‘Filipinos punch above their weight’: Why wakeboarding works 

MANILA, Philippines – Wakeboarding can’t be any more perfect for the Philippine summer. 

Looking a bit like a mix of skateboarding and snowboarding on water, wakeboarding features athletes executing flips and spins through rails and boxes, either dragged by a cable system or towed by a boat.

“[The Philippines is a] really great destination for wakeboarding, we have high quality talent and we’ve got a lot of facilities and of course, the weather is really pleasant for the sport,” national wakeboarding skipper Carlo dela Torre told Rappler in an interview.

So it’s no surprise that the country has already produced world-class wakeboarders. 

In the IWWF World Wakeboard and Wakeskate Championships in Thailand last November, the Philippines took home a gold, two silver, and two bronze medals – even if the country only sent an eight-person delegation, half of what most countries have fielded.

“We have really been quite a presence in the global wakeboarding scene, it’s been quite some time, it’s just that this recent world championships we attended in Thailand has culminated to like really proper medals,” said Dela Torre.

Mark Griffin, a pioneering wakeboarder in the country, captured the gold in the men’s 40-and-above veteran category, while Dela Torre took the silver.

Raph Trinidad, considered one of the best current wakeboarders, copped silver in the elite men’s open division, while Susan Larsson and Carlo’s wife Jianna Lynn dela Torre each notched a bronze in the ladies’ open and ladies’ veteran categories, respectively.

Scores are based on execution and difficulty of stunts.

“I took it as a good opportunity to prove to myself that I could still do it and also I think it’s important to show that, you know, even if you’re over 40 you could still be fit, you could still achieve great results,” said Griffin.

“And part of the thing that amazed me when I went for my category, all the competitors were very good. For let’s say over 40, all these guys were doing very hard tricks, really, really in good shape.”

“I think that’s the difference for us over 40, we have to train smarter, right. Not just harder but also smarter and listen to our body, nutrition, everything else,” added Griffin, the 40-year-old Filipino-English brother of former model Amanda.

Originally introduced at the Lago de Oro beach club in Batangas, the sport eventually moved to the government-owned Camarines Sur Watersports Complex in Bicol.

However, due to the pandemic, privately operated venues such as the DecaWake Park in Clark, Pampanga began to flourish as it was one of the few sports which could be played safely outdoors.

According to Dela Torre, many of the new wakeboarding enthusiasts took interest on the sport as some of their regular activities were rendered unavailable due to the lockdown and other pandemic limitations.

And the growth is a good development as Griffin noted how the sport fits the Filipino physique.

“I really think Filipinos punch above their weight. You know, around the world, Filipinos are known to be great wakeboarders,” said Griffin. 

“I think the most important thing would be more facilities, especially one closer to Manila, I think it will really help, and also I think public support.” 

Griffin added that local wakeboarders need all the help they can get to push the sport further as they look to make bigger waves in the global stage after a banner year. 

“Filipino athletes are being recognized as being good, great in wakeboarding,” he said. “And I think if the Philippine public could see that more, then we would gain more support and I think we could get better results.” – Rappler.com