TO raise the standards of local athletes by exposing them to high-level play, the Philippine Squash Academy is hosting back-to-back international meets in the last week of October at the national squash training center inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.

The first will be the Philippine Satellite No. 1 from Oct. 22 to 25 and will be followed by the Philippine Challenger Classic from Oct. 28 to 31, according to PSA Academy president Robert Bachmann, adding that PSA ranking points and cash prizes will be at stake in both competitions.

“Staging these two tournaments is our way of exposing our local national players to higher levels of competition here instead of sending them overseas,” said Bachmann, who is hoping a local athlete would qualify for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 when squash makes its debut in the Summer Games.

In the men’s and women’s divisions of the 24-player draw of the lower-rated Philippine Satellite No. 1, the champions in both categories will earn 30 PSA ranking points while the runners-up will get 19.50 points. The titlists and losing finalists in the PH Challenger Classic get 60 and 39 points, respectively.

National coach Wee Wern Low of Malaysia said the host association is allowed to field four players — two PSA-rated players and two non-PSA players — in each class of both tournaments.

Newly-crowned national champion Reymark Begornia, who dethroned Robert Garcia in the men’s finals of the recent PSA National Open, will lead the country’s bid in both tournaments while Jemycah Aribado and Alyssa Reyes Dalida will spearhead the distaff side. 

Bachmann also said the PSA purchased two inflatable squash courts and bleachers from overseas through the financial support of Sen. Bong Go, chairman of the Senate Sports Committee.

“We would like to thank Sen. Bong Go for this generous donation to the PSA. We will use the inflatable squash courts in our grassroots and outreach programs. The bleachers will enable more fans to watch squash action at our national training center, especially now that we have two international meets coming up,” he said.

DRAWING from his deep experience as a Major League Baseball scout, Fil-Am coach Vince Sagisi Jr. is bringing a new offensive-oriented mindset to the national baseball team tipped to rule the East Asia Cup scheduled Oct. 27 to Nov. 3 at the Village pitch of the Clark International Sports Complex in Angeles, Pampanga.

“We have put together a quality baseball team that will compete not only for the East Asia Cup but also for many more championships. I did not come here all the way from the US just to finish second,” Sagisi said yesterday during the Philippine Sportswriters Association forum at the Philippine Sports Commission conference room.

Joining Sagisi, who took over the helm of the national squad last June, in the public sports program were baseball chief Chito Loyzaga and national players Claren Caasalan and Agon de Vera.

Loyzaga echoed the sentiments of Sagisi, saying: “We expect the Philippines to be a powerhouse squad in the East Asia Cup, which will be the qualifying event for next year’s Asian Cup. The two top two teams will make it to the Asian meet.”

Loyzaga, the president of the Philippine Amateur Baseball Association, said also competing in the East Asia Cup are Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

“Preparations for the tournament are at 90 percent and should be completed in the next few days,” said Loyzaga, noting the last big Asian baseball meet the country hosted was the Asian Cup in 1995.

Underscoring the offensive clout of his charges, Sagisi, who was an MLB scout for 13 years, the last with the Cleveland Guardians (formerly Indians), said the Nationals had 80 runs and gave up just three in sweeping its four-game tune-up series against the Singapore national team last month at the Rizal ballpark.

“Our hitting is outstanding, anybody on the roster can hit, the pitching is outstanding, the defense is outstanding,” said Sagisi, who was born in Ilocos Sur.

“We’re trying to elevate baseball in the Philippines. And we’re bringing in a different perspective. We’re going to be the next great baseball team, we’re coming after Japan, China and Korea,” Sagisi said in the public sports program presented by San Miguel Corporation, Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, MILO, Smart/PLDT and the country’s 24/7 sports app ArenaPlus.

“We are bringing a new perspective to our team, on how Major League Baseball prepares their players to compete at the highest level, and I consider our national team to be the highest level and is that how we treat our players,” he pointed out.  “We will be prepared like no other team has prepared. We are bringing a perspective that has not been prevalent here in a while.”

A strong pitcher and slugger on the national squad, Caasalan said it took sometime before and he and the other players embraced Sagisi’s principles.

“Naging focused lang kami sa roles at goals namin. Medyo nanibago dahil bago ang coach, pero ti-nake namin na parang new subject lang. Naging open-minded kami at naging effective naman,” said Caasalan, who was described by Sagisi as their “Shohei Ohtani,” the LA Dodgers superstar.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating, and the effectiveness of Sagisi’s tactics were on display in the way the national team pounded top UAAP clubs Adamson, NU and La Salle, winning against all three with a combined output of 40 runs while just giving up four.

Sagisi, bullish about his squad, predicted that “we are going to be the next great baseball Asian country.  We are coming after (powerhouses) Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. We respect but we do not fear them.” 

AN apparent underdog at the start, Valenzuela’s Kenneth Martinez, known by his moniker Klockwise, just got better with each round with his free-wheeling yet calculated crowd-pleasing moves to win the popular vote and emerge as the national champion of the Red Bull Dance Your Style finals at the “Kilometer Zero” overlooking the Rizal monument in Manila over the weekend.

Under a clear evening sky and in front of a lively motley crowd who were just a stone’s throw away from the Rizal Park’s life-size carabao statue, Klockwise wowed the audience with his dance routines, including his signature “campbelllock,” named after the late Soultrain disco dancer Don Campbell.

Making the competition more challenging was the fact that each entry was limited to a single breakdance move, or else face disqualification.

By the time he faced Nemesis (Kenneth Matinez) in the championship round, Klockwise, clad in a colorful bright red waist coat and bow-tie ensemble, purple pants and topped off with a black beret, had the audience eating out of the palm of his hands with his dynamic yet fluid repertoire.

There was no doubt about who had won as the crowd of 2,000 lit up their battery-charged ballers and turned the scene around the stage in a sea of red in Klockwise’s favor.

Besting 15 other finalists from across the country, Martinez will be the country’s bet in the Red Bull Dance Your Style World finals scheduled on Nov. 9 at the NSCI Dome in Mumbai, India. 

“I’m so happy. I’ve gone through a lot from the Manila qualifiers, to the finals. I’m so grateful that I got to experience this. Thank you, Red Bull. Thank you to the whole dance community!” exclaimed the champion.

But he acknowledged that he had some anxious moments, especially in the quarterfinals when he and his rival, the drag-looking and energetic Ponla (JP Ponla), were deadlocked after their first two one-minute rounds, paving the way for a 45-second, winner-take-all faceoff.

“That time, I felt lighter and my nerves were calmer because it was already the middle of the competition,” Martinez said of his convincing win over his foe in the faceoff. “I was getting fired up. I could hear the music so clearly, and I really just wanted to dance.”

He said he would take some time off before focusing on his preparations for the Red Bull Dance Your Style World finals.  

“I can’t think about it just yet. It might take some time for it to sink in. But the opportunity is mine, so I will grab it fully. I will happily represent the dance community, and the entire Philippines in the World Finals,” he said.

IN one of her best outings on the US LPGA circuit in years, Dottie Ardina shot a 67 yesterday (Saturday in the US) and wheeled into second place in the penultimate round of the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship at the Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers, Arkansas.

A former golf prodigy and an 11-year tour veteran, Ardina displayed impeccable putting on the front nine, gunning down birdies on hole Nos. 1, 4, 5 and 6 to go five-under at 31, added her fifth on No. 14 against bogeys on Nos. 11 and 12 over the par-71, 6,438-yard layout.

Along with her 65 in the opening round of the 54-hole event, the petite 35-year-old Paris Olympian had a 132 total, just one shot behind pacesetting South African Ashleigh Buhai, who wrested the lead after shooting a 67 after and an earlier 64.

“I think I just need to be calm and just focus on my own game,” Ardina said in the post-round interview. “I always think of playing like a practice round because there is no pressure. I’m going to try to do that tomorrow.”

Narrowly missing the cut by just one stroke was Bianca Pagdanganan, who shot a 72 yesterday after opening with a 69, the same scores and fate suffered by South Korean defending champion Haeran Ryu. 

Hoping she holds her nerve for the final round today (Sunday in the US) Ardina, 30, faces a tight battle for her first triumph on the US LPGA tour and the whopping top prize of $450,000 (roughly P25.204 million).

Lurking just one shot behind her in a four-way tie for third at 133 were Japan’s Nasa Hataoka, the 2021 champion; Thailand’s Arpichaya Yubol and Pajaree Annakuram and Mexican Gaby Lopez.

Ardina was precise off the tee, hitting all 13 fairways on top of making 14 of 18 greens in regulation to complete her round with 28 putts.

Another superb round today could finally end her struggle for that elusive first championship on the LPGA tour.

FORMER world 9 and 8-ball champion Francisco Sanchez Ruiz of Spain and Vietnamese ace Duong Quoc Hoang complete the cast of Teams Europe and Asia for the inaugural Efren Reyes Cup set from Oct. 15 to 18 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

A two-time Mosconi Cup champ, Ruiz was the last wild card pick of English Team Europe skipper Karl Boyes while Duong was personally selected by Team Asia captain “Bata” Reyes, widely regarded as the greatest pool player of all time, in whose honor the tournament was named after.

“I can’t believe it! To be picked for Team Asia in the first ever Reyes Cup is a dream come true. Representing my country on the global stage is an honor I take great pride in, and I’m excited for the challenge of facing Europe’s best,” said Duong in a statement posted on the organizing Matchroom website.

The Vietnamese will join a powerhouse roster composed of Reyes, Carlo Biado, Johann Chua, vaunted former world 9 and 10-ball king Ko Ping-yi of Taiwan and Singapore star Aloysius Yap. 

“It wasn’t easy, but ultimately, Francisco was the right choice. What he has achieved on the World 9-Ball Tour is nothing short of remarkable, and his experience in events like the Mosconi Cup gives us an edge. I’m confident he will be a key player in this historic clash against Team Asia,” Boyes said.

Ruiz, also the 2022 US Pool king, will join Boyes, Scot Jayson Shaw, German Joshua Filler, Albanian Eklent Kaci and “Danish Viking” Mickey Krause for Team Europe.

The four-day tournament is inspired and patterned after the Mosconi Cup pitting Team USA against Team Europe, featuring five players on each team.

The teams compete over one team match, several doubles matches and singles matches, with the first team to win 11 matches claiming victory.

FORMER world 9-ball and 10-ball champion Carlo Biado and former US Pool champion Jayson Shaw of Scotland were named as wild card bets to represent Team Asia and Team Europe, respectively, in the Efren Reyes Cup set from Oct. 15 to 18 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.

Matchroom Sport, which is promoting and organizing the team event patterned after the Mosconi Cup, announced the names of the two aces on its website yesterday for the competition named after the illustrious Efren “Bata” Reyes.

“I am honored to be selected for Team Asia,” Biado said in a statement. “I have great respect for Team Europe, but I believe in the strength and talent of Team Asia. Get ready for a historic battle.”

Biado will join compatriot and World Teams Championship partner Johann Chua (they won the event in 2022 with Rubilen Amit in Klagenfurt, Austria), Singaporean Aloysius Yapp and Taiwanese star Ko Pin-yi for Team Asia.

The skipper of Team Asia is no other than the celebrated Reyes, who is excited to head the continent’s best in the competition named in his honor.

“I’ve been waiting for this for so long. Ever since the founding of the Mosconi Cup, I’ve wanted something for Asia. Europe will have the edge because of their experience in that arena, but Asia has plenty of skills and talents to get the win,” Reyes said in a recent press conference to drum up the meet. 

“I’m also looking forward to a potential exhibition against fellow captain Karl Boyes.”

Being a five-time Mosconi Cup winner and two-time MVP of the tournament, Shaw, the 2017 US Pool champion, brings a wealth of experience to the table, and Boyes was delighted by his selection for the inaugural tourney.

“It was an easy decision to bring ‘Eagle Eye’ Shaw to Manila. He has the passion and fire for team events. We’ve all seen what he can do in the Mosconi Cup, and we’ll sse it again in the Reyes Cup. Shaw is a true team player,” the English skipper for Team Europe noted.

Boyes recalled that his own career virtually began in the Philippines.

“My 9-ball career started back in 2007 with Matchroom in the Philippines, so I know just how big the sport and this event is for the country. I’ve been lucky to be here many times in my career and I cannot wait to lead Team Europe as captain next month” he said. “It is going to be very special.”