Congratulations to the
PRISAA Champions!

Published by the Visayan Daily Star Publications, Inc.

NINFA R. LEONARDIA Editor-in-Chief & President

CARLA P. GOMEZ Managing Editor ANTONIETA B. LOPEZ Business Editor ODETTE MONTELIBANO Desk Editor MARY ANN BARCELONA Advertising Coordinator RENE GENOVE Bureau Chief, Dumaguete

ANDRES R. LEONARDIA Managing Director

Their feat did not make it to the main headlines of the national dailies, or even of their sports sections, but to their schools, their families and provincemates, the triumph of the West Visayan contingent at the national Private Schools Athletic Association games held in Lingayen, Pangasinan in the past two weeks, was an accomplishment to be held up to the country's sports community.

In the recent games, the Western Visayas team was pitted against the best from the Philippines' private schools and colleges. There were seventeen groupings from the various regions of the country, and WV topped them all with a medal haul of 71 golds, 75 silvers, and 61 bronzes - no mean feat, as anybody can see.

The closest their fellow competitors could come were a 61-52-50 harvest for Southern Mindanao, and a 47-30-56 for Central Visayas. Surprisingly, the National Capital Region, which had two teams representing north and south, did rather poorly, with the North having only 10 golds and none other, and the South content with a 6-4-1 showing.

This may not be the first time that WV has crowned itself at the competition, nevertheless, their supporters in the region are as proud of them as if it were the first. Because the victory does not only prove the relentless efforts of the athletes to master their respective sports, it also confirms that they had the proper discipline, motivation, and team spirit, elements that are necessary to build up a winning combination.

With the current great interest and emphasis being focused on sports worldwide, therefore, we have reason to hope that some of our athletes who showed their skills at the recent PRISAA meet will also be among those who will represent our country creditably in the coming regional contests like the Southeast Asian Games and the ASIAD, and, perhaps, even in the most prestigious and competitive of them all, the World Olympics.

Congratulations to all our athletes, their trainers and coaches, and the entire winning contingent of the PRISAA games of 2006!*