Tacloban City—Over 60 young surfers in Borongan City, Eastern Samar received training from the Philippine national surfing team ahead of the opening of Surf in the City 2022, the biggest sporting event in Eastern Visayas set on November 26 to December 3.
“Start a small plan and add discipline to your plan. Then use your passion to reach that goal. If you already reach that goal, push it a little bit higher. Let your passion be your flair,” Philippine national surfing team leader and coach John Carby told his students.
The young surfers attended the Groms Grassroot Program from November 24 to 25.
“You are the future of surfing. You have permission to dream big. You have permission to be who you want to be and to set the limit as high as you can when you want to represent your country in an international competition. You are the next generation of surfing,” Carby said.
Carby also surfing events are “a window of opportunity for aspiring surfers to hone their skills and eventually create a name in the surfing industry.”
“This is a big help for us to learn about surfing techniques and self-discipline. Of course, we also attended because it’s free,” said Kai, a native of Bato, Borongan.
Mike Breuker, the national surfing team’s strength and conditioning coach, conducted in and out of the water training, surfing techniques, and analysis.
“Even though we won’t be able to compete, we attended to learn how to become good surfers and how to help the community by taking care of the sea. This is also for awareness,” said another adolescent surfer during the training.
Surf in the City 2022 is the 3rd leg of the National Surfing Competition sanctioned by the United Philippine Surfing Association (UPSA), the national sports body for surfing in the Philippines.
“This is the third time Borongan City is hosting the event. The event is made possible because of the City Government of Borongan, the Provincial Government of Eastern Samar, and the UPSA,” said Ruperto Ambil II, Surf in the City chairman and officer-in-charge of Borongan City Information Office.
Under its program, UPSA focuses on training youth or people under 18 years old, and educating them on the values of surfing at the grassroots levels, such as a healthy lifestyle, discipline, and techniques or the athletic side of being a surfer for the future of the national surfing team.