By Edwin Rollon
The Philippine Memory Sports Team is looking for a podium finish and the country's sixth Grandmaster title. The Filipinos will compete in the Asia Open Memory Sports Championship on September 27-28 at the Singapore Polytechnic.
The Filipino 'Trained Memory' squad will face rivals from more than 30 countries, including powerhouse China and Mongolia, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar, and host Singapore, in the tournament sanctioned by the Asia Memory Sports Alliance (AMSA) and Global Alliance of Memory Athletics (GAMA).
"We are confident that the Philippine Team will be bringing medals from the competition, but our main target is the GM title for our 14-year-old athlete Charles Andrei Galamgam who will play in the junior division. He's ready and we felt his eagerness to claim the GM title for the country," said coach Anne Bernadette 'AB' Bonita, also the president of the Philippine Mind Sports Association (PMSA) in the Tabloids Organization in Philippine Sportsrs, Inc. (TOPS) 'Usapang Sports' on Thursday at the Rizal Coliseum VIP Room inside the famed Rizal Memorial Sports Complex (RMSC) in Malate, Manila.
Charles Andrei aims to follow the path of his older sister Chloe Andrea who won the GM title only last year when the country hosted the tournament.
Unlike Chess, which needs to meet the GM norms for the GM title, participants in memory sports will go through 10 competitions or challenges made up of Random Words, Names and Faces, Speed Numbers, Marathon Numbers, Random Images, Speed Cards, Marathon Cards, Dates, Binary Digits and Spoken Numbers.
Aside from Charles Andrei and Chloe Andrea, the team also includes their younger sister, Chelsea Anne, 11, who will compete in the tournament for the first time. The Grade 6 student at Victory Christian International School excelled in the program since starting to train two years ago.
"In the beginning, it was challenging, but I was able to do it because of constant practice and support from my older siblings. They are my idol, so I entered memory sports to emulate their achievement," said Chelsea Anne.
The team also includes Venir P. Manzalay III (11 years old), Jessica Raine A. Rellora (12 years old), and Angel Mikhail T. Sanchez (17 years old).
"Each of these young athletes has demonstrated extraordinary memory capabilities in the recent national memory championship and will be competing to prove themselves on the international stage," Bonita said in the weekly sports forum sponsored by the Philippine Sports Commission and Pocari Sweat.
According to Bonita, the Memory Sports community is expanding throughout the country and the large number of participants from 40 teams during the qualifying meet last May is proof of that.
Bonita also expressed her heartfelt gratitude to those who supported the team through the years including The Brain Republic which provided free training sessions with the athletes and Dr. Yanga's Colleges Inc. (DYCI) in Bulacan.
“The Philippine Memory Team is well-prepared and eager to showcase their skills, aiming to bring home accolades and further solidify their standing in the global memory sports arena. With rigorous training the team is set to represent the country with honor and determination," said Bonita.
