Meet the Speakers: Jaemark Tordecilla

From an outsider's perspective

A look at the person who swept the Philippine sports writing world away

By Mychael Thompson Miravite, The Playbook

B R I E F   B I O

Jaemark Tordecilla

Blogger, FireQuinito (since 2009)

Writer, Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism

College: University of the Philippines - Los Banos

Jaemark Tordecilla has always been one of the most outspoken sports writers today. His ranting sessions and tirades online have either fetched praises from his fans, or earned flak from his critics.

His web log, firequinito.com, continues to make waves among the sports-loving guys in the dot-com community and was awarded in 2009 as Best Sports Blog of the Year by the Philippine Blog Awards. His posts, from basketball updates to Pacquiao stories, from haranguing of sports officials to celebrity-twitter-stalking, often started discussions among the blogosphere which, according to him, has been one of the reasons why he writes in the internet.

“My favorite part about writing, especially on the web, is the kind of discussion that my work is able to start. It’s always great when people start a stimulating conversation based on stuff I had written,” said the University of the Philippines Technology Management graduate.

The self-confessed fan of gazillion of sports writers especially Inquirer’s Francis Ochoa, believes that In The Huddle is a good venue to produce tomorrow’s best sports writers. “Hopefully more than a handful of good writers will come out of these seminars.”

Tordecilla, currently working for the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, quipped that his desire for encounters and conversations with sports stars and fans alike, has been his motivation to follow his dream of writing sports. As an advice to young and aspiring writers, he encouraged everyone to write despite being against the odds.

“Keep writing. Write even when no one’s paying you, even when no one’s reading you, even when no one thinks you’re good enough.”

He will be one of the speakers who will share their specialties in Adventurer In The Huddle 2010 National Sports Writing Congress this November and he has this to share to our participants: “[ITH] is going to be fun. I’ve been writing about sports from an outsider’s perspective, which allows me to be more irreverent, and hopefully that will translate to my talk. Also, I’ll try to work in jokes about Val Sotto.” ###

Update: PBA supports In the Huddle

PBA Commissioner Chito Salud wants to usher in a "new generation" of fans for Asia's first play-for-pay hoops league.

PBA supports In the Huddle, 'new generation of fans'

In a bid to give young aspiring journalists a taste of the "real action," the Philippine Basketball Association is supporting the Adventurer In the Huddle: 1st National Campus Sports Writing Congress on Nov. 8, 10 and 12 at the JCSGO Seed Dome in Cubao, Quezon City.

PBA Commissioner Chito Salud said yesterday that this is a good way of giving "a new generation of fans" the actual experience of covering a PBA game. 

Around 500 delegates of In the Huddle are slated to watch the PBA twinbill on Nov. 10 at theAraneta Coliseum for free as part of the league's community outreach program.

"This will surely inspire our students to further pursue careers in sports and journalism," organizing committee head Josiah Israel Albelda quipped. "Watching games of the Philippines' premiere sports league will definitely be memorable for the campus journalists."

Salud added that aside from watching the games for free, students will also get to meet players from PBA teams and the commissioner himself.

Likewise, a participant will be chosen to write a game account to be posted on the league's website, www.pba.com.ph.

In the Huddle is presented by Adventurer and supported by Active White, BusinessMirror,Manila Standard Today, People's Journal, DZSR Sports Radio, FullCourtFresh and the NCRSecondary School Paper Advisers Association.

Organizers have also launched the official In the Huddle blog at http://ith2010.blogspot.comwhere profiles of speakers and updates are posted in sync with the event's Facebook page,www.facebook.com/ith2010.

Early bird registration is until October 30. For more inquiries, contact Ignite Academic Training at (0906) 444 3878 or (02) 439 8568. ###

Meet the Speakers: Tessa Jazmines

Passion, spirit, art

Tessa Jazmines and her fountain of youth

By Danielle Nakpil, The Playbook

B R I E F   B I O

Ma. Theresa Jazmines

Columnist, BusinessMirror

Professor, University of the Philippines - Diliman

College: University of the Philippines - Diliman

Daddy’s unica hija turned out to be someone to look up to in the man-dominated world of sports writing.

It is indeed, rare to see a female going along with tough guys, witnessing an action-packed game and writing a sports story about it. Well, Ma. Theresa “Tessa” Jazmines has raised the flag of all women to show that they are no inferior to men.

The youthful Jazmines is one of the three beautiful ladies who’ll be speaking in the Adventurer In the Huddle: 1^st National Sports Writing Congress 2010 and will help young scribes hone their skills and develop their potentials in sports writing.

When asked about her inspiration when entering the world of sports writing, “Not anyone in particular. I just wanted to be in sports. I guess my Dad – who’s a big sports fan – turned me into sports. I am an only child and my Dad turned me into his sports buddy. I just love everything about the sports milieu,” she said in an interview with The Playbook.

The University of the Philippines cum laude, who also used to write in the Philippine Star, Sports Weekly Magazine, Woman Today and Sports World, also quipped that the best thing in writing sports stories is following your instincts and being true to yourself.

To put it bluntly, it is doing what you love in the field that you love.

Jazmines finished her AB Journalism and masteral degree in Mass Communication in the University of the Philippines. She is currently an Associate Professor of Journalism in UP Diliman and a columnist in the Business Mirror.

As a well-known personality in her chosen field, Tessa gives her advice to aspiring writers of this generation.
“Simple lang. Follow your passion. Don’t let anything stand in your way. It’s Love – just not with an individual. Love is like water. It will find a way to flow, seep, escape, run. You can’t stop it. If you feel that way about being in sports – as an athlete or as someone who records what athletes do – just let it flow.”


For her, sports is such a passion, a spirit, and an art. She admires the athletes, coaches and team owners who sacrifice a lot for sports, who give their 110% to be better than their best.


Jazmines herself managed the CMC basketball team (the CMC Wildcat) who won the intrams championship twice in college. Her players were no ordinary: Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio, politician Gilbert Remulla, and Richard Gomez, to name a few.

As a message to hopeful writers who’ll be attending ITH 2010, “Follow your passion. Trust your instincts. And when you’re already into sports writing, hone your talent. Read, read, read. Experience, experience, experience. Always keep an open mind and cover even the sports you don’t like. Learn the rules. If you’re a girl, never fall in love with your subject. And lastly, stay humble. Keep your two feet on the ground. But keep them in sports shoes.” ###

Meet the Speakers: Francis T.J. Ochoa

Peerless

His love for the game - and the craft - brings Francis Ochoa a cut above the rest

By Mychael Thompson Miravite, The Playbook

B R I E F   B I O

Francis T.J. Ochoa

Assistant sports editor, Philippine Daily Inquirer

College: University of Santo Tomas

Website: http://theboyfromsmallville.wordpress.com

Francis Ochoa to Philippine sports writing is what Shakespeare is to literature. There is a number of ways to prove this but the best approach will be a tour of his normal routine.

Ochoa, once a News and Features editor for University of Sto. Tomas’ The Varsitarian before occupying the sports editor’s desk at the Philippine Daily Inquirer, has been a firm believer of sports. He believes that sports is not meant just to fill the back pages of the newspaper but also has every right to shoot for space in the front page. 

And he said with the way In The Huddle was organized, he’d be able to spread that message to our aspiring sports scribes.

As a writer, getting to know things about sports heroes that you’d never known before has always been the thing thrilling him the most.

“The times I enjoy the most are those times when I interviewed athletes and they reveal a little of themselves that don’t show up in their public personas. It’s a thrill to know they’re really just like me and you except that they were blessed with this incredible gift to perform beyond the bounds of normalcy. So beyond the buzzer-beating shots, the incredible victories and the sensational knockouts, it’s talking to the athletes after the game that I enjoy the most.”

When asked what’s the best thing about sports writing, the all-around guy from Cagayan de Oro City shot back: “You get to keep that child-like sense of awe and wonderment in life. There’s nothing routine about sports writing. Every day, something happens that floors you. Even in things that are expected, victories that are virtually preordained, there are things that still surprise you and make your jaw drop.”

"And then there’s the front-row passes to the most natural high that no drug can ever give you. Every day you run into people who are having the time of their lives—champions, record-breakers or even students who’ve just earned their athletic scholarships—and it lifts you up. And there’s no balancing factor.”

Sports has really molded him into someone most of us would look up to. He has been one of the most popular sports writers of today. He writes not just about the action of the sport, but also about the life in it.

His chosen field has already taken him to different places where, according to him, he learned different cultures and different ways people look at sports. But as a die-hard fan of the game, the best place he had ever been, he said, was right there in the moment—in the moment of someone’s greatest performance, most painful defeat, proudest accomplishment.

As a tip to our aspiring writers, Ochoa has just a few but meaningful words for them: “It is our job to go out and look for that story and serve as a platform for them to be heard or read about. Just soak everything up. The ITH experience will really benefit and enrich you, especially if you’re seriously considering a career in sports writing one of these days. Ask the questions that matter to you. Don’t worry if you feel the question might sound stupid. Just ask. A lot of my lecture modules have been modified throughout the years based on the questions of seminar participants. So by asking questions, you not only help yourselves but help lecturers get better too.” ###

Adventurer: We want to build a better future for our youth

Adventurer: We want to build a better future for our youth

With the goal of building a better future for young people, Adventurer – prime makers of school and office supplies – is presenting In the Huddle: 1^st National Campus Sports Writing Congress on November 8, 10 and 12, 2010 at the JCSGO Seed Dome.

           

"We see this as an opportunity to further push education across the country,” said Adventurer vice president for marketing Rod Chua. “We adored the idea of helping students learn more about sports writing.”

The groundbreaking activity is expected to be participated in by around 500 sports writers and 300 school paper advisers and Adventurer is at the forefront of its goal to bring the level of campus sports journalism in the country notches higher.

Veteran sports writers led by Bong Pedralvez, Tessa Jazmines and Francis T.J. Ochoa will teach the ITH participants on the ins and outs of sports writing in the event organized by Ignite Academic Training and supported by Active White, BusinessMirror, FullCourtFresh, Manila Standard Today, People’s Journal, DZSR Sports Radio and the NCRSecondary School Paper Advisers Association.

"Adventurer exemplifies what ITH is all about: quality education,” organizing committee head Josiah Israel Albelda shared. “And it is our honor to have them as our partner here.”

Adventurer has been providing schools and offices with high-quality plastic envelopes, notebooks, zipper bags and other supplies for the past 27 years.

"In schools and offices, we have grown with them and we will continue to do so by providing quality products,” Chua added. “This activity will set a new approach to that commitment.”

Ignite Academic Training has extended early bird registration to October 30. For more information, contact them at (02) 439 8568, (0906) 444 3878 origniteworkshops@rocketmail.com.

Updates are likewise regularly posted at the event’s blog http://ith2010.blogspot.comand Facebook page, www.facebook.com/ith2010.

Meet the Speakers: Edison Ching

Spotlight on Edison Ching

Chris Tiu in the NBA, anyone?

By Mychael Thompson Miravite, The Playbook

B R I E F   B I O

Edison Ching

Contributor, Inthezone (since 2010)

College: Ca' Foscari Formazione I Ricerica Venezia (Italy)

Website: www.dumbgenius.net

Been dreaming of seeing a Filipino in the big league? Well, Edison Ching has the big idea to make your dreams come true.

If you happen to pass by people in the street talking about Chris Tiu making it to the NBA, nine out of ten chances, they read it from Ching’s blog. His blog, draftchristiu.wordpress.com, has been making waves in the sports online community. He justifies there what’s it gonna take for the NBA to draft the National Team starting guard and Filipino Ken Doll, Chris Tiu. 

As a BS Sports Communications graduate of International Academy of Management and Economics in Makati and Ca’ Foscari Formazione I Ricerica Venezia in Italy, Ching is much more than a reliable source. He is a walking sports trivia book. 

And Adventurer In The Huddle National Sports Writing Congress takes pride in including him as one of the speakers who will enlighten our participants in November.

Ching was one of the speakers of last year’s successful first edition of In The Huddle. He was instrumental in Quezon City’s dominance in the field of campus sports journalism in the DepEd-sanctioned press conferences and contests. 

As he likes to put it, it was nothing but his love for sports that became his motivation in sharing the gospel of sports writing.

“As a student there wasn’t a lot of learning opportunity, specifically for sports writing. To me, it is my way of giving back,” said Ching, who is also the blogger behind DumbGenius.net. “Although I never took up journalism, I took up sports communications (which is close enough, I guess) and I see some areas where we can all improve just a little bit.”

As of May 2010, he has more than 28,500 Twitter followers and his Facebook Draftchristiu page reached 13,500 fans. Not bad and that’s because of sports writing.

When asked what our participants could expect in his talk, he said it will be a great opportunity for them to learn something that been sort of ignored by mainstream school subjects.

Though the idea of Chris Tiu dribbling along with the best basketball players in the world has not materialized in the latest draft, Ching’s hopes are still high and he said he would want to pass on the idea that stirred the internet world for the past months to our aspiring writers in the Adventurer-ITH 2010. 

“Pwede pa naman, he [Chris Tiu] is only 24,” Ching quipped.

He has always been generous in sharing his knowledge of sports writing. As one of the speakers of Adventurer In The Huddle, he is looking forward to meet the future of sports writing in our country. 

“This is going to be good. For the first time ever an assortment of sports communication specialists will come together to help teach you. This is unprecedented, and this is our way of sharing our knowledge to you, the future of sportswriting." ###

Meet the Speakers: Josiah Israel Albelda

Aside from his dream of organizing a sports writing congress like ITH, Albelda also sets his sights on getting fit - fast.

Spotlight on Josiah Israel Albelda

A dream soon to be a reality

By Mychael Thompson Miravite, The Playbook

B R I E F   B I O 

Josiah Israel Albelda

School paper adviser, Ignite (since 2008)

Sports writer, Yahoo! College Hoops (since June 2010)

College: University of the Philippines - Diliman

Website: http://talagangbilogangbola.blogspot.com

Gathering 500 campus sports journalists and around 300 school paper advisers from all over the country is a big, big task that has never been accomplished before.

But nothing could stop Ignite Academic Training director Josiah Israel Albelda from achieving his dreams.

Albelda and his IAT, together with co-presenter and school supplies giant Adventurer, will be organizing the biggest sports writing event in the country: Adventurer In The Huddle: 1^st National Campus Sports Writing Congress.

Hundreds of sports scribes and publications advisers from the elementary, secondary and tertiary levels are expected to flock to the groundbreaking activity this November 8, 10, and 12 at the JCSGO Seed Dome in Cubao, Quezon City.

As a campus sports writer during his high school days himself, the 22-year-old Albelda is seeing a brighter future for one of the most ignored aspects of campus journalism, sports writing.

Drawing together sports writers from all over the country, and honing in them the love of the craft has been his long-time dream since accepting the job of being a school paper adviser and sports writing trainor in various schools across Luzon.

“It is my desire talaga na ma-upgrade ang level ng sports journalism in the Philippines. Being a former campus journalist myself, alam ko kung gaano kahirap para sa school paper advisers angsports writing kasi hindi siya nabibigyan masyado ng attention,” he said.

Now on its second edition, Adventurer In The Huddle is guaranteeing our young writers only the best Campus Journalism and Philippine Media can offer.

Journal editor Bong Pedralvez takes the helm as ITH Chief Trainer. Inquirer’s Francis Ochoa, Business Mirror columnist and University of the Philippines sports writing professor Tessa Jazmines, ABS-CBN’s TJ Manotoc, and Rafe Bartholomew, Harper’s Magazine-New York writer and Pacific Rims author are just some of the instructors who will be mentoring and guiding our aspiring writers throughout the weeklong congress.

“It’s not everyday that you will see the Philippines’ best sports media personalities under one roof. Getting the chance to learn from them is our main goal in ITH. Of course, nandun rin ang contests, freebies, and fun for everyone,” he added.

Albelda, school paper adviser of Ignite which was proclaimed one of the best high school publications in last February’s National Schools Press Conference in Tagum, quipped that he is looking forward to see sports writers from all over the Philippines gathered to learn from the experts.

“I feel really blessed because I get the chance to arrange an event like this and to share our knowledge not only to students here in Metro Manila, but also to our far-flung neighbors throughout Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.”

As a writer for Yahoo! Southeast Asia and a contributor to Inquirer Libre, he also shared the best things about working in his chosen field.

“The best thing in sports writing is you get paid to do what you love; you meet and mingle with sports personalities, you get to watch games that fans would die for, and best of all, you get the chance to share your story to your readers.”

Competitions for school and university publications, as well as participating students and school paper advisers, will also spice up the event. A total prize pot of P100,000 in cash and in kind will be offered to the best delegates of ITH 2010, which is also backed by BusinessMirror, Manila Standard Today, People’s Journal, DZSR Sports Radio, FullCourtFresh and Active White.

The congress will also feature Solar Sports’ Patricia Bermudez-Hizon, Business Mirror sports writer and Ateneo de Manila University instructor Rick Olivarez, Manila Bulletin Sports Digest Magazine’s Tina Maralit, Manila Bulletin’s Jonas Terrado, In The Zone and DraftChrisTiu blogger Edison Ching, QC Science High School’s Rex San Diego, Fullcourtfresh’s Jenner Ong, and Albelda as trainers in the three-day event.

A pair of sports stars of the past and the future will be featured as PBA legend Allan Caidic and UAAP 2010 MVP Ryan Roose Garcia have been invited to grace the event.

In its first edition last year, ITH has been instrumental to a number of QC sports journalists in their winning in the Division, Regional, and National-level contests as well as to their school publications' bagging of string of awards from the RSSPC, the Metro-Manila-wide Teodoro Valencia Search, and the prestigious National Schools Press Conference.

When asked about how ITH will ensure that participants get nothing but only the best, Albelda—with a big smile on his face and a big vision for the event—just said “Come and they will see.”

Meet the Speakers: Jonas Terrado

Jonas Terrado is also tough on the hardwood.

Spotlight on Jonas Terrado

A tough guy with a tough challenge

By Mychael Thompson Miravite, The Playbook

B R I E F   B I O

Jonathan Terrado

Sportswriter, Manila Bulletin (since 2008)

College: De La Salle University - Dasmariñas

Website: http://dajonasblog.blogspot.com

“Kung gusto niyo magtrabaho rin sa major dailies, kailangan tatagan niyo lang ang sarili ninyo dahil hindi ganun kadali ang ganoong trabaho. But the key there is you enjoy what you are doing.”

A tough challenge from a tough man, eh? Well, expect more challenges from Jonas Terrado, sports writer of the Manila Bulletin and web writer for various sports leagues come November.

The 24-year-old Terrado, the Swiss Army Knife of Philippine Sports Writing, will be one of the tough guys who will be speaking in the ground-breaking Adventurer In The Huddle: 1^st National Sports Writing Congress 2010 in front of 500 sports writers and around 300 school paper advisers.

A product of De La Salle University-Dasmarinas, Terrado was also a tough chap in the basketball court during his varsity years in high school. He also writes for UAAP, NCAA, PBA, PBL, and Baseball Philippines.

When asked about his thoughts on having this big opportunity to share to young writers the many tricks he hides under his sleeves, he said it was also a big challenge for his part but he will be very glad to talk with them. “Kaya ako pumayag [na mag-speak sa In The Huddle]siguro challenge na rin sa akin ‘yan at siyempre makapagbigay din ng opportunity to teach some skills sa mga bata.”

As a recognized personality in the field of sports writing, his advice for our young sports scribes to succeed has been brutally honest and simple: “I think the key lang dyan is magbasa. Just get ideas on how to write stories then try to pattern it [after them] tapos i-apply ‘yun dun sa style mo,” he said. “Isang key rin doon ay i-enjoy lang ang iyong ginagawa. When you enjoy sports writing, I think dun lalabas ang creativeness mo and lastly learn from mistakes. Kapag nagkamali,wag masyadong madiscourage.”

Terrado will be lecturing about the dos and don’ts of sports coverage, and at the same time, he will be offering our participants a glance of the real thing—working in a pressure cooker of writing for a major daily.

“They should not miss this dahil simple ways lang ito ng pagkokober ng game na minsan medyo natatake for granted [especially sa world of campus journalism],” he added.

He also shared with us the perks and fulfillment he gets from writing sports. “Siguro ‘yung best thing sa field na to ay nakakacover ka ng mga great sporting events like the UAAP at tsaka you get to meet and talk with some of the sports personalities,” said Terrado. “At higit sa lahat, ikaw yung nagiging storyteller ng mga games and events na nacocover mo.”

Terrado has also written for Nike Summer League and De La Salle University-Dasmarinas’ Heraldo Filipino. ###