Never in the history of FYBA has such a grandiose and much talked about opening ceremony getting underway last Sunday. This is exactly what happened in what is now regarded as the grandest opening ever in FYBA’s young 5-year history, and with what everyone witnessed, promises to be the start of something even bigger come September, a preview when we host the 2012 NABA Inter-City Basketball Tournament right here in Washington DC.
Preparations for this historic opening event started weeks before with the collective effort from all officers, volunteers and more importantly the sponsors, and with all the hard work and dedication of everyone involved. The day started with a thanksgiving mass officiated by Fr. PJ Camiring, complete with choir,
whose members and readers are all coming from the ranks of FYBA roster of players, followed by the entertainment portion of the program, and culminating with the much anticipated parade of players. Crowd favorite of the parade was that of the 4-year old little kids of the mosquito division, making their entrance felt by walking briskly in single file, led by their respective coaches. The opening prayer was given by Bro. EJ Bernabe.
Production Outfit – Second to None As the “Greatest Show on Earth” unfolded, it felt like witnessing an actual NBA All-Star weekend show, starting with the dimming of the lights, followed by the special effects the spotlights had while focusing on the players as they paraded in front of an ever growing crowd, this time with the bleachers nearing full capacity. The huge video screen, camera/projector, sound system and all production equipment were all courtesy of Romel Simon, and Francis Faina. To complement the state of the art production was the voice-over announcer Mike Mebratu from Mary Washington University, and two of the best emcees in the business, Ryan Crisostomo and Archie Castro. Guest speaker was Monique Lewis from the Washington Wizards/Mystics who talked about kids pursuing their dreams.
Talent Showcase – The Best of the Best The Philippine National Anthem was beautifully rendered by Mary Ramada while the US National Anthem was sung by the versatile Rosalyn Flores. Song numbers were provided by Bien Quiroz, Tabitha Jose and Malen. A special hip-hop dance number by Overflow delighted the crowd with their great performance. Stealing the show was the sterling performance of the newly formed, crowd favorite FYBA Cheerleading squad, composed of little girls in beautiful cheerleading blue and white outfits, matched by colorful pom poms. Also part of the program was honoring three of the best athletes from the FYBA’s ever-growing roster of players past and present, for their outstanding performances in their respective fields: Noel Obusan, OJ Porteria and John Beltran.
Let the Games Begin Sporting events like these are not complete without the players’ Oath of Sportsmanship, ably delivered by Kai Nafarrete, a FYBA Select Tykes player. All the games that ensued were all exciting and thrilling, to say the least, especially the first game ever of the newly formed FYBA Damsels, girls 13 yrs old and under, that will compete in the 2012 NABA 
tournament come September. The game went into overtime as the girls gave their hearts out but unfortunately came out short, much to the dismay of the crowd. They lost by two points against a veteran peewee team. In the other courts, as always, the mosquito games were fun as ever with eager 4-year old toddlers running around every which way, with their parents in tow. As a show of appreciation and giving back to the community for their loyalty and support throughout the 5 years of its existence, FYBA with the help of its volunteers, gave out free food and snacks to everybody. It has now evolved not only as a youth basketball organization but has now become a community-based, non-profit institution, run professionally by dedicated and selfless parent-volunteers entirely, raising the bar for all community organizations in Metropolitan Washington DC area.
A Glimpse of the Future If you were awed by the just concluded 2012 FYBA Spring-Summer League Opening Ceremony, wait till you see what your FYBA organization has in store for you as we host the 2012 NABA Inter-City Basketball Tournament come Labor Day weekend in September, here in our very own Washington DC, an event of historic proportions coming your way.
