INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MULTIDISCIPLINARY: APPLIED BUSINESS AND EDUCATION RESEARCH 2021, Vol. 2, No. 4, 327 – 336 http://dx.doi.org/10.11594/ijmaber.02.04.06 Research Article The Making of the Champions: A Case Study of the Development of The Young Aerobic Gymnasts in Malay Aklan Mike Jhun Detaro Valencia, Jimmy Bernabe Maming, Jesalem Hermosa Medina, Glenvee Dagohoy Macasarte* Institute of Tourism Hospitality and Management, Malay College, 5608, Philippines Article history: ABSTRACT Submission April 2021 Revised April 2021 The Philippines has the potential to excel in this field because an ath- Accepted April 2021 lete's height is not a requirement compared to other sports like swim- ming, basketball, and the likes. This is qualitative research specifically *Corresponding author: E-mail: employs a single case study to explore the narratives of the young [email protected] aerobic gymnasts in the Municipality of Malay, Aklan. This study uti- lizes online interviews, observation, and data reviews in gathering the data while Yin's (2003) approached was utilized in the analysis of data. Themes emerged from stories of the participants like Personal Skills and Motivations of Young Aerobic Gymnasts is Foundational in Winning the Competition, Present DepEd Curriculum Lacks Content in Aerobic Gymnastics and Parents, School, Government, and Busi- ness Sector Support are Significant Factors for a Gymnast to Succeed. The output of the study is a proposed new Model of Young Aerobic Gymnastics Development. Keywords: Making of Champions, Young Aerobic Gymnasts, Malay, Aklan, Philippines, Model of Young Aerobic Gymnasts Development. Introduction Gymnastics is a sport integrated into the with abundant energy to burn (Gymnastics Vic- first Ancient Olympic Games, practiced interna- toria, 2021). It originated from group fitness tionally in different disciplines particularly in and aerobic classes of the late 1980s and this Women Artistic Gymnastics, Men Artistic Gym- sport present continuous, flexible, strong nastics, Rhythmic Gymnastics, Trampoline movement, including the utilization of seven Gymnastics, Tumbling Gymnastics, Acrobatic basic steps perfectly executing the difficulty Gymnastics, Gymnastics for All, and Aerobic level of elements (Fahmi, et. al. 2019). Re- Gymnastics. In aerobic gymnastics, it entails cently, this sport has been added to the disci- the staging of lively action patterns to heart- pline of gymnastics and boasts a growing pounding sound. One could find that this number of enthusiasts throughout the UK and activity is an ideal sport for dynamic people in most of the world (British Gymnastics, n.d.). How to cite: Valencia, M. J. D., Maming, J. B., Medina, J. H., & Macasarte, G. D. (2021). The Making of the Champions: A Case Study of the Development of The Young Aerobic Gymnasts in Malay, Aklan. International Journal of Multidisciplinary: Applied Business and Education Research. 2(4), 327 – 336. doi: 10.11594/ijmaber.02.04.06 Valencia et al., 2021/ The Making of the Champions: A Case Study of the Development of The Young Aerobic Gymnasts in Malay, Aklan Furthermore, Aerobic Gymnastics has been Literature Review part of the International Gymnastics Federa- There are fundamentals skills needed by an tion (FIG) and undergone reglementary review athlete in excelling at aerobic gymnastics. Xin, purposely to achieve a high level of functional- et. al (2020) stressed that kindergarten-aged ity, harmony, and consistent structure among children are closely linked with physical activ- judges (Guitiezney and Vertina as cited by ity and a significant period in developing these Mehrtash and Farzaneh, 2015). foundational skills. Their findings revealed that In the Philippines, Gymnastics has been pi- this foundational year critical in the formation oneered by Director Candido Bartolome and of an athlete to master these skills and excel. Mrs. Francisca Aquino (John, 2011). The Philip- Bayhan &Artan as cited by Demir, et. al (2020) pine Constitution specifically Article IV, section postulates that children's experiences gain by 19 mandates all learning institution to incorpo- using their bodies are significant in their per- rate the study of MAPEH by “Promoting physi- ception and appreciation of the world. cal education and encourage sports programs, This is especially in the early years of their league competitions and the likes to advance engagement as they experience and accumu- self-discipline, teamwork, and excellence for late knowledge and skills to form the organiza- the development of a healthy and alert citi- tion of motor, social, and cognitive develop- zenry (DepEd K to 12 Curriculum Guide Physi- ments. It was believed that the identification cal Education, 2012, p. 2). and growth of children's skills in the initial year Reflecting on the above provisions, the of their growth and development are regarded MAPEH Curriculum under the DepED contents as a fundamental subject area in education. In lacks preparations for aerobic gymnastics. In honing the skills of an aerobic gymnast, the mo- Grades 2 and 3, one could notice the presence dality of instruction must be considered. One of rhythmic routines but its content centers on could think of Inquiry-Based Instruction and ribbon, hoop, and balls. In Grade 11, one could Direct Instructions. An inquiry-based instruc- notice the Fitness/Exercise with aerobic activ- tion model is a student-centered approach ity but its activity is on traditional aerobic steps wherein the instructor or coach guides the stu- in the form of Zumba. Aside from Grades 2, 3, dents through questions posed, methods de- and 11, there are no curriculum contents that signed, and data interpreted by the students. adhere to the aerobic gymnastics sports with Direct instruction in the honing process fol- the DepEd Curriculum Guide (K-12 Curriculum lowed the command style and evaluated it as a Guide Physical Education, 2016). very effective method for realizing physical and The researchers would like to explore the cognitive learning. Furthermore, this style is narratives of aerobic gymnasts who won cham- used for achieving goals such as uniformity, pions in the Batang Pinoy National Competition simultaneous performance, conformity with a and Palarong Pambansa representing the Mu- model, promoting the team spirit mentality of nicipality of Malay, Aklan, and out of its find- the group, and using time productively, by ings, a new Model of Aerobic Gymnastics Devel- providing the opportunity for a greater number opment. of repeated movements under the management of the teacher or the coach (Mosston & Ash- Objectives worth as cited by Demir, et.al, 2020). Culjack, 1. To explore the narratives of the aerobic et.al (2014) stressed that the daily activity of gymnasts who competed and won in the children affects both the growth process of Batang Pinoy National Championship and gymnast skills and elemental activity skills. Palarong Pambansa; Basic gymnastics, in combination with the 2. To determine the gaps and challenges in proper daily activity of young children, can im- honing the skills of the aerobic gymnasts; prove their foundational skills like running, and hopping, leaping, and jumping. The objective of 3. To propose a New Model of Aerobic Gym- this is to control the movements particularly in nastics Development. throwing, catching, kicking, and striking. To es- tablish stability or balance activity the rolling, IJMABER 328 Volume 2 | Number 4 | April | 2021 Valencia et al., 2021/ The Making of the Champions: A Case Study of the Development of The Young Aerobic Gymnasts in Malay, Aklan landing, bending, and stretching skills are sig- these requirements of simple or composite mo- nificant to the formation process (Zeng, et. al, tor skills in advance for the utilization of mod- 2019). After a gymnasts master the fundamen- ern technology and three-dimensional models tal movement skills, motor skills will be the to measure their use to learn skills and upgrad- next essential step to master. Zhang and ing the physical and dexterity aspect of aerobic Cheung (2019) disclosed that the low organiza- gymnastics (Elhabashy, 2019). In Aerobic gym- tional games approach physical fitness lesson is nastics, activity-specific skills rely on how an an effective intervention to enhance children's athlete mastered essential steps and motor development of their motor skills. This organi- skills fundamentals. zational series of motor movements in aerobic Once an athlete is ready for another degree gymnastics combines the movement patterns of difficulty element, the coach or trainer will body segments like the foundation join the introduce the specific skills and activities that games and related activities. A factor that is sig- are essentials in maximizing the skills of an ath- nificantly affecting children's engagement in lete. Szloboda, et. al (2020) suggested that the activity to become skilled children that coaches should take into consideration the manage their physical attributes and acquire basic principles of tissue adaptation for complex skills in aerobic gymnastics activities. strength, flexibility, power, and endurance of Furthermore, it contributes to physical activi- the gymnasts particularly on muscle, tendon, ties and natural enjoyment by allowing an ath- ligament, bone, cartilage, skin, and body sys- lete to understand and improve their confi- tems to adapt with an imposed stress during dence in maintaining an active lifestyle. Luban, the rest or recovery period. Morgan, Cliff, Bernett & Okley as cited by Kha- An