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 News from Around Banderas Bay | December 2006 
Puerto Vallarta Amateur Athletes Honored
 Bob Cohen - PVNN
| | The four gold medalists after receiving their awards in Olympic sports. | 
| | The athlete of the year, frontenis star Guadalupe Maria Hernandez Encarnacion accepts her plaque from Mayor Gustavo Villaseñor. | 
| | He had to be led to the stage to receive his gold medal award, but blind athlete, Rogelio de Jesus Adame Rojas was as proud as anyone and even more deserving. | 
| | The head table where all the awards sat waiting to be handed out included Puerto Vallarta officials, including Mayor Gustavo Villaseñor. | 
| | Boxing Maestro Porfirio Cruz Loza was thrilled to receive recognition for his contributions. | 
| | Muay Thai Mexican champion and professor, Santiago Manazanarez accepts his award. | 
| | Professor and Muay Thai champion Carlos Solorio accepts his award. | 
| | To the loudest ovation, Professora Lesley Bodkin accepts her award for coaching girls softball for over a decade. | 
| | Athlete of the year and frontenis champion Guadalupe Maria Hernandez Encarnacion humbly listens to the praises from Mayor Gustavo Villaseñor. | 
| | Amigo and fellow sportswriter Fransico "Pancho" Montes of Vallarta Opina received special recognition for his efforts covering all sporting events in Puerto Vallarta. |
Puerto Vallarta - On December 1st, the Mexican holiday to commemorate the change of political offices took a different twist in Colonia La Floresta, as local sports stars, mostly youth, were given awards for their efforts in National Olympic events.
The celebration took place at El Tecualeño restaurant with local dignitaries such as outgoing Mayor Lic. Gustavo Gonzalez Villaseñor and Lic. Cesar Abarca Gutierrez, the Chief of Sports, on hand for the entire event.
Also in attendance were Sra. Ma. Conecepción and Ing. Arturo Davalos Peña from the Commission of Sports among others, including the popular Sr. Ignacio (Nacho) Curiel Madero who is the outgoing Director of the Municipal Sports Complex, who all sat at the head table for the presentation of awards.
The Department of Sports, which is run by the city of Puerto Vallarta, gives youth the opportunity to learn, play and compete in a vast number of sports. The complex, which is located across from the Sheraton, offers an Olympic size track with a new surface that meets international standards and is filled with joggers every morning.
There are also four soccer fields, two baseball fields, a gymnasium, 12 Fronton tennis courts, four outdoor basketball courts, as well as a skateboard area and weight training equipment. Also, different classes are offered daily, such as aerobics that are filled with groups of over 50 people. The city also runs leagues in almost every sport.
The most celebrated athlete honored was Guadalupe Maria Hernandez Encarnación, who has competed in, and won, events around the world every year since 2002 when she first won in Pamplona, Spain. She was presented with a special large plague to a standing ovation of the 200 people in attendance. Congratulations to Guadalupe and all other award recipients.
Those honored were National Selections and Medalists from the National Olympic Games in 2006 were:
NATIONAL SELECTIONS
Guadalupe Maria Hernandez Encarnacion in Frontenis
Ariana Noemí Aranda Garcia in Fencing
Zenllacy Nauli Dueñas Rivera in Tae Kwon Do
Cinthia Marisol Arreola Lopez in Disabled Sports
Orlando Molina Cedillo in Disabled Sports
GOLD MEDALISTS
Diego Aramando Santana Bracamontes in Olympic Sports
Valeria Palacios Vargas in Olympic Sports
Veronica Cibrian Curiel in Olympic Sports
Hose Luis Amaya Coronado in Olympic Sports
Fatima Aguilar Hernandez in Frontenis
Fatima Massiel Villaseñor Tovar in Frontenis
Dulce Daniela A. Gonzalez Cazares in Soccer
Anayeli Denis Barreto Miramontes in Soccer
Alejandra Teresita Valencia Zamora in Soccer
Cristina Anahi Ramos Hernandez in Soccer
Pamela Lissette Jimenez Larromana in Squash
Joavana Sandi Luna Garcia in Squash
Elba Paola Interrante Lopez in Squash
Fabiola Azenet Gomez Ramirez in Squash
Lia Castellanos Arizmendi in Squash
Carlo Ivan Gomez Beltran in Motocross
Rosario Pelayo Fuentes in Disabled Sports
Rogelio de Jesus Adame Rojas in Disabled Sports
Astrid Peña Andrade in Disabled Sports
Floralia Estrada Bernal in Disabled Sports
SILVER MEDALISTS
Eduardo Efren Pacheco Andrade in Olympic Sports
Katia Dali Ortiz Castañeda in Olympic Sports
Ulises Sandoval Ramirez in Cycling
Stefanny Lobato Furlong in Fencing
Hector Hugo de la Torre Iñiguez in Fencing
Alejandro Flores Servin in Fencing
Aramando Peña Veles in Disabled Sports
BRONZE MEDALISTS
Sharon Samantha Rincon Alvarado in Soccer
Georgina Mendoza Reyna in Soccer
Sarai Luna Garcia in Squash
Griselda Yaneth Zanabria Castro in Squash
Each young athlete was awarded a trophy and a medallion, both with their names engraved on them. After the presentations to the competing athletes, the coaches, or "Maestros," were called forward to receive special recognition.
The "Maestros" Honored were:
OLYMPIC SPORTS
Professor Fernando Leon Trujillo
Lic. Victor Victores Garcia
BASKETBALL
Sr. Juan Manuel Gonzalez Rodriguez
BASEBALL
Sr. Cesar Sanchez Morales
Sr. Jose Julian Quiroz Vega
BOXING
Sr. Porfirio Cruz Loza
Sr. Carlos Alfonso Rojas Martonez
CYCLING
Sr. Francisco Velasco Bektran
FENCING
Ariana Aranda Garcia
GIRLS SOCCER
Sra. Evelia Cazarez de Gonzalez
Mariana Anjuli Ladron de Guevara Guereña
BOYS SOCCER
Liga Municipal Infantil and Juvenil de Futbol
Sr. Juan Manuel Cuevas Guitron
FRONTENIS
Sr. Hector Manzano Belloso
GYMNASTICS
Maria Luisa Lorenzana Yerena
Lic. Isabel Rodriguez Lara
Asucena Lorenzana Yerena
LUCHA LIBRE
Sr. Pedro Alberto Palomera Duran
MUAY THAI
Profesor Santiago Manzanarez Soriano
Carlos Milton Solorio Cruz
SQUASH
Sr. Manuel Loza Niño
SOFTBALL
Professor Lesley Bodkin Wilkinson
VOLLEYBALL
Sr. Andres Ibarria Belloso
Sra. Alhya V. Rodriguez Flor
KARATE
Profesor J. Francisco Crisosto Rodriguez
Profesor Francisco Javier Valenzuela Serrano
On the day of the festivities, it was quite refreshing to see not the money winners in sports honored, but those who couldn't afford golf or tennis lessons and chose to be part of the City of Puerto Vallarta's superb athletic programs.
Also, outgoing Mayor Gustavo Villaseñor, who is not up for re-election, warmly embraced every athlete and Maestro, showing his support of sports as a healthy alternative lifestyle. Lic. Gustavo stayed for the entire event, and in my opinion, rose far and above the many who criticized him for the many improvements to our city that were not completed during his term as Mayor. |
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