By Sabrina Kathryn Anonas
GETTING your game on was never this good. The choices are plentiful and the opportunities are everywhere.
Ball games like volleyball and basketball are easily mistaken as our national sport because of the popularity these gained. Because of that, there are regular summer programs nationwide dedicated to both sports.
Triathlons and marathons are also all the rage these days. Beyond appealing to enthusiasts, they also serve as good bonding activities for friends and families.
People are also raving about competitive and challenging sports, especially for the great workouts they get out of it. Take running, cycling, aerobics, badminton, tennis and boxing as examples—all the better to burn the calories from the burgers and fries we love scarfing down.
Some other sports are also gaining popularity: Football (also called soccer) became famous because of the Azkals; martial arts like taekwondo, muay thai (kickboxing) and mixed martial arts are hot now thanks to the Ultimate Fight Champioship . Our national sport, arnis, is taught the sport in Physical Education classes. There are some people that practice the arnis at Legazpi park, too.
Some people are crazy about high-risk sports and stunt exhibitions. Like learning to flip like a coin and twist like a pretzel in a cheerdance that involves acrobatics in their dance routines (parkour ring a bell?).
Then there’s also skateboarding that makes you want to flirt with death by doing those insane, neck-breaking and skull-splitting tricks. BMX (bicycle motocross) also falls under this classification because, when BMXing, the battle cry is, “Look ma, no hands!” Especially when you’re trying to flip a 360 to impress that cute girl passing by.
There are some sports that are piquing our curiosity, like ice skating, which is not really popular in the Philippines because we don’t have winter (hint: You need an ice rink). It started with Michael Christian Martinez, the first Southeast Asian to qualify for the Winter Olympics and who placed 19th overall in the Sochi winter games.
With our technology’s strides, kids are more likely to be seen playing with a game app and most of us are now reluctant to unhand our phones, game controllers or keypads. But, really, get a thrill or two that isn’t digital. Just don’t hurt yourself too much while you’re feeling the burn.
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Sabrina Kathryn Anonas loves playing volleyball, baking cookies and pastries, and is the co-author of the article “Young milk-tea drinkers tentative after deaths,” which she cowrote with twin sister Alessandra Brigitte Anonas.