ABANSE Negrense hopes to duplicate its success in women’s beach volleyball by promoting other sports in the province under its sports-loving Gov. Bong Lacson.
Abanse Negrense standouts Erjane Magdato and Alexa Polidario said the entire Negros province is teeming with young and talented athletes who could be tapped to represent the country in international competitions someday.
“Abanse Negrense under Gov. Bong Lacson is leading the way in promoting sports in our province,” said Magdato and Polidario during the “Usapang Sports on Air” by the Tabloids Organization in Philippine Sports (TOPS) via Zoom last March 4.
“In Negros, we have a lot of talented athletes who can really excel. Our mindset is Forward Negros,”added Magdato during the weekly sports forum sponsored by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR).
Magdato and Polidario led Abanse Negrense to the title in the recently-concluded Philippine Super Liga (PSL) Beach Volleyball Challenge Cup in Subic and the two players are already looking forward to winning more championships in the future .
Abanse Negrense defeated Sta. Lucia, 21-15′ 21-17, in the final.
The University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos duo, who trained for less than a month, expressed surprise at winning the title without dropping a single set in the bubble beach volleyball tournament.
“The expectation to win the championship game was always there. But all our opponents are very good as well,” Magdato told sports editors and reporters during the weekly session also shown live on Facebook and YouTube.
Magdato, who also works as a physical education teacher, said that the veteran Sta. Lucia teams gave them the “biggest scare in the tournament.”
Polidario, on the other hand, said they had to adjust to the loose sands in Subic which made it more difficult to jump.
“We had to make a lot of adjustments. We have to adjust to the sand, which was so soft. It was hard to jump and move. It was also too hot as well,” explained Polidario, who also teamed-up with Magdato in leading UNO- R to the title in the Beach Volleyball Republic (BVR).
“Si Erjane naman, matagal na kami magkasama. Parang kami magkapatid. Siya ang pinakamatagal kong kasama sa beach volleyball kaya alam na namin an bawat galaw ng isa’t isa,” added Polidario in the same forum.
The special appearances of the Abanse Negrense duo of Magdato and Polidario is part of TOPS’ month-long program to recognize the achievements of women in sports during the National Women’s Month” celebrations.
This month, TOPS will also invite more female athletes who excelled in their respective sports as well as top female sports officials who contributed to the development of sports in the country.
