Long-time grassroots summer sports clinics to cater to hopefuls, coaches across PH

Milo Sports leads at the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum, April 22, 2024, at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex Conference Hall in Manila. Photo from Rom Anzures, ABS-CBN News.MANILA — The stage is set for hopefuls in the grassroots levels as well as coaches in their respective sports this summer.

With over 35 different fields available, a long-time sports clinics program returns this 2025 catering to different places from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

“We will have 1,200 venues for the clinics all over the Philippines,” said Head of MILO Sports Carlo Sampan during Tuesday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum in Manila.

“This is the biggest culmination of our grassroots programs. We have 35 to 40 sports, some of them being basketball, tennis, swimming, soccer, golf, fencing, volleyball, athletics, sepak takraw, arnis, karatedo, baseball, soccer, table tennis, fencing, cheer dance, Jiu-jitsu, soft tennis, surfing, weightlifting, golf, and even ice skating and speed skating.”

“We will also have sports camps for gymnastics and cheer dance. Regardless kung nasaan sa Pilipinas, may partner sports clinic,” he added.

Gilas Pilipinas women’s youth head coach Julie Amos, who is among the leads in the basketball program, hopes to again produce talents that will eventually become the country’s future stars.

“We touch as young as 5 to 8 years old, and there is leveling from level 1 to level 5,” said Amos. “We don’t teach just the fundamentals, we teach them relationships so they can also be motivated and improve on their perseverance.”

“Coaches are looking to get engagements with the players, so we can produce ones just like Carl Tamayo who is from Cebu, and Peter Alfaro from Zamboanga,” she added.

The basketball program will be held in provinces such as Laguna, Baguio, Pangasinan, Lucena, Pampanga, Roxas, Iloilo, Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, General Santos, Zamboanga, and Pagadian.

On the tennis side, the spotlight is both on the 10-below hopefuls, as well as the development of female coaches.

“We will provide opportunities for female coaches, kasi sa buong mundo, out of 10, tatlo lang ang babaeng coaches,” said Gehrard Mamawal who oversees children’s tennis. “We will also focus on our 10-and-under tennis for ages 10, nine, and eight-year-olds.

Mirroring the same mission is pole vault and athletics.

“We have clinics in Manila for those who are enthusiasts and want to learn pole vault. We make it easier for them to learn the basics,” said Jeanette Obiena, mother of Olympian EJ.

“We will also hold clinics in Laoag and Tagum City, for kids and the coaches there,” she added. “Para yung mga coaches, maturuan rin nila yung mga bata doon.”

The development of sepak takraw is also a focal point for the program.

“We have 80 clubs across the country,” said Karen Caballero Philippine Sepak Takraw Association’s Karen Caballero. “It has been a very staunch participant sa Palarong Pambansa, Philippine National Games, and sa Batang Pinoy, and it has a strong following.”

“So we will have 32 training hours, and these are supervised by national coaches and club coaches. We are also giving free equipment for our participants, and we will have a mini tournament as our graduation,” she added.

Also present in the forum were Ricky Lim (karatedo), Rocky Samson (taekwondo), and Nikki Cheng (ice skating and bowling).

Aside from the fundamentals of each sport, Sampan emphasized how their program also views the importance of character-building.

“After they learn the fundamentals, they get to elevate their levels,” she said. “But it’s not just the skills. More importantly, it teaches discipline, and practice teamwork.”

Interested parties can get more information through the chocolate milk brand’s website.

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