For this young archer, gold is the target

The best female archer in the 2011 Batang Pinoy games held in Naga last month believes that by combining sports and academics she is better able to achieve mental discipline.

Bianca Roxas-Chua Gotuaco, 14, first shot an arrow five years ago. Over the years, she has found that sports and academics (mathematics is her favorite subject) blend so well in her routine that her skills in both fields have improved. She says she does not have to sacrifice one to excel in the other.

Gotuaco won seven gold medals at the BP games with an overall score of 553 out of the perfect score of 600. She used 60 arrows, each arrow with a highest score of 10 points.

Before that meet, she had bested other archers for five golds at the Philippine National Games sponsored by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) in Bohol in May.

In August, the International School Manila first year student also won the silver in archery at the 2011 State Games of America (SGA) held in San Diego, California. She qualified for the tournament after taking the silver in the California State Games held in the same city.

Although not an American citizen, the young Filipino athlete says she joined the United States competition to improve her skills in archery and gain competition experience.

The SGA is a biennial multisport event in the US covering 24 sporting competitions participated in by amateur athletes who must pass qualifiers in 36 states.

The BP, on the other hand, is a grassroots event organized by the PSC that brings together gold and silver medalist students and out-of-school athletes, aged 15 and below, from across the country. Reports said participants were vying for slots in the national training pool, which could bring them to the 2014 Youth Olympic Games to be held in China.

“Archery is such a mental sport that it teaches me to be focused and block out other things going on in my mind,” says Gotuaco.

The teenager says she focuses on her studies on school days but sets aside two hours every day for honing her skills in archery.

The eldest of three children, all of whom are swimmers, Gotuaco dropped swimming to concentrate on archery after joining the training program at Manila Polo Club when she was 9 years old.

Although she still swims for recreation, she says it is archery that now relaxes her mind after the academic pressure in school.

Mom Sheree Roxas-Chua Gotuaco has observed that Bianca’s fine motor skills are a good fit in archery. “Also, she’s more comfortable in individual events than in contact sports like basketball or football,” says mom.

To qualify for the 2014 Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China, Gotuaco will have to be among the top 32 female archers from among athletes all over the world to win a slot for the Philippines in women’s archery.

Gotuaco says she is prepared to continue competing here and in the US to work toward that goal.

Now she can add the United Kingdom to her list of training grounds. According to the PSC, Gotuaco is one of five athletes it has selected to participate in the Summer Youth Program at St. Bede’s College in London, which will be attended by young athletes from other countries.

The 14- to 15-year-olds who have been chosen for the July-August London program are outstanding in, besides archery, badminton, boxing, swimming and weightlifting. They will be sponsored by the British Council and the PSC.

The icing on the cake for Gotuaco and her four fellow ambassadors of goodwill?

Tickets to the 2012 London Summer Olympics!