Eduardo Pontaoe
20 Aug 2007

 

 

Ms. Ric, you’re entitled to your opinion.

But first, allow me to let everybody know that Guam (Chamorro: Guahan) is not a country. It is officially the Territory of Guam, an island in the Marianas, an organized unincorporated territory of the US of A.  It is like telling the world California, your country and Cambria the capital. Guam is governed by an elected governor and 15 members of a unicameral legislature. Has one non- voting delegate to the US House of Representatives, currently Madeleine Bordallo. Inhabitants of Guam who are US citizens, during Presidential elections vote in a straw poll for their choice of president, which does not count towards the general election results. I reiterate; Guam is not country or a commonwealth.

I want to make some clarification on things I overlooked.

In the 1992 Olympics Barcelona, Jazy Fernández ( Fernández was his official name submitted with the Olympic Cycling Committee) was in the Men’s Individual Road Race representing Guam with Manuel Garcia and Martin Santos.

There were 130 cyclists in that Road Cycling Division. Only 84 of them were the FINAL CLASSIFICATION and 46 of them were lapped out meaning they folded. Jazy Fernández and his team were one of the non-finishers. They were not participants in the race because they did not cross the finish line.

Athens 2000 Olympics Jazy Fernández did race but again lapped out. He tried to compete but his stamina and courage is not enough to overcome the Europeans who invented the game.

This is where we butt heads, Ms. Ric. Did he really hump with Casartelli and Ullrich when he did not qualify? Was not in the final classification? I don’t think so!

By the way, Armstrong and Bartoli were not to be reckoned with in the road race. They were nothing. Bartoli finished 4th and Armstrong was 13th.

You words, “The people who lived along the course appreciated this unknown, sole cyclist from this little country (Guam) so much that they cheered him all the six laps he rode”.

It is in contradiction on what online editor Cycling News Jeff Jones, wrote at the bottom of his report which says, “ The people, who lived on the course, were not cycling fans but had read the start list and picked a cool sounding name of a little known country (Guam) as their man to support”.

The way I understand it, the people cheered him because his name was so different and he was lagging behind everybody gasping for dear life.

(Editor’s Comment – The fact that Mr. Jazy Fernandez Garcia (no relation to the editor) participated in both Olympics, I believe is enough reason for the PUNCH and Pangasinenses to be proud of his feat. As the dictum goes, “It matters not whether you win or lose, what matters is how you played the game.”).

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