Team Alaminos placed 5th among 14 divisions in the final over-all ranking in the secondary division for its best-ever finish in the just concluded Ilocos Region Athletic Association (IRAA) Meet held in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte.

Alaminos hauled 24 gold, 28 silver and 15 bronze medals in the 5-day competition that earned the team a total of 163.67 points which is good for 7th place over-all.

But more importantly, it again improved its over-all standing for the third straight year. From, 9th place in 2008, Team Alaminos ranked 8th last year and a notch higher this year.

Dr. Arturo Viray, education supervisor for MAPEH, said this is the first time that Alaminos, in its fifth years of participation in this biggest sporting event in the region, landed in the top five.

The city division’s general athletic manager cited that aside from medal rich events like athletics, badminton and taekwondo, this year’s sepak takraw and table tennis teams were revelations.

Sepak takraw secondary girls won the gold for the first time while their male counterparts settled for silver. On the other hand, the table tennis teams added three more gold and five silver medals.

Fifth place over-all is already a remarkable feat for a small and young division like Alaminos City, said Dr. Oscar C. Tadeo, Asst. City Schools Division Superintendent.

“Again, this will never be possible if not for Mayor Hernani A. Braganza’s comprehensive youth and sports development program that discovers and trains students to become top caliber athletes,” he noted.

“We sincerely thanked our forward looking city mayor for his all out and unwavering support to our young athletes even as we hope that this humble accomplishment could at least reciprocate what he have done to our youth,” added the head of the city’s delegation.

Dr. Tadeo said Team Alaminos had beaten seven other divisions to claim the seventh spot in over-all ranking namely Ilocos Sur with 99 points, San Carlos (85.5), Candon City (75), Batac City (64.67), Urdaneta City (61.5), San Fernando City (59.5) and Vigan City (34).

Ilocos Norte ruled the IRAA meet for the 11th consecutive year as it amassed a total of 624.67 points. At second place is Pangasinan II which earned a total of 437.17 points followed by Pangasinan I (332), La Union (228.17), Laoag (179.67), and Dagupan City (172.5).

All the individual and team champions in every sports discipline will represent the Ilocos region in the Palarong Pambansa which will be held in Tarlac City next month.

Laoag City Schools Division will host next year’s IRAA Meet and it is expected that the city’s athletes will be training hard and early to maintain if not surpass their over-all ranking

And that will be another reason for the city government and the Alaminian community to feel be happy and proud anew. (CIO)