THE Cebu triathlon scene is about to get a huge boost with the holding of four activities here in the coming months.
The Triathlon Association of the Philippines (TRAP) in cooperation with the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu, and Green Triathlon will be conducting the Tri Camp this month, a technical course for officials and the National Age-Group Triathlon in April and a coaches course in June.
The Tri Camp will be held at the SHS-AdC campus from March 24 to 26 and will be handled by Youth Development coach Melvin Fausto to be assisted by regional coach Franz Baguio.
It will be a three-day camp wherein participants will undergo training in swimming, biking and running. They will also learn how to use specific equipment for the sport.
Fausto said during the press conference held at the Cebu Country Club yesterday that he will be separating those who have already took part in the first camp and who have become part of the developmental pool from the beginners.
All activities of the Tri Camp is in line with the National Junior Grassroots Development Program.
The Tri Camp will be capped with a mini-sprint triathlon to be followed by an assessment of participants to be done by Fausto.
In April 4 to 6, TRAP will be conducting a technical course for officials to set a standard for officiating of triathlons with the venue still to be decided. To follow immediately is the NAGT on April 7 at the Alegre Beach Resort in Sogod town, north of Cebu. This will serve as the first of four qualifiers for the national team to compete in the 2nd Youth Olympic Games 2014 in Nanjing, China in August;
Oscar “Boying” Rodriguez, one of the organizers said the importance of having a YOG qualifier here is that there is a chance that a Cebuano may represent the country in the 2014 YOG in China.
The last activity is the coaches course slated for June with the venue still to be announced. Here, coaches will get a chance to be certified as International Triathlon Union (ITU) Level 1 coaches.
Fausto explained that producing ITU Level 1 certified coaches is part of TRAP’s program for the year.
He said that ITU is very strict about this especially when a triathlete is cometing in an ITU-sanctioned race. /CORRESPONDENT MARS G. ALISON