Teams from all over the Bowie area and from across the Potomac including one from Oxon Hill and Fort Washington which captured the title a few years back.

The league was first conceived when a group of friends met regularly in local area lanes to engage in their favorite pastime.  The idea sprung up to formalize their association by organizing a league so that they can indulge in their favorite sport and at the same time pit their skills against a wider field.

At a loss as to what to call their league, the decided to get the first letters of their first names and combine them.  Thus R is for Ronnie, A is for Arnold, M represents Mike,  P is for  Pampi, and S represents Lahat. The rest as the, saying goes, is history.  More power to you, RAMPS.  

For the moment it looks like they are indeed history.  Project coordinator Paul  Buan however said that they will be back next year.  “After all these years it gets to be a little boring for one family to handle everything.  Let us just say that we are merely recharging our batteries.  In fact everybody who has at one time or another  participated are echoing - the same sentiment, “  Paul sighed.   To all bowling afficionadoes  ABANGAN!

RP Athletes Surge In International Tilts.  The Philippines drive for world sports prominence continues in several fields.  In the 3^rd<D> Shansou World Cup in China, the Philppines captured two Wushu Gold medals with Rene Catalan and Benjie Rivera doing the honors  Sanshou is the combative event of Wushu that involves punching, kicking and wrestling.

In Billiards the Philippines has already a list of Magic 12 in the coming 2006 World Pool Championship but more Filipino players could make it to the main draw with the staging of final qualifiers leading to the main event slated Nov. 4-12 at the PICC  Center. Already seeded into the main draw with a crack at the $100,000 top purse are former winners Efren Reyes and Alex Pagulayan and other ace Filipino pool players  Jose Parica, Marlon Manalo, Francisco Bustamante, Ramil Gallego, Rodolfo Luat, Gandy Valle, Jeff de Luna, Ronnie Alcano, Dennis Orcollo and Roland Garcia.    

Davao divers lead RP team.   With the return of national diving phenom JAIME Asok,  the Philippine national diving team to the 15th Asian Games in Doha, Qatar is now made up of an all-Davao contingent..    

Asok, one of the country’s best synchronizer, was stripped off his chance to defend the 10-meter platform synchronized  diving gold medal that he and partner Ryan Rexel Fabriga won in the Hanoi, Vietnam SEA Games in 2003.  His slot then was taken by Kelvin Kong of Cebu, the nephew of controversial coach Rommel Kong.  

The divers, according to Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman William “Butch” Ramirez, are back at TRACE College in Los Baños for their training. They were relocated to Ultra recently after typhoon Milenyo hit the state-of-the-art aquatics center.  The diving team is set to leave for the Games on December 7. Their prospects for winning several gold medals are excellent.   

Fil-Am Mr USA Tilt.  Exactly a year ago, Victor Ecarma of Northern Virginia joined  25 other young Filipino American men from all over the United States to take part in the Third Annual  Ginoong Filipinas –USA Pageant scheduled  at the  <D>Palace of Fine Arts Theatre   in San Francisco, California  in late  November of that year.

Organizers issued the clarification in their website  that Ginoong Pilipinas-USA is not just another Filipino pageant. It provides a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the spirit of camaraderie among the Filipino communities in America’s unique diversity. It is held to celebrate the distinct physical attributes of the ethnic Filipino. Through the candidates’ participation, the pageant contributes to the shaping of a consciousness that takes pride and is rooted in our Filipino heritage, they added.

This ethnic event also shares a noble mission in giving back to the community. Part of the event’s proceeds go to charities each year.  Ginoong Pilipinas-USA is more than a Filipino male pageant, it is a community event. Help is needed to  realize the  goals of reaching out to our community and inspire our youth to be proud of our Filipino heritage.

Candidates  must have Filipino descent; between 18 and 30 years old at the time of pageant; single male, never been married and with no children; at least 5’8 in height with proportionate weight; pleasing personality and good moral character; knowledge about Filipino culture, current FilAm events, activism in his school or community is a plus but not required.

We have been searching its website this year but to no avail.  The event may have been cancelled.  It would be a shame if that is true for indeed it showcased Filipino talents at its best.   Fil Ams everywhere are praying that it will be revived. .

FB 10/31/06 * Alfonso Torrillo Jr.* (301)-839-5375* email-fastbreakpoints@aol.com