio newspaper on July 30, 2011.