PH national
surfing coaches train young surfers in Borongan
Mike
Breuker, Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Philippine
National Surfing Team, poses with the ‘Groms’ during the In and
Out of Water Training held in Baybay Boulevard, Borongan City,
Eastern Samar. (Photo by Borongan City Information Office) |
By
VEE TOLENTINO-GUMBAN
November 25, 2022
BORONGAN CITY –
Days before the biggest sporting event in Eastern Visayas, Surf in
the City 2022, more than sixty (60) local youth participated in the
Groms Grassroot Program for young surfers here from November 24-25.
“Malaking tulong ito sa
amin para matuto kami ng mga surfing techniques at disiplina sa
sarili na rin, tsaka syempre libre na ‘to kaya umattend talaga kami,”
said Kai, a young surfer from Bato, Borongan City. (This is a big
help for us to learn about surfing techniques and self-discipline.
Of course, we also attended because it’s free.)
Though most of the
participants will not join in the Surf in the City competition,
everyone was all ears as Philippine National Surfing Team Head Coach
John Carby encouraged the young surfers to become athletes through
discipline, goal planning, and passion.
“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,” stressed Carby during his talk.
Carby also shared that
surfing events such as Surf in the City in Borongan is a window of
opportunity for aspiring surfers to hone their skills and eventually
create a name in the surfing industry.
“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,” said Carby.
Mike Breuker, strength and
conditioning coach of the Philippine National Surfing Team, then
conducted an In and Out of Water Training with the participants.
This was followed by a Surfing Techniques and Analysis Training on
the second day of the program.
"Kahit hindi kami lahat
mag-cocompete, umattend kami para matuto kami kung paano maging
mabuting surfer at makatulong sa community na pangalagaan ang
karagatan, kasi for awareness din ito," noted one Grom who refused
to be named. (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.)
‘Grom’ is a shortened form
of the slang term ‘Grommet’ meaning a child. In surfing lingo, grom
refers to a child or an adolescent surfer.
The grassroots program of
the United Philippine Surfing Association (UPSA) focuses on training
youth or people under 18, 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 Philippine National Surfing Team.