A group of Filipino waterjet ski riders—most of them aged 14 to 22—brought honor to the country by winning at the annual Waterjet World Park held in Pattaya, Thailand, in December 2024.
On Tuesday, January 20, 2025, these athletes were introduced to members of the press in a pocket presscon organized by the Jet Sports Association of the Philippines (JSAP) and the players' proud parents.
At the same time, they were asked to give a peek into their journey.
VIN TINIO
Vito Tinio, 14, who is one of the youngest members of the team, shared the obstacles he had to face before competing.
“The biggest challenge is the work it took for this to happen, like yung mga practice natin po or the warm-ups that we do every race.
“And the most memorable part of it is crossing the finish line,” said the Grade 8 student.
Vito ranked No. 4 in Junior 13-15 Spark Stock category of the World Grand Prix (WGP) #1 Water Jet World Cup 2024.
Read: Finland offers Pinoy workers jobs with PHP97K monthly salary
Angelo Iñigo Ventus
Angelo Iñigo Ventus can relate to Vito’s experience in juggling school and practice.
The athlete is also a college sophomore.
On their jet ski practices, he said, “Balancing my practice every weekendss so my classes are Mondays to Saturdays and I go to Subic on Sundays [to practice].”
Angelo is champion in Novice 1100 Stock category of WGP #1 Asian Championships Osaka, Japan 2024; champion in Novice Runabout Stock category; third in Novice 1100 Stock category at the WGP #1 World Series Europe, Poland.
He was champion in Novice Runabout Stock category and 4th in Novice 1100 Stock category at the WGP #1 World Series held in America, USA.
Additionally, he was 3rd in Novice Runabout Stock and 4th in Novice 100 Stock categories at the Water Jet World Cup 2024 held in Thailand.
Jesse Arcilla
Jesse Arcilla’s experience isn’t far from her colleague’s struggles.
She is Grade 11 at the Poveda Learning Center.
“The most memorable moment for me was getting to win fifth place for the first time in my first international competition." Jesse did not elaborate about this first win.
“I think the biggest challenge was to having to balance may academics alongside jet skiing every weekend practicing.”
Jesse was 9th place in Women Runabout 1100 Stock category of the WGP #1 Water Jet World Cup 2024.
Kristine Kate Povadora Mercado
Kristine Kate Povadora Mercado, on the other hand, shared that her passion for the sport helped her successfully balance academics and athletics.
She studies at St. Paul Iloilo, flies to Manila on weekends, and drives to Subic for her training.
“I think what keeps me going is my passion for the sport, because I want to do this," she said.
“So I really need to balance and put time in my practice, and also with my studies.”
Weekdays are for her academic requirements, while weekends are for waterjet ski practice.
“I think it’s passion for me,” she added.
Kristine is champion in Women Runabout 1100Stock category of WGP #1 Waterjet World Series; champion in Poland Grand Prix; 2nd place in SBT WGP #1 World Finals; 4th place in WGP #1 Water Jet World Cup 2024.
Read: Pinay tourist in Taiwan survives after being hit by train
RACERS ON FAILURES
PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) then asked the athletes about their failures and how they helped get to where they are now.
Cody Lorenzo Pontino
He snatched the World Champion trophy in the Novice Ski Stock category of the WGP #1 Water Jet World Cup 2024.
But it took him three losses before finally winning.
“I have raced in Thailand since 2019 and I have failed to win the championships for four years [2019-2023].
“And in my fifth year, I won because for every mistake that I do, I try to fix it,” explained Enzo.
Kayla Marie Povadora Mercado
This Medical Technology student sees failures as opportunities.
“I’ve failed a lot, who hasn’t failed anyways?” Kayla said.
“But failure is really a stepping stone to be great, and setbacks, failures, all of that, which is good for you to do better the next time.”
Kayla, who is Kristine’s sister, is 2nd place in the Women Runabout 1100 Stock category of WGP #1 Waterjet World Series, 4th place in Poland Grand Prix, 6th place in SBT WGP #1 World Finals, and 6th place in WGP #1 Water Jet World Cup 2024.
Marchael Louie Buhisan, 28, the sole competitor in the professional category, has endured countless setbacks throughout his years in the sport.
He said, “I’ve been racing locally and internationally for 12 years and, yes, there’s a lot of failures, but you just need to push through it, and every failure is a learning [experience].”
Louie is 2nd in Endurance Open category, 3rd in Pro-Am 1100 Open category at the WGP #1 Waterjet World Series 2024; and 3rd place in Pro-Am Open category at the WGP #1 Water Jet World Cup 2024.
WHAT'S NEXT FOR THESE CHAMPIONS
In the words of their coach, BJ Ang, these waterjet racers have the potential to make the country proud in their chosen sport in the years to come.
“This by far is the best team in history in Philippine racing,” said Coach BJ, who is a professional waterjet racer himself.
As a matter of fact, he was 3rd placer in the Runabout Stock category at the Southeast Asian Games 2023.
He was introduced to the sport and started training when he was still a teen.
He elaborated, “The skills that I learned in my years… more than half of my age in racing, is something that I want to share with these kids.
“I can see a lot of potentials in these young guys… not only them, there’s more riders that we are developing.”
The coach revealed that experts in the sport have already begun to take notice of these young Filipino riders, acknowledging their immense potential even though most are still at the novice level.
In fact, they have already received invitations to international competitions—a clear indication that his trainees are anticipated to make their mark on the global stage.
“They’re competing to [international] level, the top, best of the best of all countries. That’s the competition that they’re in and that’s where they wanted to be,” said Coach BJ.
Having dedicated half of his life to the sport, Coach BJ remains unwavering in his commitment to nurturing these young racers, driven by a passion to bring pride to the country.
“I’m not one of the softest coaches that you’ll see out there because I want them to achieve something, and to finish what I have not finished. That’s what I keep on telling them.”
