As early as now, Sydney Sy’s work is already cut out for her for the whole year. Sy, regarded as the Sambo Queen of Asia and the face of the sport in the country, is set to compete in the 80+ kilograms division of several international competitions beginning in May until mid November.
Sy shared with The Designated Kit Man that her season will officially start with the Southeast Games set in Cambodia from May 5 to 17 before she flies to Bahrain to take part in the Asian Beach Sambo Championships from May 12-13 in Bahrain.
After the Bahrain competitions, Sydney will compete in the Asian Sambo Championships in Kazakhstan in June; Word Beach Games in Bali, Indonesia in August; Open Asian Sambo Championships in South Korea and the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China in September; World Combat Games in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in October; and the World Sambo Championship in Armenia in November 10 to 12. Sydney will call it a season after competing in her last, but most challenging tournament — the Asian Indoor Martial Arts Games (AIMAG) in Thailand from November 17 to 26, which is probably the most difficult for her. More on this later.
“Excited po ako at the same time, kinakabahan, kasi po nasa last semester na po ako sa school. Gusto ko na rin makagraduate on time, kasabay po ng mga ka batch ko,” she said.
Aside from being the reigning Asian sambo champion, Sy is a full-time student of Fitness and Sports Management at the Institute of Physical Education and Athletics of the University of Santo Tomas. Despite this, Sy says she is not letting academic pressure affect her mindset for her coming tournaments.
“Pinaghirapan ko naman po talaga kung ano ang mga naging achievement ko the past few years,” she said.
She is wary, however, of her tough opponents in her weight division. She said she is preparing very hard against her rivals from Kazakhstan, Georgia and Russia–which are the favorites in Sambo competitions.
In between her training, Sy says she finds time to watch her favorite crime and law and order series to relax. She says she is very careful to balance her mental health, along with her daily regimen to further improve her skills and concentration.
She also needs all the help she can get in hurdling the biggest challenge she is facing right now.
“Kailangan ko kasi mag-lose ng 25 kilograms o kalahating sako ng bigas before competing in the AIMAG tournament in Bangkok this November. Kailangan ko pong makabalik sa fighting weight ko noong 2017 kasi sa minus 80 kilograms bracket po ako lalaban,” Sy explained.
But what exactly is sambo? According to my good friend and co-host of our radio program, 3PTS–Pambasang Tambayan ng Sports over DZME 1530 khz, Rommel Miranda, sambo is a martial art and combat sport that originated from the Soviet Red Army in the 1920s. It was developed to improve their hand-to-hand combat skills. The sport is like judo and jujitsu, but also incorporates wrestling and various self-defense tactics and styles.
For Sy, she discovered sambo when she was barely in her teens. But like many athletes before her, she knows that she can’t stay forever in the sport. With this in mind, Sy is building up her connections and contacts in the sport with the plan to eventually be a part, or to represent the sport in the International Olympic Committee.
But for now, Sy is eyeing to bring more titles this year for the country. At just 22 years old and with the right mentality, Sy will definitely get better and stronger in the coming years.
Speaking of getting better, Azkals’ midfielder Sandro Reyes has finally found a club in Europe, in Germany to be specific. Reyes will now take his talents and football cleats to SpVgg Greuther Fürth, which competes in the 2. Bundesliga, the second tier of the German Football League system. Reyes is the first Filipino born in the Philippines to play in Germany. Congratulations, Sandro!
Incidentally, the club was the former team of Reyes’ former captain in the national team and football icon Stephan Shrock.
While we are on the subject of homegrown talents making waves abroad, a Pinoy footballer is slowly making a name for himself in Brunei. Lester Mesa, who is from Digos, Davao del Sur, has been playing for Ar Rawda FC in League 2 or the District League of the Brunei Super League in the last two years.
“May friend po ako na nag-imbita sa akin two years ago na mag tryout sa Kasuka FC, isang team po sa Brunei Super League. Tinanong kung ano position nilalaro tapos sabi nila sali ako sa tryout ng first team. So sumama po ako, sinubukan ko po. Eventually, nag-decide po ang team A o ‘yung Kasuka FC na ilagay ako sa Ar Rawda FC, ang sister team po nila na nagko-compete sa League 2,” Mesa said.
To his credit, Mesa is the only Filipino currently playing professional football in Brunei. He started playing for Ar Rawda in May 2022 and was able to help his team reach the finals of the District League. Ar Rawda, however, lost 3-0 to Akse Bernatu in the title game. “‘Di kami pinalad,” he chuckled.
Mesa, who is a teacher at Essential Music in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei’s capital, is a left back but sometimes plays the left wing or attacking midfielder.
Surprisingly, the 34-year-old OFW has not played professional football in the Philippines. He played, however, for Solido FC, a football club in Davao in 2012.
“Nagsimula po talaga ako matututo maglaro ng football sa Mountain View College sa Valencia City, Bukidnon. Pangarap ko po talaga na makapaglaro dati pa sa United Football League (the former name of the Philippines domestic league) noon. Pero hindi po ako nagkaroon ng opportunity,” he explained.
He is just happy that his football career has been given its second wind, of all places, in Brunei.
“It means a lot to me to play here. Noong nandiyan kasi ako sa Pilipinas, pangarap ko talaga magkapaglaro sa mataas na level ng football pero hindi nga natupad. Tapos dito ako nagkaroon ng chance. Masasabi ko mataas ‘yung intensity ng training nila dito. Technically speaking, pati sa fitness and skills marami ako natutunan dito,” Mesa added.
He is hoping to eventually play in Brunei’s top league soon and he is optimistic too that more Filipinos will join him there.
“Kung gugustuhin talaga nila, puwede sila mag-apply o mag-tryout dito. May mga teams ang naghahanap ng mga player pero kailangan talaga itaas nila ang skills, ang performance at ‘yung determinasyon nila para mabigyan sila ng opportunity. Priority kasi rito mga local players pero kung magaling ka talaga, puwede ang Pinoy maglaro dito,” he said.
Mesa’s feat only goes to show that given the opportunity, training and the right attitude, local football players can really compete not only in Thailand or Malaysia but in other parts of the Southeast Asian region as well.
On a personal note, congratulations to Philippine Football Federation President Mariano Araneta. Sir Nonong has secured another four-year term, from 2023 until 2027, as member of AFC and FIFA CouncilFIFA Council of Asia. Sir Nonong needed 23 votes from delegates in the 33rd Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Congress in Manama, Bahrain recently, but got seven more. After getting his second term, Sir Nonong was appointed as the Chair of the Organizing Committee of the AFC Asian Cup 2023.
If you have time, check Nature Joe’s Trading Inc. products at booth 600, F3 Hall, 2F of the SMX Convention Center, MOA in Pasay City and get your travel essential kits there. Nature Joe’s is the official sanitizer of the 30th PTAA Travel Tour Expo 2023 which opens today, February 3 and until February 5 at the SMX Convention Center.
And lastly, please don’t forget to watch and tune in this Sunday, February 5, 2023 from 2 to 3 p.m. for another interesting episode of 3PTS–Pambansang Tambayan ng Sports at DZME 1530 KHZ.
Stay safe. Stay happy peeps!
For comments or questions, you can reach The Designated Kit Man at erel_cabatbat@yahoo.com or follow his account at Twitter: @erelcabatbat