Around 700 young local and foreign gymnasts flash their artistic and gutsy skills as the 9th STY (Sonny Ty) International Gymnastics Championships fired off from October 18 to 20 at the Muntinlupa Sports Complex in Muntinlupa City.
Organizing Philippine Gymnastics and Athletics Academy (PGAA) STY Gymnastics and Sports Center headed by coach Normita ‘Boots’ Dimanlig-Ty said teams from Vietnam, HongKong, Malaysia, and Indonesia have already confirmed participation in the event held in memory of his late husband former National mentor Sonny Ty in partnership with the Muntinlupa Youth Affairs and Sports Development Office (YASDO) chaired by Cynthia Baclay Viacrusis and Bellevue Hotel.
Local delegates are also coming from as far as Ifugao from the North and Davao City from the South, making the event a truly National championship in scope. Bataan, Bulacan, Bicol, Nueva Ecija, Cebu, and Bacolod are joining the three-day event backed by Muntinlupa City Mayor Ruffy Biazon and Congressman Jimmy Fresnedi.
“The search for the next Carlos Yulo is on and as an organization formed more than a decade ago with a mission to help and train the underprivilege youth, we’re back and for the 9th year servicing the country with a tournament purely focused on the grassroots development,” said Ty, also a former volleyball player-turned gymnastics coach during the Tabloids Organization in Philippine Sports, Inc. (TOPS) “Usapang Sports” on Thursday at the PSC Conference Room in Malate Manila.
Coach Boots was joined in the session backed by the Philippine Sports Commission, Behrouz Persian Cuisine, and Pocari Sweat by 2024 Cebu Palarong Pambansa gold medalist (Elementary) Avielle Caballes.
The 12-year-old protégé, a Grade 7 student at the Muntinlupa National School, is one of a dozen YASDO students/scholars who received free equipment use at the PGAA STY Center and training from Coach Boots.
Coach Boots revealed that Caballes spent an hour commuting by tricycle and jeepney from her Muntinlupa residence to the PGAA Center in Carmona, Cavite, so she would not miss a single day of training to sharpen her routines.
“Masaya po ako ang napasama ako sa mga tinuturuan ni coach Boots. Nagpapasalamat po ako sa tulong and paggabay nila sa akin at sa mga kasama ko. Magpupursige po ako na matuto at humusay para marating ko ang SEA Games and maka-Olympics tulad ng idol kong si Carlos Yulo,” said Caballe, who delivered three out of the 19 gold medals won by PSAA Team in the Gavrila Gymnastics Invitational last year in Bangkok, Thailand.
Coached Boots said she extended an invitation to Yulo through the Philippine Gymnastics Association (PGA) and hoped the Paris double gold medalist could drop by to add luster to the event and inspire the young gymnasts.
“His (Yulo) presence will boost the morale of our gymnasts. Siya na kasi ang natatanging atleta natin, Kaya naman Carlo (Yulo) baka naman,” said coach Boots in jest.
