Hopes high for fearless, confident sailing teeners

BUSAN — It’s rare to find two young kids — a boy and a girl — carrying the Philippine colors in a prestigious quadrennial event like the Asian Games. But it’s even rarer to know that, young as they are, they have already developed big fighting hearts and special skills in the difficult sport of sailing.

These two — 15-year-old Joseph Jayson Villena and 13-year-old Lealyn Taroja — hardly show any fear and ooze with confidence as they talk of their coming stint in the boys’ and girls’ Optimist competition of the 14th Asian Games here.

"Basta malakas ang hangin, malakas ang pag-asa kong manalo," says the 5-foot-2 Villena, a chemical engineering freshman at National University. "Hindi ako takot sa mga kalaban kahit malalakas sila, lalo na ‘yong taga-Singapore."

This is only Villena’s second international outing, but he’s not worried. "Nasa diskarte "yan," he says, referring to the way one steers his 3-meter fiberglass boat outfitted with a sail and a rudder in the week-long competition which can sometimes last up to seven hours a day depending on how the wind blows.

Taroja, daughter of a former sailor who celebrated her birthday here Monday, sounded just as confident as Villena. "Hindi po ako kinakabahan dahil puno ako sa ensayo at talo ko lahat ang kalaban ko sa atin," says Lealyn, who is quite eager to show her stuff in her first ever international campaign.

A high school freshman at Dasmariñas, Cavite’s Blessed Mary Academy, Lealyn trains every weekend at Manila Bay near the Manila Yatch Club basin.

Optimist racing is limited to boys and girls 15 years and below. Participants compete over a one-mile course for four straight days, then rest for one day and race again two days in a row.

Since every race winner gets only a point, the second-placer two, the third finisher three and so forth, the gold-medal goes to the contestant with the least number of points.

;Two other RP sailors — Ridgely Balladares and Rommel Chavez — will see action in the 470, an open doubles event.