Jacinto Ciria Cruz Swimming Pool

This morning, I found myself reminiscing those early mornings at the Jacinto Ciria Cruz Swimming Pool. I was a member of the High School Swimming Team of De La Salle College in Taft and I recall some of the members of that team included Noel Tolentino, Nick Gregorius, Manuel Lopez, Benjie Sandejas, Mari Valles, Rene Ledesma. Our Coach was Angel Martinez and later Doroteo Algere. The Team trained together during the NCAA season at the Rizal Memorial Swimming, not at the Jacinto. After practice, we would hurry up for classes croosing that small bridge that connected La Salle to the Rizal Memorial Complex. The water in the pool was not well maintained during that time and we did not have enough time to get a good shower. Most of us suffered from ring worms and it was terrible. But somehow, we didn’t mind and exchanged notes on what is best medication.

I already smoked during that time, perhaps two to three sticks a day. Imported cigarettes were available at the Archer’s Nook across La Salle and they sold at ten centavos per stick or fifteen centavos for two sticks. Nobody bought one stick…it was custom to look for another student who would add five centavos to your ten to get two. The brands then were Salem and Marlboro. Ate Glo (not GMA nor the impersonator) was Ate to all the La Sallites. Bismarck Hadarly, a classmate and member of our high school gang discovered that smuggled cigarettes were sold at Plaza Santa Cruz. These were State Express and Peace Cigarettes in packs of ten and we found it awesome.

The effect of cigarettes showed when you swam for competition so I abstained during training season. Whenever I cheated, my timed sprints would suffer one or two seconds, even with just one cigarette. Ah, those days when one was young and healthy.

During off season, I kept in shape at Jacinto with other swimmers from different schools and the usual fare was 400 meters of warm up, 400 meters of leg work, 400 meters of arm work, 400 meters pacing (arms and legs), 50 meter sprints eight times, and 400 meters of loosening up. Some of the swimmers were Connie Paredes, Ressie and Violeta Neric, Hedy Garcia, Jean Belzer, Lulu Trinidad, Beth Dalena, Arthur Navasero, Gilbert and Melvin Marquez, Ogie Borja, I cannot recall the others, some only their last names such as Julaton, Duff, and Beltran.