The University of the Philippines Taekwondo Teams have been given a much-welcome shot in the arm with the entry of Atty. Francine Dalumpines as first-ever program head.
The Fighting Maroons’ women’s team finished fourth in UAAP Season 86, while the men wound up fifth.
With the appointment of the private practice lawyer as program head, however, State U is aiming for greater heights for its taekwondoins.
“Taga-UP tayo e, so dapat, mapapakita natin yung ‘tapang UP’ every time we compete,” she told her wards during her formal introduction on Wednesday at the University Hotel in Diliman.
“There can be no excuses now dahil ‘pag merong problema, you can just tell us. Now, with the help of OASD, it should be easier for us,” she continued, referring to the UP Office for Athletics and Sports Development (OASD) which will stand alongside her in this endeavor.
The position of program head is seen to lighten the burden of head coaches who could then simply focus on mentoring their players.
Dalumpines is a full-blooded Fighting Maroon, having spent 16 years of her life as an Iskolar ng Bayan, from UP Integrated School to UP Diliman to UP Law School and to UP School of Labor and Industrial Relations. She was also part of the UP Taekwondo Team when the sport was yet to become an official UAAP event.
“When I was playing, my coach and father was the one who was supporting the team, so nakita kong malaking bagay yun. Not only the financial part, but also just knowing there’s somebody they can approach for anything. This is all about giving back for me,” she said.
Nap Dagdagan will remain head coach for both women’s and men’s squads.
The position of program head is seen to lighten the burden of head coaches who could then simply focus on mentoring their players.
“To get to our goal, which is the general championship, we will need much help to make sure all our teams and programs are competitive,” said UP OASD Dir. Bo Perasol.
Perasol himself is a success story on how having a program head can make a big difference. After ceding men’s basketball team shot-calling duties to Goldwin Monteverde, he was able to concentrate on gaining allies and partners to ensure the contention of the Fighting Maroons from the recruitment and development front all the way to the court itself.
In the same light, all Monteverde needed to do was what he did best: coach — and the setup paid immediate dividends with State U’s first championship since 1986.
Now as athletic director, Perasol is hoping to replicate the same formula for success; first with Joey Torres as program head for tennis and now, Mike Asuncion and Dalumpines taking on the same role for baseball and taekwondo, respectively.
