“I was about to quit attending school, but sports saved me.”

Edward Teric, Davao Regional Athletic Association (DAVRAA) Meet gold medalist for boxing, enthusiastically shared this when asked about his experiences on being a student-athlete.

“Sports encouraged me to be present in school always,” he added.

A son of a farmer and peddler, Edward decided to continue his schooling because it was his father’s dream to finish high school and attend college. On weekends, Edward helps his father in selling farm goods like mais, gulay, kamoteng kahoy, and saging which he usually carries on his head while trudging along the dusty and unpaved roads of Barangay New Clarin in Bansalan, Davao del Sur.

These farming and peddling times with his father served as intensive training sessions for Edward. He worked out his thigh and leg muscles by walking countless kilometers. The area where he plows and sells became his training ground. Because riding a tricycle going to and from school is a luxury for him, Edward made walking and jogging not only his means of transportation, but also an opportunity to strengthen his body.

Despite his struggles in finding a decent place to train and setting an hour to practice, Edward was resourceful and persevering enough to find ways and overcome these barriers. All he needed was the unwavering support of his parents, teachers, and school principal.

Inspired by the life story of Manny Pacquiao, the young boxer is optimistic that the sport will give him a brighter future. In fact, Edward became a Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) scholar because of his involvement in sports. He made himself an inspiration to his community when he bravely treaded life’s difficulties with his talent in boxing as his sole weapon.

“He won every game because he trains the hardest. His father taught him that the hardest way is the surest way to winning,” Rodrigo Amador, Edward’s teacher and boxing coach, relayed.

Armed with his father’s aspirations and his own dreams and ambition, Edward is indeed an athlete to watch out for in the 2019 Palarong Pambansa.

END

By: Lemuel Madulin
Education Program Specialist II for Human Resource
Division of Davao del Sur