PDI: World Slasher Cup

Repost

– Gameness (til the End)

2009 World Slasher Cup is biggest ever
By Manolo Iñigo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 07:42:00 01/12/2009

Filed Under: Sports Events

The biggest ever World Slasher Cup since 1963 awaits cockfighting enthusiasts as businessman-sportsman Jorge “Nene” Araneta announced a strong field of nearly 200 entries that will vie for fame and honor from Jan. 19 to 24 at the Araneta Coliseum.

“I am personally inviting you to come and enjoy the fights at the Big Dome,” said the dapper derby promoter and coliseum owner.

From an average of 60 entries to a high of 150 per staging, this year’s number is a cinch to enter the record books as the biggest ever in the history of the World Slasher Cup.

Considered as the “toughest cockfighting event in the world,” this annual international 8-cock derby will be extended from the usual three-day format to five days.

Glo Avena, a Big Dome old-timer, said elimination matches will be held on Jan. 19 to 20, the semifinals on Jan. 21 and 22 and the finals on Jan. 24.

* * *

The 35-strong foreign contingent will be headed by former champions Ray Alexander of Alabama and Roger Roberts of Georgia. Also seeing action are many-time Manila visitors Chuck Berry of Oklahoma and Mike Formosa of Hawaii, Richard McCormick of Canada and Australia’s Greg Berin.

On the other hand, a full complement of the Philippines’ cockfighting Who’s Who is hell-bent to win the World Slasher Cup, the most-coveted prize in the sport.

“We have proven in recent past that Filipino cocker-breeders are at par with their American counterparts,” said Rey Briones, a newcomer who surprised everyone by winning the 2003 World Slasher Cup in a tie with veteran Matt Bitanga.

“It’s time to break the colonial mentality that imported cocks or pure bloodlines, are unbeatable,” he stressed. “That’s not true anymore.”

He said that local crossbreeds are performing better in recent years and that imported cocks are no longer a guarantee that they will dominate the big-time derbies here.

* * *

In winning the World Slasher Cup, Briones only fielded locally bred fighting cocks, yet he beat the pure bloodlines of famous American cocker-breeders Dan Gray, Carol NeSmith, Ray Alexander and Roger Roberts.

Now breeding his own signature bloodlines—the Spartan Reds and Greys—in his modest farms in Masbate and Bacolod City, Briones has joined past World Slasher Cup champions, including former Ambassador Danding Cojuangco, Nene Araneta, the late James Chiongbian, Peping Cojuangco and his partner Esting Teopaco, former Rep. Rudy Albano, hotelier Biboy Enriquez, Pampanga’s pride Jun and Rudy Jingco, Eddie Araneta, Dickie Lim, Patrick Antonio, William Co, lawyer Rudy Salud and Wilson Ong.

* * *

The steady stream of top American cocker-breeders was brought here by Filipino cockfighting legends such as D.O. Plaza, Dr. A.P. Reyes, Jose Lanuza, James Chiongbian, Ramon Mitra, Ricardo Silverio, the Lacsons of Bacolod, the Cojuangcos of Tarlac and the Yulos and Montinolas of Negros.

These true-blue pioneers were responsible for infusing the bloodlines that improved local stocks, thus making the authentic Filipino sport of cockfighting more competitive.

Among the names familiar to Filipino sabungeros were American cockfighting greats like Duke Hulsey, Joe Goode, Billy Abbot, Oscar Aikins, Billy Ruble, Richard Bates, Dan Gray, Carol NeSmith, Bob Howard, Ray Alexander and Tom Wilson.

Meanwhile, I am glad to learn that the cockfighting calendar is now bursting at the seams, with several international derbies lined up for this new year.

Among them are the three-day National Cockers Alliance World Slasher Championship Derby at the Ynares Center in Pasig City which gets going tomorrow, and other international derbies slated in Metro Manila cockpits.

Selecting a Brood Cock

Performance Statistics

Select first and foremost on the performance of the pedigree and of the individual.

The pedigree must have at least a winning percentage of 85% and must be multi time winners for a number of years if not a decade. Get to know the pedigree and its fighting style. The pedigree is dominant especially when the breeder enters a full show of the pedigree at a derby and grab the championship on quick wins.

The individual should be at least a two-time winner winning without a scratch in 60 seconds or less.

Vital Statistics

Physical Statistics

Select high station, solid body conformation and light weight.

The ideal minimum shank (metatarsus) is 3.25 inches or 8.25 centimeters from top of the prop toe to middle of the knee (hock).

The ideal leg (tibia) must be long too.

The ideal thigh (femur) must be long too.

The ideal minimum girth is 20 inches or 50.8 centimeters.

The ideal maximum weight is 5 pounds and 4 ounces or 2.376 kilograms

Age Statistics

The physical statistics above is for a year old to 2 year old cock. Older cock might weigh more.

When Ordering

Even a photo or video sometimes cannot give us the actual vital statistics or physical statistics due to optical illusion. Maybe a ruler included in the photo will help.

To avoid misunderstanding between you and the breeder, send the breeder the vital statistics – (minimum) shank length, (minimum) thigh length, (minimum) leg length, (minimum) girth, (maximum) weight, and age.

Let’s Standardized Vital Statistics

I hope vital statistics (physical and age statistics) will be included in every photo of gamefowls on the web and print.

shank=3.25″
leg=
thigh=
girth=20″
weight=5’4″
age=24mos

We Got the Best Combat Sports

As a child, I liked to watch Southeast Asian Games, Asian Games, and Olympic Games. Wikipedia has the following entries.

The Southeast Asian Games (also known as the SEA Games), is a biennial multi-sport event involving participants from the current 11 countries of Southeast Asia. The games is under regulation of the Southeast Asian Games Federation with supervision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Olympic Council of Asia.

• Boxing
• Fencing
• Judo
• Karate
• Muay Thai
• Taekwondo
• Wrestling

The Asian Games, also called the Asiad, is a multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The games are regulated by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) under the supervision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Medals are awarded in each event, with gold for first place, silver for second and bronze for third, a tradition which started in 1951.

Competitors are entered by a National Olympic Committee (NOC) to represent their country of citizenship. National anthems and flags accompany the medal ceremonies, and tables showing the number of medals won by each country are widely used. In general only recognised nations are represented, but a few non-sovereign countries are allowed to take part. The special case of Taiwan was handled by having it compete as Chinese Taipei, due to the political status of Taiwan.

The first Asian games were held at New Delhi in 1952,which again hosted it in 1982

The 15th Asian Games were held in Doha, Qatar from December 1 to December 15, 2006. The 16th Asian Games will be held in Guangzhou, China from November 12, 2010 to November 27, 2010.

• Boxing
• Fencing
• Judo
• Karate
• Taekwondo
• Wrestling

The Olympic Games are an international multi-sport event established for both summer and winter sports. There have been two generations of the Olympic Games; the first were the Ancient Olympic Games (Greek: Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες; [Olympiakoi Agones] (help·info)) held at Olympia, Greece. The second, known as the Modern Olympic Games, were first revived in the late 19th century.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) was founded in 1894 on the initiative of, Pierre de Coubertin. It has become the governing body of the Olympic Movement, which is defined by the Olympic Charter. The evolution of the Olympic Movement during the 20th century forced the IOC to adapt the Games in several ways. Some of these adaptations include the addition of a Winter Games, a Paralympics, and an Olympic Games for teenagers. The IOC has also had to cope with the changing economic, political, and technological realities of the 20th century. The Olympics began to shift away from the pure amateur athlete as envisioned by Coubertin, they also navigated the Cold War and the overt use of the Games for political gain. The medium of television created the issue of corporate sponsorship and the commercialization of the Games.

The Olympic Movement is comprised of International sports federations, National Olympic committees and organizing committees for each specific Olympic Games. The IOC is the decision-making body. They initiate an Olympic Games by selecting a host city, which is usually announced six to seven years in advance of the Games. The host city is responsible to organize and fund a celebration of the Games consistent with the Olympic Charter. The Olympic program (which consists of the sports to be competed at an Olympic Games) is also determined by the IOC.

The Games have grown in scale to the point that nearly every nation on Earth is represented at a celebration of the Games. This growth has created numerous challenges, including boycotts, the use of performance enhancing drugs, bribery of officials, and terrorism. The Games encompass many rituals and symbols such as the Olympic flag and torch as well as the opening and closing ceremonies. Every four years the Olympics enable athletes, who compete in relative obscurity, the chance to attain national, and in the case of a few, international fame. The Games also afford the populations of host cities the opportunity to showcase their home to the world.

Until now amateur sports are more competitive than professional sports in my opinion. But both is affected by human psyche. Human combatants or athletes are not performing to their full potential.

• They want to avoid injuries
• They are thinking of their long term livelihood
• They are already ahead and just need to win on points
• They are have no drive to win all the time
• They do not want to dominate
• They are not fighting for their life

Gamecocks are not affected by human psyche. Gamecocks are true combatants and their instinct is to hit the other until the other flees. Gamecocks will continue hitting a dead one. Gamecocks instinct ignores any injuries they might have and keep fighting. Gamecocks are bitter and game to the core.They are fighting for supremacy and survival. Different breeds and strains have their style of fighting. Sometimes pierce fighting style – infighting shuffling. Sometimes passive fighting style – deadly counter punching. Whatever the fighting style that is ingrain in their genes, they are always game. Gameness is the will and the action to destroy the other. Paralyzed, broken wings, broken legs, punctured body, lungs full of blood, intestine on the ground, dying. Gamecocks still only thinks of killing the other.

– Gameness (til the End)

Willing Gladiators Not Slaves

The following paragraphs were my correspondence with a friend who had a comment to my Cockfighting – Sports and Lifestyle blog draft before I published it. It started as cockfighting and animal use in sports but I really love what I wrote in the end. The phrase “Willing Gladiators Not Slaves” resonates what it is all about. Gamefowls and Patriotic Men. What do you think?

Friend:

The reason it’s banned in the USA is because it’s cruel, not as an affront to liberty. The mentality of people who think it’s entertaining to see two animals try to kill each other is definitely suspect. Would you watch two dogs killing each other? What about two humans – would you watch a fight to the death with a bucket of popcorn on your lap?

Byron:

Thanks for your opinion/Qs.

Animal use in sports must be respected by all. Long live to horse racing, dog racing, wild animal hunting, fishing, bullfighting, horsefighting, pigeon racing.

I will support cockfighting & dogfighting when put up in a US vote again TO FIGHT FOR LIBERTY. Also willing gladiators not slaves.

Animal cruelty lobbyist & laws got their day as “the end justify the means”. End – trample liberty and criminalize honest men. Means – animal cruelty law.

Liberty is the #1 requirement for peaceful free society.

USA, France, & other countries even the Philippines were eventually formed at its present form by revolution.

“… inalienable rights; that among these, are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; … ; that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute new government, … ”
– Declaration of Independence as originally written by Thomas Jefferson, 1776

I am watching right now an Ireland cockfighting video I bought years ago – a documentary about cockfighting in Ireland by Spotlight Jeremy Adams.

Searching “spotlight jeremy adams” also results to this BBC link – Spotlight wins Royal Television Society Television Journalism award. Spotlight won in the Nations and Regions Current Affairs category for the special investigation The Pit Bull Sting.

I am a liberty and freedom advocate so I respect both side of a story. BUT do not support laws that will restrict others to pursue their happiness and personal matters that do not affect anyone including using their properties like animals in sports.

I would just like to expound on my reply to you about me supporting “willing gladiators not slaves.”.

We currently have different combat sports. Most of which are becoming more of an act rather than real combat. Fighters have no pride and honor in themselves anymore of ending the fight with prowess. I really hope the outcome are not staged or choreographed. They are more concern about promotion, stardoom, acting (instead of real fighting) performance.

News TV on wars around the world are becoming a form of entertainment. We can see from embedded videographers within a platoon or combat unit and their video footages the real war, the real human patriotic courage to fight, and the real damage of war to life and to property.

Some of these soldiers are really thinking that it is their calling to fight for their nation. And these are the fortunate ones – gladiators. Some are thinking that they are there because they could not afford college. And these are the unfortunate ones – slaves.

– Gameness (til the End)