18 SPORTS
18 SPORTS
THE MESSAGE . BRINGING INTO FOCUS FILIPINO PRESENCE IN AUSTRALIA www . kalatas . com . au | Volume 7 Number 8 | MAY 2017
Zaeclan , Zaebriel and Zaelic Orayenza
‘ Team Orayenza ’ collects medals and trophies
The Orayenza family from Plumpton in Sydney ’ s west has stockpiled a unique collection of medals and trophies courtesy of a brood of young achievers . The kids have amassed a hoard that tells of their sporting triumphs …
By : Violi Calvert
Maybe their story of grit and athleticism has something to do with their names ? Parents Raissa and Robert Orayenza , to start with , had all their children start with ‘ Zae ’.
“ I wanted to give them unique names so that all the letters in their names can be found in both Robert ’ s full name and my full name . And ‘ Z ’ is my favourite letter , the next two letters “ ae ” are from my second name “ Mae ”, to make it easier .”
Hence , the young Team Orayenza is composed of Zaelic , 10 ; Zaebriel , 8 ; Zaeclan , 7 , and Zaevar , 4 – all of them in Australia .
The latest medal haul by Zaelic inlcuded two golds in his Sports Taekwondo Australia championships held at the Sydney Olympic Park last month . He won one medal in his weight division [ scored 44-1 ] and one in the higher weight division [ scored 14 - 5 ]. Before these
medals , he won two golds at STA Taekwondo Sparring on April 2 .
He has been invited to be part of the Elite Martial Arts in Minchinbury that will soon compete overseas . He also won five trophies in competitions conducted by the International Sports Karate Association [ ISKA ] - 1st place in Sumo , 2nd place in Point Sparring , 2nd place in Clash Sparring , 2nd place in Koshiki and 2nd place in Continuous Sparring . He had also won trophies and medals in the last two years as a runner and swimmer .
Zaebriel , the only girl in the brood , also contributes to the family ’ s collection . She excels in the field of Gymnastic - Single Trampoline , Double Mini Trampoline and Synchro Trampoline . She was gold medallist in the State Gymnastic - Double Mini Trampoline Championship in August last year , defeating 43 other competitors .
She made it to National Championships on Single , Double Mini and Synchro Trampoline to be held in Melbourne from May 30 to June 1 . She and partner for Synchro Trampoline , Tegan Upton , won 3rd place [ Bronze ] in the State Gymnastic Championship competing against 14 pairs held in March .
Similarly Zaeclan has won several trophies and medals over the years . In March this year , he added five in their booty - 1st place in Sumo , 1st place in Traditional Weapon , 2nd place in Point Sparring , 2nd place in Clash Sparring and 3rd place in Koshiki competitions conducted by ISKA .
The youngest of the children , Zaevar is also showing great potential . On his first day of gymnastic , he was moved up a level based on the instructor ’ s observation of the level of his skills . He now also holds an orange belt in Taekwondo .
Below are the children ’ s responses to a few questions .
• What do you want to be in the future ?
• Zaelic - I want to become a biologist .
• Zaebriel - I want to be a singer and a coach .
• Zaeclan - I want to be a scientist .
• What do your awards / wins mean to you ?
• Zaelic - My winnings are very important to me because they represent my hard work , the effort I put in each events and trainings and for my parents who are always there for me .
• Zaebriel - My awards mean to as precious memory of me doing great in my activities .
• Zaeclan - Whenever I get trophies , it feels good as it means I did great .
• Who is your idol / inspiration ?
• Zaelic - My inspirations are my parents and grandma . I want them to be happy and proud .
• Zaebriel - My Mum is my inspiration because ever since I was little , she has been teaching me , looking after me and what I am now is because of her .
• Zaeclan - My mum because she always cheers for me .
• What do you want to achieve in the future in your sports ?
• Zaelic - In the future , I wish to be in the Olympics to represent my country .
• Zaebriel - I want to become a great gymnast and hopefully compete in the Olympics .
• Zaeclan - I want to be a Master .
Little Zaevar ’ s overall comment : “ I want to win trophies and medals like my brothers and my sister .”
The youngest of the children , Zaevar is also showing great potential . On his first day of gymnastic , he was moved up a level based on the instructor ’ s observation of the level of his skills . He now also holds an orange belt in Taekwondo .