Volleyball enthusiasts from all over Cebu were gathered at the CICC for the final rounds of the 8th Governor Gwendolyn Garcia Unity Volleyball Tournament.
Despite the many criticisms that have been hurled Guv Gwen’s way since her suspension from office, one program of hers that has fully achieved its goals and objectives is the Unity Volleyball Tournament she started 8 years ago.
Done in cooperation with the Cebu Volleyball Association (CEVA), the idea was to discover hidden talents in the countryside by giving them the venue and opportunity to display their abilities.
At the same time, it was anticipated that the chance of playing under the big lights would encourage and motivate the Cebuano youth to take up volleyball seriously as a sport.
On the 8th year of the tournament, the fruits of all the efforts and sacrifices by the players, trainers and coaches, the local government units, the organizers and most of all, Guv Gwen and her staff, have emerged so clearly that nobody, even the fiercest critic of the governor, would dare argue with the program’s success.
Speculations have been rife that this year’s Guv Cup could be the last since this is also the last year of the last term of Guv Gwen. Nothing was directly said about the subject, but Ms. Nona Catipay, in awarding the Men’s Championship to Liloan, indirectly gave a hint about the end of the great program.
It would indeed be a shame if this program which has served so many already, will deprive future generations of volleyball players to have a taste of the big time and a chance to display their talents to the bigger world.
Sure, the other tournaments will continue but their objectives are narrower and less developmental than the Guv Cup. If I can posit my humble opinion, the tournament need not end here.
I am sure CEVA whose leadership consists of the biggest names of Cebu volleyball, has already in place a contingency plan that would sufficiently cope with this problem.
Here are some unsolicited ideas that should help, based on five years of guiding Team Mandaue to incomparable success in the tournament.
– Conduct the tournament in a smaller scale.
– In places where the seed has consistently fallen on barren ground, they should be removed from the loop. A separate program may have to be devised for these localities.
– If volleyball has continued to thrive in places like Talisay, Minglanilla, Carcar, Catmon and Liloan, it is because of the availability of trainers who willingly do it for the love of the sport. So instead of just blindly broadcasting the seeds, see to it that there is a competent farmer or gardener who will nurture the growth of the plant.
– Most LGU’s have also demonstrated belief in the grassroots development scheme of the Guv Cup. Some of them would be more than willing to pitch in order to sustain the program.
– Lastly, no free apple picking. Let me explain. Immediately upon the emergence of an undisputable talent, city schools start hovering over these players offering maybe earth, heaven or both. I am not saying this is wrong. I have seen however how long and tedious the process of developing even a player who already has native abilities.
I know also that trainers like Sirs Dindo Alilin, Dino Aribal and Leo Baldapan of Mandaue have problems about logistics, access to the latest training methods and support from those who do not give a heck about volleyball.
I therefore believe that CESAFI schools, colleges and universities should pitch in a little to make the job of these unsung heroes a little bit easier. All these can be orchestrated in a long term developmental plan.
Hopefully, next year, volleyball fans will continue to witness how the present players have grown in a year, and being amazed by the new emerging talents from the bush.
Of course the best that could happen would be that the next Cebu Governor would continue with this laudable program of the province.