by May Grace Salazar July 20, 2019 ONE LAST TIME. Bagong Lucena’s Team Bocce during the recent 218 CALABARZON Heroes Games, February 14,...
by May Grace Salazar July 20, 2019  |
| ONE LAST TIME. Bagong Lucena’s Team Bocce during the recent 218 CALABARZON Heroes Games, February 14, at Sta. Rosa City, the last game for Joy D. Reyes, Edelyn B. Herrera and Tonchi B. Andrade. |
LUCENA CITY - For a team fighting for gold, there exists a “special” connection among them. Not for the love of gold but their “special” capabilities that bind them as one, a manifestation that they, too, can.
In the recent CALABARZON Heroes Games, Joy D. Reyes, Edelyn B. Herrera, Tonchi A. Andrade and Jenmer Sayat represented Team Bagong Lucena in bocce, a sports event for students with special needs.
Bocce is not as easy as you think about it. It combines both physical and mental strength. One would say, how come this is played by students with special needs? That’s what makes it interesting. These students with special needs were able to understand the complexities of the game.
Joy, 21 years old, has down syndrome. For someone like her, she has developmental delay, yet constant training enabled her to strategically place the cue ball and categorize ball colors when it is her time to throw in the ball at the court.
Tonchi, 23 years old, despite his multiple disabilities, managed to master the game bringing him several gold medals in the doubles event. His speech difficulty and developmental delay do not interfere with how he juggles between playing bocce in the daytime and pedaling ‘padyak’ at night to earn a living.
Edelyn hides her 24-year-old self in a 12-year-old body frame. She may be petite, but her agility makes the team stay in the game. Having diagnosed with developmental delay, she spends most of her time doing household chores but made progress when recruited to be part of the bocce team.
Jenmer, 17 years old, the youngest in the team has mild developmental delay. His friendly aura brightens the team, yet his able hands manipulate the balls in court leading the team towards a third-place finish in the recent CALABARZON Heroes Games.
The four has common denominator – their special needs. Moreover, people these days are already aware of the uniqueness of every individual. Unlike before when students like Joy, Edelyn, Tonchi and Jenmer would just be labeled with their disabilities, today, people celebrate and embrace their special needs.
“Sobrang saya ko na makita kong may na-achieve ang aking anak. Hindi man sa academe, proud pa rin ako dahil isa ‘syang atleta. Noon, sa bahay lang si Joy, ngayon, mas marami na ‘syang kayang gawin tulad ng paglalaro ng bocce,” said Joy’s mom.
However, this was the last game for them since the three – Joy, Edelyn and Tonchi reached the age limit for the special games.
Their coaches, Hazrat Olayinka Kayode M. Ameen and Ma. Angela E. Romasanta express their gratitude to them along with their parents for their service and dedication in playing bocce despite their special needs.
“Hindi biro ang mga pinagdaanan naming bilang isang team. Marami kaming mga alaala lalo na kapag may practice game kami,” said Romasanta.
The game must have ended for them but the essence of inclusivity in sports lives on.
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