Regional SCUAA Meet kicks off

By ANNA MIRIAM CABANGANGAN (SCUAA 2007 Student Press)
October 24, 2007

CALBAYOG CITY, Samar  –  With 2,341 delegates from eleven participating schools across the region, the State Colleges and Universities Athletics Association (SCUAA) Meet 2007 officially opened in the afternoon of October 22.

Two events marked the opening of the Meet – the grand parade of players, coaches, officials and State College and Universities (SUC) presidents and the opening ceremonies.

The parade took off around 3 PM at Tiburcio Tancinco Memorial Institute of Science and Technology (TTMIST) grounds then continued around the city. Each delegation was fronted by a drum and bugle corps with delegation muse and streamer, to wit: Samar State University, Palompon Institute Technology, Eastern Visayas State University, Eastern Samar State University, Southern Leyte State Univesity, Leyte Normal University, Samar State College of Agriculture and Forestry, University of the Eastern Philippines, Naval Institute Technology, Visayas State University, and the host school TTMIST.

By 4 PM, after the parade, the opening ceremonies amused the participating delegations with the extraordinary presentations prepared by TTMIST as host.

With the help of the City Arts and Culture Office (CACO) of Calbayog, a 20-minute grand dance hooked up the eyes of delegates as dancers gracefully executed their choreography.

The entrance of the symbolic Olympic SCUAA torch and lighting of the Friendship flame was participated in by honored athletes of each of the 11 SCUs while the SCUAA Theme Song entitled “Raise Our Spirits High” was confidently sung by Leah Refuncion and Erwin Delgado.

The Chess Gold Medalist Diarre Joyce Laurel (during the PASUC National Sports Olympics) and Swimming Event Tournament Manager Dr. Nancy Faye Bernardo led the Oath of Amateurism and Oath of Meet Officials respectively.

“The difference between a champion and a coward lies in what the champion does and what the coward does not do. Let us be champions and not cowards.” Thus quoted by the Honorable City Mayor Mel Senen Sarmiento as he concluded his speech for the opening of the SCUAA Meet ’07.