DAGUPAN CITY -- The city government regularly conducts training for the Balon Dagupan Swimming Team and recently held a try-out as part of its preparation for the upcoming competitions in the country.
Head coach Jefferson Lao, in an interview Monday, said the A-listed swimmers of the team will be competing in the Batang Pinoy 2018 national championship to be held this month in Baguio City.
Lao said the team is composed of eight swimmers, namely Janelle Alisa Frances Lin, Sean Iverson Fabiana, Mark Bryan Rioflorido, Gabriel Angelo Jizmundo, Leticia Macanlalay, Sophia Mae Garcia, Ma Alexie Adriano and Sophia De Vera.
Dagupan City Sports Commission executive director Finnela Sim said the local government is beefing-up its swimming team in preparation also for other competitions.
Sim noted they are presently maintaining 70 swimmers, who regularly train at the city's swimming pool, while there are almost 40 active members and another 30 swimmers from the summer sports clinic.
She said a swim try-out was held at the Dagupan City Poolside on Saturday intended to form the Balon Dagupan Swim Team Roster 2018-2019.
"New comers and those who were not able to join the summer sports clinic had a chance to avail of the program of Mayor Belen Fernandez. The objective is to select swimmers who will represent the city in various meets," she said.
Sim said they target to fill out 80 free slots.
Meanwhile, Mayor Belen Fernandez said the Balon Dagupan Swimming Team and the Dagupan City team as a whole have become a team to be reckoned with, as it made history in the 2018 R1AA (Region 1 Athletic Association) when it outmedaled the other 13 schools division in Region 1 (Ilocos) and captured the over-all champion title for the first time in the history of R1AA.
Dagupan City bagged 71 gold, 51 silver and 34 bronze medals. Of the said medal haul, the swimming team contributed 32 gold, 13 silver and 12 bronze medals.
Fernandez said the city is bent on maintaining its number one position in R1AA. (PNA)
