Baguio siphons Urdaneta mints dry, tops Reg’l. TKD bash
- Published on Friday, 09 December 2011 18:49
- Category: Sports
Isagani S. Liporada
URDANETA CITY – Twenty-five gold mints. Eleven silver medals. Thirteen bronze finishes. With the Baguio Defenders Taekwondo Do Jang (BDTDJ), ‘home advantage’ is mere trite expression.
BDTDJ continued unparalleled superiority in regional tournaments last week trumping home team De Fox Pangasinan for the overall trophy in the 2011 Urdaneta City Invitational Taekwondo Championships here, December 4.
The overall championship trophy was awarded BDTDJ after ruling the elementary boys and girls and the seniors men and women divisions.
As icing on BDTDJ’s cake, coaching whiz Arnold Oglayon was likewise feted with a much deserved ‘Best Coach’ trophy.
De Fox settled for silver with its golds in the juniors’ men and women division.
Baguio City’s Bravehearts Taekwondo Gym (BTG) and GB Sports followed closely, finishing second and third runners-up, respectively.
Only fifteen jins of the 64-strong team failed to turn in medals for BDTDJ even as Oglayon in a surprise move elevated his advanced junior men and women team to the more physical seniors’ division.
He reasoned, “We are preparing members of the juniors’ team for their future as they have been showing game maturity ripe for the heavier and more cerebral seniors’ class.”
“It’s an investment of sorts… now they know they could fare really well once they decide to choose their own taekwondo paths in college.”
There are currently only three members of the Philippine Juniors Taekwondo Team remaining in Baguio, all training under Oglayon’s stable.
They are high school senior Benjamin Keith Sembrano, junior Keno Anthony Mendoza, and sophomore Suzzane Glehn Caslangen.
“The goal is to prep up newer jins to keep the flow of Baguio’s legacy in the Philippine Team unimpeded,” Oglayon said.
Gold measures the team’s standing in the run for overall supremacy in the Urdaneta tilt.
Bagging gold for BDTDJ in the elementary division are Richard Ulat, Irven Dhale Langaoen, Clyde Duday, Timothy Castillo, Ivan Murray Solimen, Joshua Pasag, Juris Quiambao, Tristan Bandando, Elijah Butac, Leon Carlos Altomonte, Jamilla Rillorta, Yenyen Magalong, Jessa Tamlayen, Emma Bayubay, Aitana Fias-ilon, Josephine Pistola,
For juniors: Paola Rose Salazar, and Angelica Joyce Gaw.
For seniors: Cromwell King Quiambao, Justin Manzano, Patrick Castillo, Sheina Marie Villanueva, Brighty Rio Salazar, Sembrano, Mendoza, and Caslangen.**isl
