Mayor Alarcio fetes Gabot and Recodos By Jesus A. Garcia Jr. I APPRECIATE what Laoac Mayor Silverio Alarcio recently did to two homegrown cyclists. The mayor gave recognition awards to former Tour of Luzon champions Rufino Gabot and Gonzalo Recodos on July 5 during the regular Monday flag-raising ceremony. According…

Betting and referees By Jesus A. Garcia Jr. WE know that many sports competitions have been marred by gambling, particularly, in basketball and in boxing events. It’s so typical of Filipinos. Each time there’s a basketball game or a boxing match, inveterate gamblers make a bet and sometimes become unruly…

Cycling leaders, finally cooling off By Jesus A. Garcia Jr. I’M so glad to know that the two warring groups in the Integrated Cycling Federation of the Philippines (PhilCycling) are cooling off. I was told about this by Gary Cayton, the chief organizer of Le Tour de Filipinas (formerly called…

Successful SK event By Jesus A. Garcia Jr. I MISSED the elimination round, quarterfinals and the semifinals of the Bangus Festival SK Inter-Barangay Basketball Challenge that started on April 17 as I was mostly in Zambales from February to May organizing and directing bicycle races, majority of which were sponsored by…

The finals that almost went pffft! By Jesus A. Garcia Jr. I SAID it before and I’ll say it again: referees are the most controversial officials in any sports competition, especially in ball games, chiefly basketball. We have seen numerous and countless rhubarbs even in respected local or international tourneys…

Pangasinan sports’ pride By Jesus A. Garcia Jr. OUR cyclist-rich province sent its three elite riders to Indonesia to compete in the Tour de Singkarak slated June 1-6. Sponsored by 7-Eleven Convenient Stores, the three, namely: Baler Ravina of Asingan, Sherwin Carrera of San Fabian and Ericson Obosa of Manaoag,…

The never-ending national cycling furor By Jesus A. Garcia Jr. THE 2010 political battle is over and a few days from now President-apparent Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III will be proclaimed. Come June 30 we’ll have a new president, the 15th after Emilio Aguinaldo. Yes, despite the reported kinks and obstacles…

Political fights are like sports tilts By Jesus A. Garcia Jr. POLITICAL fights are like sports competitions. One must play the complete series of games scheduled to know how far one can go. That’s how it is done in any major international event like in the NBA, and in the…

The west captured my heart By Jesus A. Garcia Jr. SEVEN of the ten races that I organized and directed during the last six months, I deliberately included the western part of Pangasinan in the race route. I did it for so many reasons. Principally, I observed over the years…

Running By Jesus A. Garcia, Jr. RUNNING was part of my training during my cycling heydays. I never missed to run at least two or three (and sometimes four) kilometers once every week during my intensive workouts in preparation for the big race, particularly the Tour of Luzon. Running helped…