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Sharpe: You don’t slack off |
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Saturday, 14 October 2006 |
 NOT everyone becomes athletic at age six, plays competitively at 10, and at 14 represents Cebu in various national meets for the 19-year-olds, and at 15 plays regularly in the Men’s Open.
But then again, Michael Daniel Sharpe is no ordinary athlete. The 11th grade student at Cebu International School (CIS), at 16, is a veteran of the Philippine Football Federation Under-19 Championships, having played for Cebu in the national finals two years ago and having represented Team Cebu City in this year’s regional.
Dumaguete City, this year’s Visayas champion, is reportedly keen on signing up Sharpe to bolster its squad for this year’s national finals.
Like most successful athletes, it wasn’t an easy climb for Sharpe. When he was younger, he used to cry a lot during sports competitions in their school when his coach did not field him.
Determined not to be left on the bench, Sharpe trained hard for a year and practiced religiously—a trait he got from his family.
Almost everyone in his family is in to sports—Cymantha, their eldest, Nat who plays football in Canada, Richard, a former lacrosse player who plays flag football and used to play lacrosse, and his younger sister Stephanie, who also plays for the CIS girls football team.
“My dad was a firefighter in Canada and he played soccer with his friends at work. Even when my mom was younger, she was also very athletic. I guess that’s where the athleticism comes from,” said Sharpe.
Rafter too
Sharpe not only stars for his school’s football team, but also plays for the basketball and volleyball teams. Perhaps to further spread his talents from ball games, he also joined the rafting team.
In football (or in other games), when he’s not chasing down some scared defender, he is often seen with what could be his trademark gesture—palms raised upward and screaming, “Come on guys!”
Sharpe said he wants to get the emotions running and keep people going no matter what the opponent’s score is. “My parents have always instilled in me the will not to give up.”
Though, Sharpe is not all about sports.
He also spends time with his friends. He considers weekends special because this is when he and his friends go out and have fun. They have a band and often go jamming and they also play during proms and intimate gatherings.
“I love music. It really affects my life.” Sharpe said. “The two things that never leave me are my cell phone and iPod.”
All the time spent under the sun chasing footballs or in a studio does not make Sharpe a dull student.
This athlete loves going to school. Sharpe stresses that some days, he really looks forward to doing his homework and getting things done. His favorite subjects are psychology, philosophy and math.
After CIS, Sharpe plans to pursue his studies abroad and get a full or partial scholarship by joining a football team.
As an athlete Sharpe is very disciplined and follows a regular schedule.
He practices football with his team two to three times a week, and eats foods rich in carbohydrates. “For me, if you don’t practice right, the practice doesn’t work even if you’re there. So when you’re practicing, you have to focus completely. You can’t slack off, because what you do during the practice is what you do during the game. So you’ve got to take practice seriously.”
Courtesy of Sun Star Cebu
By Dionne Dennia B. Monsanto
UP Mass Communications student
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