YR 47 Issue 1 2011
Faces
Marlon Avenido and Jade Zafra
Bringing passion to a whole new level
Bringing passion to a whole new level
By TRINA MAE R. MENDIOLA and JEZRELL MAE M. GUALTER
Arts and Letters (Artlets) Jins vie for slots in the 2012 London Olympics
MORE than anything else, it is Filipino pride that fuels them. Taekwondo jins from the Faculty of Arts and Letters (Artlets) Marlon Avenido and Jade Zafra never thought of building a career out of their passion for martial arts. They just started as average individuals who learned and honed their craft through years of hard work and perseverance.
Now that their efforts have been paying off, they take not just Thomasian excellence, but Filipino pride as well, to a whole new level as they will proudly represent the country in the Asian Qualification Tournament for the London 2012 Olympics to be held in Bangkok, Thailand on November 4 to 6.
Armed with strong determination and dedication, these two athletes remain true and loyal to their craft as they vie for slots in the world’s premier sports competition.
Sports enthusiast
Training conti nuously and maintaining a healthy lifestyle are just some of Avenido’s routi ne for 11 traight years.
Born and raised in Mindanao, he managed to play diff erent sports like volleyball, basketball, and sepak takraw when he was young. As he shift ed from one sport to another, he realized that his calling was really for taekwondo, a sport that literally means “the art of hand and foot fi ghti ng” known for its dramatic flying and spinning kicks.
“I was 11 years old when my friends told me about a Taekwondo Summer Sports Clinic in Zamboanga,” Avenido said. “I did not take it seriously unti l I realized that I can build a career in it.”
He nurtured his love for taekwondo while spending his high school years at the Claret School of Lamitan. For him, it was not just a sport but an opportunity that will enable him to give honor to his school and country.
“I spent almost all of my high school life for this sport,” he said. “At the same ti me, I looked at it as an opportunity to achieve not just awards, but as well as glory for my alma mater.”
“When I entered college, a part of me said that If I would join a team [in Manila], I would rather choose the best. For me, that is UST,” he said.
Avenido, who is now a Behavioral Science junior, takes pride in representi ng the University in various competi ti ons. Just like Avenido, Zafra was introduced to the sport at the early age of 14. Her fi rst encounter with the sport was led off by her best friend’s suggesti on to learn selfdefense. While all other 14-year-old girls are enjoying the pueriliti es of their teenage life,
Zafra, now a Journalism senior, was already building a career in the sport she learned to love. Managing her ti me training and studying was something she already learned to master.
“Someti mes, confl ict arises between my studies and training,” she said. However, Zafra noted that setting her prioriti es straight helped her cope with the situati on. According to her, ti me management is the key to maintain the muchneeded balance.
Despite the odds that come her way, Zafra proves that she is no ordinary athlete but a player with strong perseverance and determinati on.
Memorable fi ghts, awards
When Avenido entered the University, he was trained and raised by famous taekwondo practitioners Tshomlee Go, Donald Geiser, and Alex Briones.
“I consider myself lucky because the man whom I look up to, Tshomlee Go, became my trainer and teammate in the national level,” Avenido added.
Among the titles under his belt include the 2009 Asean champion, silver medallist in both 2009 Southeast Asian Games and the 2009 Asian Marti al Arts Games, and bronze medallist in the 2010 Asian championship.
He added that despite the awards he gained, memorable lessons such as accepting defeat and learning from one’s mistakes remain instilled in him.
“I am thankful for all the victories and awards I received but I also take every failure as a challenge to improve myself,” he said.
According to him, one of his memorable defeats was when he faced a sudden death match against Afghanistan’s Nasar Ahmad Almutrafi in 2009.
“I fought with a big heart that ti me,” he said. “My face was bloodied and swollen. Eventually, I got defeated. I accepted it and moved on.”
Aft er his defeat, Avenido’s hard work and sacrifi ce paid off as he was recognized as the University Athletic Associati on of the Philippines (UAAP) season ’72 Athlete of the Year.
Zafra, on the other hand, shared that the most memorable fi ght she had was the Asian Games because it paved the way to make not just the University proud but the enti re country as well. Some of the awards she bagged include the silver medal in the 2009 Associati on of South East Asian (Asean) tournament and bronze medal in the 2010 Korean Open.
Avenido and Zafra grabbed every opportunity to compete and excel all for the name of the sport they love. Representing the University in the UAAP Taekwondo matches and the Philippines in international tournaments give them a sense of accomplishment in exchange for the sacrifices and hard work they exert in trainings.
Even if they lost the chance to get outright spots in the 2012 London Olympics brought about by their failure to win in the World Qualifi cati on Tournament held in Baku, Azerbaijan last July, the two remain positi ve in achieving their goals of bringing honor to the Philippines in the upcoming London Olympics.
“I think it is the right ti me to snatch a gold medal for the Philippines in the upcoming London 2012 Olympics. Hopefully taekwondo will give us this very elusive award,” Avenido said.
Next to taekwondo
Zafra, keeps herself busy by studying and training for her upcoming internati onal competi ti on in the World University Games. On the other hand, despite Avenido’s great love for Taekwondo, he opens himself to broader career plans in the future.
“Internati onal competi ti ons extended my years of studying, but I am working on fi nishing my thesis and hopefully by 2012, I will graduate,” he said.
He also recognizes that his career in taekwondo will not last long that is why he already has other plans aft er his sti nt in this sport. “Probably aft er taekwondo, I see myself as a businessman,” Avenido said. With an amazing run of form and faith, Avenido is utt erly determined to set his priorities straight.
“I aim to graduate, have a wonderful career, and probably snatch a gold medal for the country and for my hometown as well,” he said. “For me, taekwondo is not just a sport but a burning passion that requires strong persistence and commitment.” F
MORE than anything else, it is Filipino pride that fuels them. Taekwondo jins from the Faculty of Arts and Letters (Artlets) Marlon Avenido and Jade Zafra never thought of building a career out of their passion for martial arts. They just started as average individuals who learned and honed their craft through years of hard work and perseverance.
Now that their efforts have been paying off, they take not just Thomasian excellence, but Filipino pride as well, to a whole new level as they will proudly represent the country in the Asian Qualification Tournament for the London 2012 Olympics to be held in Bangkok, Thailand on November 4 to 6.
Armed with strong determination and dedication, these two athletes remain true and loyal to their craft as they vie for slots in the world’s premier sports competition.
Sports enthusiast
Training conti nuously and maintaining a healthy lifestyle are just some of Avenido’s routi ne for 11 traight years.
Born and raised in Mindanao, he managed to play diff erent sports like volleyball, basketball, and sepak takraw when he was young. As he shift ed from one sport to another, he realized that his calling was really for taekwondo, a sport that literally means “the art of hand and foot fi ghti ng” known for its dramatic flying and spinning kicks.
“I was 11 years old when my friends told me about a Taekwondo Summer Sports Clinic in Zamboanga,” Avenido said. “I did not take it seriously unti l I realized that I can build a career in it.”
He nurtured his love for taekwondo while spending his high school years at the Claret School of Lamitan. For him, it was not just a sport but an opportunity that will enable him to give honor to his school and country.
“I spent almost all of my high school life for this sport,” he said. “At the same ti me, I looked at it as an opportunity to achieve not just awards, but as well as glory for my alma mater.”
“When I entered college, a part of me said that If I would join a team [in Manila], I would rather choose the best. For me, that is UST,” he said.
Avenido, who is now a Behavioral Science junior, takes pride in representi ng the University in various competi ti ons. Just like Avenido, Zafra was introduced to the sport at the early age of 14. Her fi rst encounter with the sport was led off by her best friend’s suggesti on to learn selfdefense. While all other 14-year-old girls are enjoying the pueriliti es of their teenage life,
Zafra, now a Journalism senior, was already building a career in the sport she learned to love. Managing her ti me training and studying was something she already learned to master.
“Someti mes, confl ict arises between my studies and training,” she said. However, Zafra noted that setting her prioriti es straight helped her cope with the situati on. According to her, ti me management is the key to maintain the muchneeded balance.
Despite the odds that come her way, Zafra proves that she is no ordinary athlete but a player with strong perseverance and determinati on.
Memorable fi ghts, awards
When Avenido entered the University, he was trained and raised by famous taekwondo practitioners Tshomlee Go, Donald Geiser, and Alex Briones.
“I consider myself lucky because the man whom I look up to, Tshomlee Go, became my trainer and teammate in the national level,” Avenido added.
Among the titles under his belt include the 2009 Asean champion, silver medallist in both 2009 Southeast Asian Games and the 2009 Asian Marti al Arts Games, and bronze medallist in the 2010 Asian championship.
He added that despite the awards he gained, memorable lessons such as accepting defeat and learning from one’s mistakes remain instilled in him.
“I am thankful for all the victories and awards I received but I also take every failure as a challenge to improve myself,” he said.
According to him, one of his memorable defeats was when he faced a sudden death match against Afghanistan’s Nasar Ahmad Almutrafi in 2009.
“I fought with a big heart that ti me,” he said. “My face was bloodied and swollen. Eventually, I got defeated. I accepted it and moved on.”
Aft er his defeat, Avenido’s hard work and sacrifi ce paid off as he was recognized as the University Athletic Associati on of the Philippines (UAAP) season ’72 Athlete of the Year.
Zafra, on the other hand, shared that the most memorable fi ght she had was the Asian Games because it paved the way to make not just the University proud but the enti re country as well. Some of the awards she bagged include the silver medal in the 2009 Associati on of South East Asian (Asean) tournament and bronze medal in the 2010 Korean Open.
Avenido and Zafra grabbed every opportunity to compete and excel all for the name of the sport they love. Representing the University in the UAAP Taekwondo matches and the Philippines in international tournaments give them a sense of accomplishment in exchange for the sacrifices and hard work they exert in trainings.
Even if they lost the chance to get outright spots in the 2012 London Olympics brought about by their failure to win in the World Qualifi cati on Tournament held in Baku, Azerbaijan last July, the two remain positi ve in achieving their goals of bringing honor to the Philippines in the upcoming London Olympics.
“I think it is the right ti me to snatch a gold medal for the Philippines in the upcoming London 2012 Olympics. Hopefully taekwondo will give us this very elusive award,” Avenido said.
Next to taekwondo
Zafra, keeps herself busy by studying and training for her upcoming internati onal competi ti on in the World University Games. On the other hand, despite Avenido’s great love for Taekwondo, he opens himself to broader career plans in the future.
“Internati onal competi ti ons extended my years of studying, but I am working on fi nishing my thesis and hopefully by 2012, I will graduate,” he said.
He also recognizes that his career in taekwondo will not last long that is why he already has other plans aft er his sti nt in this sport. “Probably aft er taekwondo, I see myself as a businessman,” Avenido said. With an amazing run of form and faith, Avenido is utt erly determined to set his priorities straight.
“I aim to graduate, have a wonderful career, and probably snatch a gold medal for the country and for my hometown as well,” he said. “For me, taekwondo is not just a sport but a burning passion that requires strong persistence and commitment.” F
Year 47 | Issue 3 | 2011
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