{"id":39,"date":"2013-11-01T00:08:59","date_gmt":"2013-11-01T00:08:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/66.147.244.209\/~canadiu3\/?p=39"},"modified":"2014-01-15T07:50:06","modified_gmt":"2014-01-15T15:50:06","slug":"young-filipino-canadian-in-sports-avi-rhanzal-arellano","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2013\/11\/01\/young-filipino-canadian-in-sports-avi-rhanzal-arellano\/","title":{"rendered":"Young Filipino-Canadian In Sports: Avi Rhanzal Arellano"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Avi<\/a>
Avi gets his game on. (Photos courtesy of Avi Rhanzal Arellano)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

He grew up in the town of Guagua; a bustling municipality in the Philippine province of Pampanga. Like many others in a country laden with economic challenges, he comes from a family that had to struggle to make ends meet. At one point, both his parents sought work on foreign soil; his dad, in Saudi Arabia, and his mom, in Hong Kong. His dad returned to play both mother and father, while his mom stayed on \u2013 sacrificing precious time with her loved ones \u2013 in order to augment the family\u2019s income.<\/p>\n

He recalls this to be the most difficult of challenges faced in his young life. Yet he endured; choosing instead to focus on his favourite sport, pastime, and release: Basketball.<\/p>\n

This is the story of Filipino-Canadian Avi Rhanzal Arellano; young athlete, achiever, and player par-excellence.<\/p>\n

Noonday sun<\/h6>\n

Avi recalls life in his home province; hours on end spent with his dad, who was his role model and mentor. His father \u2013 also an avid player \u2013 had big basketball dreams of his own. Sadly, poverty proved an equally big nightmare, and father found himself living his dreams vicariously through son Avi. Father poured into son: advice, tips, nuggets of wisdom, practical skills.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy Dad said, I started really loving basketball when I was like in grade 2 in elementary school. I was very skinny and short that time, so I usually got beaten by taller and bigger kids in basketball. So everyday my dad gave me advice, taught me some basketball skills, motivated me,\u201d Avi shared.<\/p>\n

While most of the town\u2019s kids spent afternoons taking their siesta (afternoon nap) \u2013 which Avid candidly shares was \u201crequired\u201d by parents \u2013 the young boy, with his dad\u2019s consent, dribbled the ball under noonday sun.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven at 12 noon high sun, I played basketball. My skin was so dark then,\u201d he lightheartedly recounted.<\/p>\n

New basketball shoes, old life lessons<\/h6>\n

So it was that every time Avi\u2019s dad would buy him a new pair of basketball shoes, father reminded son of life\u2019s time-tested, valuable lessons: Count your blessings, and learn to give importance to the things that really matter.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhenever he (dad) would buy me a new pair of basketball shoes, he reminded me of his time; though he loved playing basketball and he had skills, he wasn\u2019t able to reach his dream of becoming a very successful basketball player, simply because they come from a poor family\u2026he had to settle for old pairs of shoes given to him by friends. He said that I am very, very lucky; I have everything I need to be successful in basketball. Also, he would always remind me that education is equally important, or even more important than basketball. So as hard as I trained, I studied hard too\u2026my success is all up to me now,\u201d Avi said.<\/p>\n

Sacrifice pays off<\/h6>\n

Avi reveals his biggest inspirations in life: His parents.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy parents are my inspirations. I have seen them work so hard for us, sacrifice time and distance. Just to be able to give all we need,\u201d he shared.<\/p>\n

While working in Hong Kong, Avi\u2019s mom applied for a nanny job in Canada, and in December 2006, years of sacrifice, hard work, and time spent apart finally paid off. The Arellano family was finally reunited as new immigrants to Canada.<\/p>\n

Sudden change<\/h6>\n

Although life in Canada has proven to be rewarding, it wasn\u2019t without its challenges.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere in Canada, the obstacle I had to face was the sudden change of environment and culture. It took time for me to get along with new friends here. I was a shy person and there were times I got this fear of getting bullied by other kids. But slowly, I got used to everything here,\u201d Avi recalled.<\/p>\n

Basketball was once more his outlet. He trained hard, played hard, continued to strive for excellence; always looking to his dad for strength, with added input from one new mentor: his high school basketball coach.<\/p>\n

He did well in hockey and volleyball, too, but basketball is his true love.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love everything about basketball. But what I like most is, it\u2019s a team game. And I consider my team mates as friends. There is nothing more fulfilling than winning a game together and sharing the joy of it with your team mates. I really love playing the game. After school, I stay in the gym for another 2 hours to practice and train. Even if I am alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Defining moment<\/h6>\n

Avi looks back to a moment that will forever define his dedication to the sport: \u201cI remember a game, it was a very crucial and important game; a \u2018do or die\u2019 to make it to the finals. I tried so hard and gave everything. We lost. My dad was speechless on the bleachers. I did not know then \u2013 he did not show me \u2013 that he cried. In the locker room\u2026I cried with my teammates and friends. He approached me and tapped my back and said, \u2018It\u2019s alright son.\u2019 It made me stronger. I will never ever forget that moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Big payoff<\/h6>\n

Commitment, discipline, dedication to the sport has paid off in big ways for Avi. Medal upon medal, award after award; the list of accolades this young man has achieved is indeed lengthy.<\/p>\n

To name just a few: Sea to Sky basketball league 2010 All-Star MVP; Junior Boys Athlete Of The Year 2009-2010 (Howe Sound Secondary School); Cougar Classic Tournament All-Star MVP 2011; Senior Boys Athlete Of The Year 2013; First Draft, North Shore First All Star Team, 2013.<\/p>\n

The ultimate dream<\/h6>\n

Like every serious player of the sport, Avi\u2019s ultimate dream is to someday play for the NBA. He is quick to name Canadian Steve Nash of the LA Lakers as his favorite player.<\/p>\n

He also dreams of playing in the land of his roots.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do wish to be able to play back home in the Philippines. Basketball is a very big sport there and I think it would be so much fun to play in front of my kababayans.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like there is no tomorrow<\/h6>\n

In the meantime, Avi continues to press towards the mark; pushing himself to higher limits as he progresses.<\/p>\n

To other aspiring athletes and young achievers like him, he says: \u201cThere is always room for improvement. Train as hard as you can, train like there is no more tomorrow. If you are resting this day, remember that someone out there is not and is getting better than you\u2026set a goal and focus on it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBe competitive in each game and practice, but at the same time be humble and friendly,\u201d he adds; keeping things in perspective.<\/p>\n

And finally, he shares: \u201cFaith and gratitude to God, gratitude to family and friends\u2026believe and achieve!!!\u201d<\/p>\n

His personal mantra for the game? \u201cl will go wherever it (basketball) leads me\u2026by God\u2019s grace and will.\u201d<\/p>\n

Interview conducted by Atty. Melissa Remulla-Briones, EIC, Philippine-Canadian Inquirer
\nArticle synthesized and written by Angie Duarte, writer, Philippine-Canadian Inquirer<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is the story of Filipino-Canadian Avi Rhanzal Arellano; young athlete, achiever, and player par-excellence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":341,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-filipino-canadian-in-focus","mauthors-angie-duarte","mauthors-philippine-canadian-inquirer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/341"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}