Cultural Identity: Playing Traditional Sports and Games by John Vega

Tumbang Preso: A Childhood Game that Shaped Social Bonds and Resilience

2024-01-29 06:02:56 UTC

I grew up in a small village where everyone knew each other, and all the kids grew up together. In the Philippines, the siesta tradition was prevalent, compelling us to sleep by 3 am. Despite this, my fondest memories revolve around playing with my neighbors, with our favorite game being "tumbang preso." This childhood pastime played a significant role in shaping not only my social skills but also my character, teaching me to accept the highs and lows of playing games.

"Tumbang preso" became ingrained in our culture as Filipinos, setting us apart from other children. This shared experience fostered a unique sense of identity among us. However, the joy of playing often came with consequences, as we would end up being disciplined by our parents for disregarding sleep instructions. Despite the risks, we repeatedly engaged in the game, highlighting the resilience and camaraderie that "tumbang preso" instilled in our tight-knit community.

Patintero

221026151 — 2024-01-29 06:16:39 UTC

Growing up, it was a part of my daily routine to play outside, every afternoon, with my neighbors. The only thing was I was always the youngest one and there would be that certain age gap among me and my playmates. It was through games like "Patintero" wherein that gap could not be felt anymore. The main objective in playing offensive in "Patintero" is to get through as many players one can go through without getting tagged. If ever an offensive player gets tagged, they would then have to go back to the end of the line and wait for their turn once again. Despite being a "saling ket ket" at times, playing "Patintero" was and will always be a fun memory for me.

Patintero

221026151 — 2024-01-29 06:17:57 UTC

Growing up in the Philippines, I have been exposed to many activities and games that are deeply rooted in my country's culture. It is a custom for young children in the Philippines to go outside of their homes during afternoons, look for their friends, and play different "street" games. While there are many examples, "Patintero" is the one filipino game that I remember the most. The mechanics are simple, there are two teams, the runners and the taggers. The game is played in a certain rectangular areas, while the taggers are positioned to stop the runners from one side of the playing area to the other. While the game might seem simple, it is that simplicity that brings out the joy and competitiveness of the game. Filipino games aren't special because of complex mechanics or advanced skill requirements, but rather its ability to foster joy, friendship, and a healthy sense of competitiveness among its players. Patintero doesn't only require its players to reach out and tag other players, but it also allows players to reach out and impact the lives of every Filipino child that enjoys it.

Bahaw-Bahaw

221026151 — 2024-01-29 06:25:28 UTC

One of my fondest memories as a kid was being able to play different games in this huge empty lot in front of our house. In the afternoon, kids in our village would gather in the said lot and one of the games that we played the most is called “bahaw-bahaw” in our spoken dialect (Other names: Agawan base, Moro-moro) The game is played by dividing the players into two teams with equal number of members. The goal of this game is to touch the home base, which could be a rock or a post, depending on what is available, of the opposing team without being tagged by the members of the opposing team. Players run around the playing field, either to try to reach the base or catch the ‘bahaw’ opponents, where ‘bahaw’ is defined as those who let go of their home base the earliest. One or two players would be assigned to guard the base and prevent the other team from touching it. The first team whose member touches the other team’s base wins.

I was often tasked to guard our base and keep an eye on the captured members of the other team, as I wasn’t able to run as fast as my playmates. Although I rarely ran, I felt that my role was equally important to those who tried to touch the opposing team’s because if I didn’t stay to guard our base, we would still lose. I really enjoyed playing this game and I hope other people did too.

My Love for Patintero

2024-01-29 06:54:00 UTC

I unfortunately have no experience playing a traditional sport of the Philippines other than one of my favorite childhood games, Patintero. When I was dismissed from class during my elementary and junior high school days, my friends and I had little ways to entertain ourselves as we were not permitted to bring our phones or gadgets. We always spend our free time playing patintero. A competitive game that consists of 2 teams: the runners and the taggers. The goal was to run across and back from the runners while they were not allowed to leave their certain spots. Even with the simplicity of the game, it served hours of fun for my friends and I as it kept our competitive side hyper. I still see the game get played around my neighborhood even though the game has lived throughout majority of the history of the Philippines.

Baseball

2024-02-01 23:28:35 UTC

In my whole life baseball has always been more than just a sport to us as american citizens.It is considered a career a hobby and also something that us Americans are so passionate about.The game is played between a total of 18 players,A team of 9 matched up against another team of 9.There is a pitcher and a catcher who dictate the game the rest of the 7 players are scattered around the field in positions ready to play defense.The batter is the person who is trying to score runs for there team.The pitcher thows the ball to the batter hits the ball the defense has to then field the ball and throw it to the batters destinantion before the batter runs and gets there in time.The game is definitely a tradition and it means alot aswell as appreciated because baseball is not something that is learned in 1 week it takes many years to develope skill and develope competitiveness.This Sport got its most recognition during the typical holidays such as fourth of july.This is a sport that is also televised and players are paid millions to attract others to the sport by showcasing there skills.

Running for Arroyo High School

2024-02-01 23:34:57 UTC

After having a knee injury in 2020, I was at a loss for how I couldn’t walk anymore. After a lot of therapy, I healed nicely, yet in that experience I recognized how much I’ve taken walking for granted.

Once School started up again, I decided to join a sport, since not being able to walk for 6 months, made me want to actually use them for something I was passionate about.

I joined cross country, a sport here in America, where students run with each other to be the fastest, while pacing themselves so they don’t tire about before the race ends, which they tend to be about 3 miles.

There would be meets that many schools would go to, and we would all run together and see who placed 1st, 2nd, and so on.

Going to cross country practice after school everyday was scary at first, since I never ran competitively and just healed from an injury. It was dangerous, but I decided to take a risk.

Overall, over time I got accustomed to the team and it was a lot of fun! Running was such a fun experience and although the thought sounds a little boring, running with friends and being excited to run races turned out to be a really fulfilling experience. I would go to school, and at the end run for an hour and feel really calm.

I’m really glad I joined, and not only for the physical benefits, but it made me more happy and made me feel accomplished at the end of the day!

`Football at Arroyo High School

2024-02-02 16:38:55 UTC

In America we have access to any sport we can think of. The sport I play though, is only in America. Football is a game where you have to be tough, fast, and smart. It requires you to hit people at full speed which makes it a rough sport. With the contact can come a lot of injuries. One injury that is very common is knee injuries. When you attempt to tackle someone you must get low on there legs because that is the easiest way to get them down. If you go too high they can fight out of the tackle. Football teaches you more than to just be tough. It teaches you how to work hard and push yourself to excert ar much energy as you can. Teamwork is also a big factor in this sport. There are eleven players on the field and every single one must do their job in order for the other to do theirs.

Rugby

2024-02-02 18:15:12 UTC

Growing up in a Fob family and adapting to a rough living condition wasn't anything, us Tongans were worried about, but it was how you adapt in the Village. My family are always all about Love, God ,family, and Sports. And one traditional thing we always do for any functions etc was the Haka. A dance we always perform before a Ruby game. The sport Rugby was the most played sports by our culture, the Ruby union. On a regular daily basic rugby was like the start of our morning with the Tokos, weather it was a function, at school, random rugby games were always poping at my church/family function. Rugby is a sport that interact with alot of people, being broken into teams. Rugby is like the opposite of football, meaning only backward passes, scrums etc. But in Tonga no shoe nothing is being use, we go bare foot.