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| Thursday, 08 November 2007 | |
By Bianca Consunji MANILA (Inquirer) - At 13 years old, most little girls just watch their favorite TV shows or browse through various teen magazines―and that’s perfectly fine. But there are a few who choose to make their lives a little less ordinary by excelling in their chosen fields at their age.The RIFA (Rizal Football Association) Philippine team is full of such girls. The team, composed of female soccer players aged 13-14, recently won third place in the Group B Division of the Dana Cup, which was held in Denmark last July. The team was also the lone Southeast Asian entry to the Norway Cup which was held in Oslo last July and August; for this competition, they made it to the quarter finals. While they didn’t walk away with the top prizes in the tournaments, the fact that they made it as far as Europe is already a big deal for the players; after all, the team started training only last February under the guidance of coaches Emma and Poten Fernandez, with most of the players having about three years’ experience in playing the game. The players come from different elementary and high schools. They are: Pat Depante, Aira dela Cruz, Ynez Gonzalez, Miela Lilles, Angela Nguyen, and Sofia Sanzon from Woodrose; Nikki de Leon and Inna Palacios from Colegio de San Agustin; Sun Mi Hwang and Camille Rodriguez from Miriam College; and Marsha Catandijan-Nackaerts and Riana Santos from the Holistic Education and Development Center. Loving the game “All the girls have been playing soccer for several years now with their respective schools,” said Vita Depante, one of the coaches and managers of the team. “All of them, without any exception, love the game. They practice and play rain or shine!” “This is the first time that a Philippine team played in the Norway Cup which is considered one of the biggest youth football tournaments in the world,” Depante said. “Several of the players went to the Visayas last summer as part of their training. They competed in several tournaments in Dumaguete, San Carlos City, Sta. Barbara and Barotac Nuevo in Iloilo.” The RIFA Philippine team also won or placed significantly in several tournaments, such as first runner-up in the U17 RIFA Summer Football Tournament, second runner-up in the General’s Cup in Villamor Airbase Protacio Field, and champion in the 2007 Milo Cup at ASCOM Field in Fort Bonifacio. But serious sports aside, the girls also love hanging out with their teammates at the mall to watch movies or just hang out. But on the field, they’re serious players with a mission. “Coach Poten made it a point to let the girls play in tournaments where their opponents are at least two years older,” Depante said. “The Europeans are usually much bigger and taller, but we want the girls to work hard. And of course, they’re always up to the challenge.” E-mail the author at biancaconsunji@yahoo.com |
