RP keglers mentally weak, says bowling legend Coo

By Marc Anthony Reyes
Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines–Bowling Hall of Famer Bong Coo thinks the dwindling international wins by Filipinos is due to lack of mental toughness.

“We see that our players lack mental toughness — the abilities are there but not the staying power,” said Coo. “We tend to take the lead in competitions but fade later on. That’s why our gold medals are getting fewer.”

To revive the killer instinct of the bowlers, Coo, the Philippine Bowling Congress secretary general, announced that a coach who will train them for mental toughness has been hired for the coming Southeast Asian Games campaign in December.

The four-time world champion and five-time Asian Games gold winner said the PBC has tapped the services of sports psychologist Marissa Adviento of Ateneo de Manila University to psyche up the 12-man team that will defend the overall title in Thailand.

“In practice we are good, but somehow, especially in team competition where every game counts, we need more improvement,” she said. “We must know how to perform under pressure. Hopefully in two months time we can achieve that.”

Coo said the Filipino keglers hope to duplicate if not surpass the four gold medals they won two years ago in the Philippines.

Share This