The dancesports team's impressive haul of eight golds, six silvers, and three bronzes propelled the Davao Region to fifth place in the ongoing Palarong Pambansa 2024 in Cebu City as of 7:30 p.m. on Friday, July 12. The Eagles had amassed 12 golds, 14 silvers, and 11 bronzes.
Golden Duo
Davao City pair Bhenz Rudolf Owen H. Semilla and Francheska Dezzly Darvin, from Francisco Bustamante National High School (FBNHS), led the golden haul with five gold medals and one silver. They dominated the secondary division junior standard grade A-5 dance, single dance tango, single dance foxtrot, single dance Viennese waltz, and single dance waltz while securing silver in junior standard single dance quickstep.
Semilla, a 16-year-old incoming Grade 11 student, "Happy kaayo ko, Ma'am, kay wala man mi nag-expect gyud nga mudaug. Nag-enjoy ra mi sa among sayaw (I'm very happy, Ma'am, because we didn't really expect to win. We just enjoyed our dance)."
He began learning dancesports at age eight, inspired by his elder sister, a dancesports athlete.
Semilla, whose father is a warehouse manager and mother is a housewife, said that he got even more motivated to excel, especially now that dancesports is a regular Palaro sport.
"Karon kay naapil na gyud among golds sa medal tally sa Davao Region. Unya magamit nako ang cash incentives para pud sa mga competitions (Now our golds have been included in the medal tally in the Davao Region. Then I can use the cash incentives for competitions as well)," he shared in a Messenger audio interview with VoxPop Davao.
Meanwhile, 15-year-old Darvin, an incoming 10th grader at FBNHS, inherited her mother Jeah's dancing skills and started dancing at eight.
Her partnership with Semilla earned them four golds in last year's Marikina City Palaro.
"I am thankful and blessed nakaabot mi ani kalayo. Layo na among naabtan. Lima sa among golds, ma count na gyud sa medal tally (I am thankful and blessed that we reached this far. We have come a long way. Five of our golds will be counted in the medal tally)," she said. "Ang among nakalaban pirmi na namo makasabayan sa mga nationals. Wala man mi nagpa-pressure. Focus ra gyud (We have been competing against our Palaro rivals even in previous national competitions. We didn't allow that to pressure us. We just remained focused)."
The duo thanked God, their trainer Julie Flintham, coaches Jeah Canoy and Norelee Baliña, parents, and the Davao delegation for their support.
Limitless potential
Julie Flintham of England has trained Semilla and Darvin since 2019 and praised their remarkable progress. Even though they were paired just two years ago, they have adjusted well.
"Their performance was amazing right from the very start. They stood out as champions. They did everything in the competition. Their potential is limitless. I can really see them becoming the next generation champions for the country," she said.
Flintham said the dancesports champions train daily in the mornings before their afternoon classes and regularly practice their routines.
"They've been to regular competitions around the country. They join their ranking tournaments," she said.
However, she noted that Semilla and Darvin train at the school gym on a rough surface. "For a sport that might seem glamorous, they practice in the open air wearing rubber shoes," Flintham added. Thanks to the cash incentives they earn from Batang Pinoy and Palaro and generous sponsors' support, both can continue to fund their competitions.
Baliña, for her part, said: "I am so very proud of them and happy as well that they got five golds and one silver. These athletes gave me the chance to be a part of the 2024 Palarong Pambansa. I am grateful and blessed that they allowed and accepted me as their coach, even though we are not from the same school. These students are athletes with a heart."
More medals
On the other hand, Davao del Norte's dancesports team contributed three gold medals to Davao Region, courtesy of Xacks Jacob Bolador and Fiona Rose Golosino of New Corella Central Elementary School Sped Center who topped the elementary juvenile Latin grade A-5 dance, Latin single dance paso doble, and single dance samba. They also copped bronze in juvenile Latin single dance chachacha and juvenile Latin single dance jive
Their silver medalists are Reynard Engcoy and Marian Joyce Lingatong (elementary juvenile standard grade A-5 dance, single Dance CTango, single dance foxtrot, single dance quickstep, and single dance Viennese waltz). The Engcou-Lingatong duo also copped a bronze in a single dance waltz. MLSA