NCR faces uphill climb in title retention drive

Reigning National Milo Little Olympics champion National Capital Region (NCR) will be facing a tough task when it starts its title defense next week here in Cebu.

Aside from competing in hostile territory, Team NCR will also be playing minus its top athletes who stood out during the NCR Regional Finals last September. The Nationals will be held Oct. 25 to 27 in different venues in Cebu.

NCR delegation head Dr. Robert Milton Calo said their top bets were unable to join the team as they failed to beat the deadline for registration due to other priorities.

“Ang inasahan namin teams na kasali sana sa lineup hindi nakapag register dahil na rin sa ibang priorities sa ibang sporting events like the NCAA and UAAP. Yung iba naabutan ng deadline dahil sa masamang panahon dito sa NCR,” Calo said.

But Calo remains optimistic of the chances of his team. “We will not give up the title easily.” He said his proxy athletes will still fight tooth-and-nail alongside with the rest of their team in order to retain the national title.

Leading the charge for NCR will be athletes from the Diosdado P. Macapagal Elementary School (DPMES) and Santa Elena High School. They will serve as the core of NCR’s lineup after winning the elementary and secondary divisions during the regional finals in Marikina City.

Sta. Elena HS and DPMES are strong in athletics, badminton, swimming, volleyball and gymnastics.

Calo said Far Eastern University’s (FEU) football squad will not be joining them here in Cebu since the team is committed to the UAAP. FEU was replaced by an equally strong team from the State Field College of Cavite.

Aside from football, Calo also bared that there are also changes in the lineups in taekwondo, swimming and volleyball.

He also announced that the San Beda College and University of Santo Tomas (UST) basketball squads were not able to enlist in team NCR but no replacement has been named yet.

The final lineup of team NCR will be finalized next week, according to Calo.

“We advised our athletes to train hard because I heard that team Visayas is very strong in basketball and volleyball,” said Calo.

The entire NCR delegation will arrive on Oct. 24 and will be staying at the Sarossa International Hotel.