the iceman winneth

A quick newsflash... The Guam Pacific Daily News just published a story on Nikko. BIG THANKS to the reporter Alex J. Rhowunio'ng for the story. You can check it out here complete with a photo and all.

I copied the story below in case the site is down. Enjoy!


The iceman winneth
Santa Clara's Tydingco plays at top of his game
By Alex J. Rhowunio'ng
Pacific Daily News
ajrhowunio'ng@ guampdn.com
Originally published April 21, 2006

Theoren Tydingco continues to defy the odds.

At age 13, he just might be the world's only Chamorro-Filipino ice hockey player -- and he's good, good enough to be a champion. His team, the Santa Clara Blackhawks, beat the Indianapolis Racers 4-0 in the finals to win the USA Hockey Peewee Tier II Nationals April 2 in Fort Wayne, Ind.

The 5-foot-3-inch, 125-pound defenseman -- the son of Norbert and Cristina Tydingco of Newark, Calif. -- lives the life of an elite athlete. He just returned from the Czech Republic and will leave for Canada in June for summer tournaments.

"Winning the national championships was an incredible accomplishment for Theo," Norbert Tydingco said via the telephone. "It capped off an amazing year of successes that included winning the Best Defenseman Award at the Bell Capital Cup All-Star Game in Ottawa, Ontario, and being named to the Silver Stick International All-Star in Port Huron Michigan."
Theoren Tydingco has played in summer tournaments near Calgary, Alberta, the past few years, and he'll spend June through early July up there.

"This year, I am going to work out more to get into better shape," he said. "I'm going to work on my weaknesses -- my backhand shot, my quickness and (explosiveness).

"Now, I lift weights, do pushups and sit-ups for my upper-body strength," he said. "I also do curls for more power in my shot."

He added that he is not lifting to bulk up but to get the strength he needs for speed and explosion, and to help keep the risk of injury to a minimum.

Theoren Tydingco was with Team USA in the Czech Republic, where he represented the United States in an international tournament against teams from Austria, the Czech Republic and Russia.

"We played about five games, but we did not really have any competition," Theoren Tydingco said matter-of-factly.

The closest game, he said, was a 5-3 win against the Russia Silver Sharks. The others were blowouts.

Despite his success on the frozen pond, Theoren Tydingco said he is "not very, very special at home."

"(My parents) don't treat me any different from my 8-year old brother, Brendan, and 22-year-old sister, Sonia," he said.

Even his friends at Newark Junior High School don't treat him differently.

"They still know me as a person, not different from any other ... just that I have a hockey background," said the seventh-grader.

Theoren Tydingco knows the importance of being grounded, and he carries that attitude into the classroom.

"I want to play professional hockey, but I keep my grades up and work hard in school first," he said.