Rogelio Esquivel rides the waves
With the Philippines being comprised of over 7,000 islands, it is but natural for us to take to the water, appreciate the sea and be drawn to water sports.
This was true for Rogelio Esquivel Jr., known in the surfing circles as Jay-R, who started the sport when he was introduced to it by his one-legged surfer brother when he was six years old.
He’s been surfing for 16 years now and his talents have taken him internationally, winning the 2010 OCCY GROM Championship in Malaysia.
He continues to hone his craft daily, and the best, he says, is yet to come.
Philippine STAR: How does your training regimen look like?
Rogelio Esquivel: I train everyday if there are waves. I just surf, try to do something difficult and continue to practice until I make it. I challenge myself to do tricks that I don’t usually do.
What are the competitions lined up for in 2019?
The competition I will be joining this year are the Philippine Surfing Championship Tour (PCST) and the Renextop Asian Surfing Tour (RAST). Also, the Philippine team is preparing for the South East Asian (SEA) Games.
How do Filipino athletes fare with their Asian counterparts? The rest of the world?
I think Filipino athletes are keeping pace with their Asian counterparts. But, of course, we need to train more.
What’s your most cherished accomplishment?
The most memorable for me is when I won as the overall champion in PSCT longboard division in 2018, and at the RAST men’s longboard, where I was overall champion, too.
What else should be done to further promote your sport and make it more known to the general public?
Maybe I would continue to join international events and I hope the government will continue to support surfing. That way, we Filipino athletes, will prove that we can be at par with other professional athletes from around the globe.
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