Hayco hopes Cebuano pair wins in Australia

CEBU CITY Sports Commission chairman Edward Hayco is feeling the pressure even before his former wards, Dancesport Team Cebu City (DTCC) members Wilbert Fajardo Aunzo and Pearl Marie Cañeda, start their bid in the 68th Australian DanceSport Championship at the Hisense Arena in Melbourne, Australia.

Hayco, the former top honcho of the DTCC and one of the city’s best dancesports athlete, said the Australian DanceSport Championship is one of the most prestigious dancesports competitions in the world.

“Pressured and stressed. But I really hope Wilbert wins,” Hayco said.

He said a win by Aunzo will be pivotal for the sport since it may serve as additional motivation for aspiring dancers in Cebu.

“He will serve as an inspiration that a scavenger from Tejero can make it to the top,” Hayco added. “But another reason why I’m tensed is because this Australian competition belongs to the top five of the most prestigious competitions in dancesports in the world.”

The Cebuano pair, members of the Philippine National Dancesport Team, were in Brisbane since Nov. 30 and left for Melbourne yesterday. They are expected to arrive today.

The event formally opened yesterday but Aunzo and Cañeda won’t see action until Sunday.

Both dancers are accompanied by Australian coach Jeffrey Haddleton. They stayed at the residence of Haddleton’s dance partner and many-time visitor in Cebu City, Fiona Watson.

Haddleton and Watson are winners of the Australian Dancesport Championships in Melbourne from 1996 to 1999. They were also fourth placers in the 1999 World Dancesport Championships. /Correspondent Jade S. Violeta