THE PHILIPPINE Korfball team, which consisted of Thomasians, settled for sixth place in the recently concluded International Korfball Federation Asia-Oceania tournament in Hsinchu, Taiwan last Aug. 2.
Team captain Jef Denzel Go was the lone bright spot after notching a Mythical 8 award. He scored a total of 20 points in six games.
His team, however, could only muster a 1-6 win-loss record for sixth place as they only beat Macau, 14-12. The Philippines lost its last match against India in a blowout, 17-45.
"Sa ‘min malaking achievement since [sa physical education classes] lang sila nakuha. Then six months lang ‘yung preparation, naka-6th place pa kami. And this is the first time na nag-compete [tayo] internationally,” said head coach Rodrigo Sambuang, Jr., who is also the athletics moderator of the Institute of Physical Education and Athletics (IPEA).
With the National Sports Associations (NSAs) yet to recognize the korfball team, the squad relied on UST to provide the equipment and facilities needed for their six-month preparation. UST also granted the players exemptions from their P.E. classes to help them focus more on their daily training.
The national korfball team is composed of Go, Fitz Howard Azarcon, Jessel May Casuga, Alyanna Andrea Sebastian, Sayaka Uchida, Allen Nicole Santos, Brigette Ann Soriano, Chadelyn Mae Ebreo, Raven Mae Muyrong, Arienne Janina Macaso, Paolo Enrico Cruz, Tyrone Eurick Maturan, Jae Keenan Yap, Luis Uvins Felix Juan, Lance Maynard Gajardo and Wyn Colin Ong.
The team is a product of the Philippine Korfball Federation’s (PKF) efforts to introduce the sport to different schools in the country, starting with Luzon.
The PKF was established in 2007 after delegates from UST-IPEA attended a korfball seminar workshop in Hong Kong. Six years later, another seminar took place in the Philippines, forming the first-ever team to compete in the Asia-Oceania tourney.
The PKF’s plan was to build connections with different P.E. directors across the country to help them kick start their respective korfball programs. From there, the federation would organize inter-school competitions to discover new players and possibly improve the next roster of the national korfball team. carlo a. casingcasing and randell angelo b. ritumalta
