20th BEST Center Women's Volleyball League Officially Starts
When I was young, I tried playing volleyball. However, I am scared of the ball coming from the other side of the net. I tend to avoid it, haha. In addition, my arms ache probably because of the incorrect way of hitting the ball. Even if I am not good at playing volleyball, I still admire women who can play this sport very well.
Even if volleyball is a long-time sport for women (and men), it became really popular when Leila Barros of Brazil was seen on television playing volleyball for her country. Filipinos have an eye for beauty that is why we shifted our focus on watching volleyball tournaments. Later on, local volleyball beauties like Gretchen Ho and Michelle Gumabao also caught the attention of the Filipinos. Now, volleyball has now become one of the spectator sports to watch on television, next to basketball.
The 20th season of BEST Center Women's Volleyball League (WVL), one of the country's longest-running and biggest volleyball tournaments for girls in the 13 and under and 17 and under divisions, has officially started. Organized by the Basketball Efficiency and Scientific Training (BEST) Center and sponsored by Milo, the annual inter-school tournament welcomed 60 teams from top-ranked schools in the National Capital Region (NCR).
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| L-R: Milo Sports executive Robbie de Vera, Larong Volleyball sa Pilipinas, Inc. president Jose Romansanta, BEST Center founder Nic Jorge and WVL Commissioner Florentino "Kid" Santos in the ceremonial toss. |
This year, St. Paul College of Makati will defend its title against 12 other teams in the 13 Under Developmental Division while Colegio de San Agustin Makati will battle against five (5) teams to retain its crown in the 13 Under Competitive Division.
In the 17 Under Developmental Division, Hope Christian High School will try to retain its title against 20 other teams while La Salle College Antipolo will try to thwart 19 other teams aiming for championship victory in the 17 Under Competitive Division.
Making WVL more exciting and competitive this season is the participation of new teams from St. Dominic Savio College, Young Achiever's School of Caloocan, Inc., Sisters of Mount Carmel Catholic School, Inc., and San Pedro Relocation National High School.
Welcoming the participants at the opening ceremony at Xavier High School Courts were BEST Center founder Nic Jorge, Milo Sports executive Robbie de Vera and WVL commissioner Florentino "Kid" Santos. The event was also graced by Jose Romasanta, president of Larong Volleyball sa Pilipinas, Inc. (LVPI) and the spokesperson of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC).
"We're very excited to host another season of the WVL. This is a great avenue for young girls to showcase their volleyball skills and test their abilities in a major competition. With this tournament, we hope to train and produce more promising volleyball players who will dominate the game in the big leagues someday," said Jorge.
"WVL has greatly contributed to the development of Philippine volleyball. Aside from building future champions, it also promotes sports and physical fitness to young girls. I won't be surprised if WVL becomes a permanent fixture in the schools' sports calendar someday and that future volleyball stars will make it from these ranks," said de Vera.
Romansanta, on the other hand, commended BEST Center for supporting sports development in the country. "BEST Center has been bringing sports closer to Filipino children and has greatly contributed to the overall development of sports in the country," he said.
For 20 years, WVL serves as a breeding ground for young girls to showcase their talent and passion for volleyball. BEST Center is confident that the sport will continue to grow in both popularity and equality.
Let's encourage our children to be involved in sports!
For more information about the BEST Center Women's Volleyball League and BEST Center's volleyball clinics and tournaments, you may call 411-6260, 372-3066, and 372-3065, email bestcentersports@gmail.com or follow its official Facebook page.
1 comments
Yes, volleyball has come a long way as a spectator sport! In Zamboanga City, I think the BEST is still for basketball...
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