The Philippine Mind Sports Association will send a team to the Asia Open Memory Championship held at the Singapore Polytechnic on Sept. 28-29.
Siblings Chloe Andrea and Charles Andrei, and Chelsea Anne Galamgam, Venir Manzalay III, Jessica Raine Rellora, and Angel Mikhail Sanchez are ready for the tough challenge ahead in the tournament supported by the Asia Memory Sports Alliance (AMSA) and Global Alliance of Memory Athletics (GAMA).
“We are confident that the Philippine Team will be bringing medals from the competition. But our main target is the Grandmaster (GM) title for 14-year-old Charles Andrei in the junior division. If ever, he will be our sixth GM. He’s ready and we felt his eagerness to claim the GM title for the country,” said coach Anne Bernadette, the president of the Philippine Mind Sports Association (PMSA), during the Tabloids Organization in Philippine Sports, Inc. (TOPS) "Usapang Sports" at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum VIP Room on Thursday.
Charles Andrei wants to follow Chloe Andrea, who earned the GM title when the Philippines hosted the Asia Open Memory Championship last year.
Unlike chess which requires GM norms to get the title, players in memory sports take 10 tests, namely Random Words, Names and Faces, Speed Numbers, Marathon Numbers, Random Images, Speed Cards, Marathon Cards, Dates, Binary Digits, and Spoken Numbers.
Chelsea Anne Galamgam, a Grade 6 student at the Victory Christian International School, showed her memory skills by looking at a list of 30 words and saying them in the correct order while blindfolded.
"It's really challenging at the beginning but I was able to do it because of rehearsals and the help of my elder brothers. Actually, they are my idols so I also entered memory sports to emulate their achievements," said Chelsea Anne. "I can also handle training and schooling at the same time."
“Each of these young athletes has demonstrated extraordinary memory capabilities in the recent National Memory Championship and will be competing to prove themselves on the prestigious international stage,” Bonita said.
She noted the large number of participants in the eliminations, with 40 teams in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cebu, and provinces, saying it's proof that the memory sports community is expanding little by little.
Bonita thanked the Brain Republic and Dr. Yanga’s Colleges, Inc. (DYCI) for providing free training to the kids.
"The members of the Philippine Memory Team are well-prepared and eager to showcase their skills, aiming to bring home accolades and further solidify their standing in the global memory sports arena. With rigorous training, the team is set to represent the country with honor and determination,” Bonita said. (PNA)
Comments