For the longest time now, the University of Cebu (UC) Webmasters have been the champions in the secondary division of the Regional Milo Little Olympics.
Since the birth of the annual multi-sporting event in 1996, no other school has held the coveted championship trophy other than the Webmasters.
And at the rate things are going, the Sanciangko-based school looks well on its way to winning title No. 16 of the meet that pits Central Visayas’ top elementary and secondary athletes.
After two days of competition in the 16th Milo Little Olympics-Visayas Regional Finals, the Webmasters amassed 140 points, way ahead of closest pursuer Abellana National School’s 46.5 points.
RECIPE FOR SUCCESS
So what really sets UC apart from its rivals?
Bernard Ricablanca, the school’s athletic director, said there’s nothing special in UC’s recipe for success.
“Our success lies on having a very supportive administration, implementing an effective training program and recruiting the right athletes,” said Ricablanca, who has been the school’s athletic director since 1994.
Ricablanca said UC has at least 17 coaches who scout for talents. “When we recruit an athlete, we check if he has basic training and we also assess his physical attributes,” said Ricablanca.
In UC, athletes are not being rushed to excel. They are given ample time to do so.
“Good athletes are not made overnight. New recruits will undergo at least one year of rigid training before we field them in actual competitions. We make sure that our athletes are fully developed and fully honed before allowing them to compete,” he said.
Currently, UC has at least 170 secondary and more than 200 college athletes.
“We have a year-round training program and we make sure that this program is being followed and implemented,” said Ricablanca.
PRIORITIZE STUDIES
UC athletes are trained to become top-caliber jocks without sacrificing their studies.
“We always remind them that they are student-athletes and that they should value education. The school is very strict when it comes to academics. An athlete with two failed subjects will be stripped of his scholarship,” said Ricablanca.
UC athletes enjoy 50 percent to 100 percent scholarship depending on their performance as well as cash incentives.
“In the Milo Little Olympics alone, the school has already accumulated P640,000 in cash prizes and part of it are given to the athletes.”
Ricky Ballesteros, head organizer of Milo Little Olympics, admits UC has indeed raised the bar of competition.
“Winning 15 straight titles only shows that the school really has a good sports program. It’s a big achievement,” said Ballesteros.
Ballesteros said that UC was so dominant that the format of the Milo Little Olympics was changed a few years ago.
“I think it was in 2005 that we changed the format from medal tally to points system hoping to level the playing field. But still, there was no stopping UC,” Ballesteros said.
GOOD VALUES
More than developing the skills of their athletes, UC also makes it a point that they learn good values and character.
When typhoon Ondoy struck Metro Manila in 2010, the Webmasters decided to donate the P40,000 that they won in the Milo Little Olympics that year to the flood victims.
Ricablanca said when UC owner Augusto Go learned that the school’s prize was donated, he gave P40,000 from his own pocket so that the Webmasters will have something for their own.
Part of the school’s winnings is also being used for the renovation of the school’s chapel.
Ricablanca said that UC is thankful that there is a Milo Little Olympics.
“The Milo Little Olympics gives athletes the needed exposure. It is quality competition that prepare athletes not just for other inter-school meets, but for the bigger battles in life as well.”
With 15 straight titles and an impending 16th, UC has already proven its worth beyond any thread of doubt. But the Webmasters aren’t ready to sit on their laurels just yet as they vowed to continue improving, to continue conquering, to continue soaring to greater heights.
And for the other competing schools, that definitely is not a piece of good news.