Third sport for Bea
(2nd of 2 parts)
When Manila was tapped to host the Southeast Asian Games in 2005, Bea Lucero thought of once more sacrificing to give glory to the country. She tried her hand in another sport, this time wushu. By then, she was married to Jean Henri Lhuillier and had two children. In the national trials, Bea and a teammate were beaten by a Chinese pair that had received a lot of support from the wushu leadership. That closed the door on her sports career forever.
Former Gintong Alay head Michael Keon tried to convince Bea to give it another try but she had made up her mind. Obviously, it was a rebuff on the politics that has plagued Philippine sports for decades. Keon would later lament that Bea’s withdrawal was more a loss for wushu than hers because she could’ve done so much to raise the level of public awareness for the sport with her participation.
Bea’s father Tony Lucero, a lawyer, said throughout Bea’s athletic career, he and his wife Leana, a teacher, supported her all the way. They spent not a small fortune for her but it was worth every peso to raise a daughter whose discipline, talent, competitive nature and love of country were at an extraordinarily high level. The Luceros have two other children and they, too, were raised with a lot of love and support. Mark, 56, now lives in New Zealand. He dabbled in gymnastics, wrestling and judo before settling as a professional in finance. Mabel, 55, is a teacher in Valencia, California. “For a young athlete to excel, there must be support, coaching, equipment, drive and parental guidance,” said Tony.
**** The Luceros went through painful years battling politics in sports and shielding Bea from unscrupulous operators. But there were shining moments, too. Sports made Bea a role model for athletes of all ages and genders. “I remember whenever Bea came out to perform in gymnastics, the crowd would chant her name, Be-a, Be-a,” said Tony. Now, she’s a devoted wife and mother, living the example her parents set. The Lhuilliers’ children are Stephan, 17, Sebastian, 14, Dominique, 10 and Julien, 8.
Stephan was only seven when he started to play golf. A natural athlete, he was once spotted by a US skiing coach while vacationing in Lake Tahoe and invited to train with the US team. “He’s a recreational skier and skis at Lake Tahoe a week every year on vacation but the coach saw his potential,” said Tony. “Jean Henri and Bea are very supportive of their children but they let them decide what they want to do. Stephan knew that if he accepted the offer, it would be a commitment. He decided he would miss his family too much. Now, he’s a promising junior tennis player.”
Sebastian is also a junior tennis player. Dominique has tried gymnastics and is now into tennis and dance. Julien plays golf and tennis. When Julien was five, he qualified to compete in a junior golf tournament in San Diego.
**** Based on their experience with Bea, Tony and Leana listed these pointers as advice to athletes on the rise. “Choose one sport and focus,” Tony said. “Sports is a wonderful vehicle to learn the values of hard work, sacrifice and discipline. Every child should have a sport to play. Bea started out in swimming and gymnastics and chose to concentrate on gymnastics. Do your best in practice and in competitions and always give back by helping out others who are less fortunate.
“Once you commit to something, you do it until the end and never back out in midstream. Bea started gymnastics when she was five and stayed disciplined and goal-oriented. When she was in training, she made it a point to sleep at eight at night without fail. That’s how committed she was.
“When she was at the National Academy of Artistic Gymnastics in Oregon, Bea never complained about the long hours of training. She used to tell her teammates they’re lucky their coaches give them their time so they could train harder and longer. She never cheated on drills and did everything she was asked to do by her coaches. She went to class at 8 a.m. then did gymnastics from 12:30 to 7:30 p.m. We’re proud of how Bea turned out and we hope others can learn from her story in living their own dreams in sports.”