Another Honor for Paeng

By Joaquin M. Henson

Six-time world champion Paeng Nepomuceno continues to mercilessly assault the record books and at the age of 51, the Philippines' most decorated athlete remains an active competitor in the international bowling circuit.

Nepomuceno has been cited thrice by the Guinness Book of World Records with the latest recognition his collection of 118 bowling titles in a career that began when he was only 12.

Last September, the left-handed kegler garnered his 118th championship, topping Australia's most prestigious individual tournament -- the South Pacific Classic in Melbourne. He beat last year's World Tenpin Masters champion Jason Belmonte, 23, for the crown.

No other bowler in history has ever been honored for three world records. And what makes Nepomuceno's feat even more remarkable is his three records are intact, withstanding the test of time. That's a tribute to Nepomuceno's unparalleled brilliance.

It's no wonder there's a more-than-life-sized, seven-foot image of Nepomuceno greeting visitors at the entrance of the International Bowling Hall of Fame and Museum in St. Louis, Missouri. No one has come close to even duplicating Nepomuceno's achievements.

In the 288-page edition of the Guinness World Records 2008, Nepomuceno is mentioned under "Tenpin Bowling" in the "target sports" section on the chapter on sports.

Here's what it said:

"The tenpin-bowling World Cup (instituted in 1965) is contested annually by the national champions of the Federation Internationale des Quilleurs (FIQ). The most wins of the tenpin-bowling World Cup is four by Paeng Nepomuceno (Philippines) in 1976, 1980, 1992 and 1996.

"Three bowlers share the record for most World Cup tenpin-bowling titles won by a woman, with two wins each. They are Jeanette Baker (Australia) in 1982 and 1983, Pauline Smith (UK) in 1981 and 1993 and Shannon Pluhowsky (USA) in 2002 and 2004."

No male or female champion has been able to bag titles in a period of time longer than Nepomuceno's 20-year stretch from his first crown in 1976 to his fourth in 1996. The woman with the longest wait of 12 years in between two championships was Smith.

Nepomuceno gained his first Guinness certificate for winning four World Cup titles in three different decades - the 70s, 80s and 90s. He's still hoping to reset the record to five crowns in a fourth decade.

The second Guinness recognition was for Nepomuceno being the youngest at 19 to win the World Cup in Tehran in 1976.

The third citation for most career championships was the icing on the cake.

"This is a great honor and I'd like to share it with all my countrymen," said Nepomuceno. "Whenever i compete, my countrymen always give me great inspiration to always do my best."

The latest Guinness certificate honoring Nepomuceno stated: "The record for the most tenpin-bowling titles in a career is 118 and was achieved by Paeng Nepomuceno (Philippines) on 18 September 2007."

Nepomuceno was congratulated by the Guinness World Records management team, headed by Marco Frigatti, and welcomed to the elite club of World Record Holders in an accompanying letter.

It was the second award received by Nepomuceno for winning the South Pacific Classic. Last January, President Arroyo conferred on Nepomuceno the Order of Lakandula with the Special Class of Champion for Life in recognition of his Melbourne victory.

The Guinness World Records management team should also consider citing Nepomuceno for other accomplishments such as being the only bowler to be given the International Olympic Committee President's Trophy - the highest award for sports - in 1999 despite bowling's absence in the Olympic calendar, the only man to be named by the World FIQ as the Bowling Athlete of the Millenium, the only athlete to be recognized by the Bowler's Journal International as the greatest international bowler of all-time in 2003 and the only bowler to win world titles in five continents - the Americas, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

Nepomuceno, who was named as the greatest Filipino athlete of the century by Congress and the Senate, makes every Filipino proud. Soft-spoken and humble, he credits hard work, an uncompromising discipline, self-sacrifice, his father Angel's coaching, his mother Baby's guidance, his wife Pinky's support and his three children's inspiration (Rafael Jose, 22, Saira Margarita Paz, 18 and Isabel Angela, 12) as the factors that led to his success at the lanes.

Taken from The Philippine Star

Retirement at 16?

By Ally Azzarelli

My earliest penny-counting days date back to the tender age of 7.

Silly as it may sound, I attempted to charge my family to use our bathroom. I hung up a bread bag on the doorknob and solicited my parents for donations. The venture lasted about an hour.

As the years progressed I moved on to selling three or four tickets for dance performances. Those weekly dancing and baton-twirling classes had finally been put to use! I'd round up my father's albums, put on my sequined dance costume and perform a talent show featuring my 3-year-old brother and me.

Truthfully, I can't think of a single show where my brother ever got his one-liner correct! The minute he saw my mother clapping her hands and "wowing," he was off climbing into her lap.

Most kids spent their summers on the beach or in the backyard pool. I, however, could always be found behind a picnic table on our front lawn.

Lucky for me, it was on one of the busiest streets in town. I can remember countless hot summer afternoons spent trying to "rake in a few bucks" selling lemonade or iced tea.

If it wasn't pouring sugary drinks, it was conducting a book and magazine sale. Then, as the months passed, it would be raking leaves, which would soon change into lucrative snow shoveling.

As I got older my strategies proved more successful. Too young to baby-sit alone, I decided to transform our basement into "Allyson's Play School."

Such an idea could not be complete without a strong curriculum including arts and crafts, snack time and show and tell. We even had a sports day (with three ribbons) in the backyard. The profits weren't much, but it was a big step from sweating it out behind an iced-tea stand.

What baffles me is what I--then a child of 10--ever wanted with so much pocket change. I can't recall saving it. In addition to the generous allowance doled out by my parents every Friday, I was always scheming new plans.

My next idea is one that I won't forget. While awaiting the age at which I could be legally employed, 16, I devised a final plan. At that time I was a fanatic of the '60s group, the Monkees. I arranged to put together a newsletter.

Thanks to numerous classified ads and the hundreds of fliers passed out at their beach concerts, this "fanzine" was subscribed to by 168 people across the United States. Charging as little as $5 a year for the quarterly newsletter, I made next to nothing after tallying up photocopying costs and postage stamps.

My motto at that age was: "Wow, I'm havin' fun and meeting new people. Who cares if I'm only making $40 a year?"

But now that I am 16 I should be ready for the business world, right? Wrong!

What really baffles my family is that now that I'm legally permitted to get a part-time job, I prefer not to.

Finally I can go confidently to the candy store owner for a position that has not been filled for months. Why haven't I?

Why is it that now when spending money is so important to a teenager, I am making do with an almost empty bank account? Has a new-found laziness taken over my mind? Not at all, I just feel like I'm ready for a hard-earned retirement plan!

Editor's Note: The author, 16, is from North Valley Stream, New York

Taken from Youth 90 magazine