MANILA -- What many consider as a mere toy or summer preoccupation is gradually becoming a mainstream sport and enthusiasts come from all walks of life and varying age brackets.
The slingshot -- “tirador” or “saltik” in the vernacular -- is the passion of the Philippine Slingshot Federation (PSF), which recently held its 3rd Slingshot Tournament at the Roman Garden of the Marikina Riverpark in Marikina City.
Although a young organization, the PSF is gaining a lot of following from up north in Pangasinan, Laguna in the southern Tagalog region, and all the way down south to Cotabato.
Raymond Arco, one of the founding members of the PSF and leader of Team Riverbanks in Marikina City, says most of the group's members have at one point played with a slingshot in their younger days while spending their summer break in the provinces.
“It’s just like going back to our childhood days but this time around, we are taking the sport seriously. We have already established a game format and a set of rules," he said.
Arco adds that since the sport is becoming popular in Asian countries, such as China, and also in the United Kingdom, the PSF is doing its best to be able to achieve world-class status by following international rules and safety guidelines.
Not only has the game itself grown up but also the attitude towards the instrument itself.
“The average velocity of a projectile launched from a slingshot travels at an average of 200-250 feet per second (FPS),” said master slingshot maker and sharpshooter JV Baylon of Biñan, Laguna.
“Safety is something we strictly adhere to,” Baylon says, adding that just like any shooting sport, it has potential hazards for players who do not observe safety protocols, for instance wearing protective eyewear and being constantly aware of bystanders and other spectators, who venture into the range.
Not your average toy
Competition slingshots differ very little from the wooden forks sold in the neighborhood market. Some enthusiasts prefer to use natural materials -- wood from the guava tree or “madre de cacao”. So long as they are of good workmanship, these natural forks can be used.
For those who prefer something fancier, Baylon makes masterfully crafted forks out of wood and synthetic material. Slingshots are Baylon’s childhood passion and his works can fetch anywhere from a few hundred pesos to as much as a few thousand for one-of-a-kind, custom orders.
Baylon, who works in a hospital as an X-ray technician, also uses medical-grade, exercise bands similar to latex for slingshot bands, which are much more durable and can propel projectiles with more power.
Projectiles used in competition are either glass marbles or steel bearings or shots of about 9 millimeters.
From summer pastime to sport
Arco says one of the reasons the PSF was organized was to earn international recognition by making a child’s hobby into an internationally-recognized sport.
“We have a good chance of making it in international competitions because we have been slingshot enthusiasts at some point in our childhood. There is no reason we can’t make it in competitions like those held in the UK or China," he says.
The 3rd Slingshot Tournament, Marikina leg
Since it was formed in 2017, the PSF has held its first tournament in Alabang, its second tournament in Sampaloc, and the third in Marikina.
The competition organized by Team Riverbanks of Marikina drew some 30 players, with one player each from as far as Laguna and Masbate, and a lone European player, Michael Gundorph, from Denmark.
Joining the tournament were Baylon’s own team, Radtech Slingshots from Laguna, Team Tamarind from Sampaloc, Manila, and several individual players from San Mateo, Antipolo, and Quezon City.
The competition format was a simple target rack with 10 targets of varying sizes.
The largest target, which is about the size of a saucer, scores the lowest, while the smaller target, which is no bigger than a bottle cap, scores the highest.
The elimination round was a man-against-man shoot off, where two identical sets of targets are set up. The shooter who drops all or the highest scoring targets wins.
In the finals, the shooter takes on all 20 targets with only 20 projectiles or shots, with the option of taking down only the highest scoring targets.
After the elimination round in the most recent tournament in Marikina, only three players were left standing -- Dr. Tim Santos, Jeff Edillor, and Erds Patawaran.
Patawaran bowed to Edillor, who shot consistently, dropping six consecutive targets during the man-against-man.
Dr. Santos, also of Team Riverbanks, managed to hit higher scoring targets and took the champion spot. (PNA)
