Cebuano pro-wakeboarder Raph Trinidad tells us how he’s training to go from being ranked second in the world to becoming the Wakeboarding World Champion
Athlete Raph Trinidad is a 21-year-old cable wakeboarding prodigy from Liloan, Cebu, dominating the domestic scene at just 14 years old. Then, at 18, he bagged second place in the Men’s Open division at the 2019 World Cable Wakeboard Championship. Remarkably, there were several “firsts” in this instance; this was Raph’s very first international competition and he became the first Filipino to rank second in the global cable wakeboarding rankings, as the Philippines had never landed a podium finish for international wakeboarding before him.
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This star athlete went on to accomplish even more after making history, but he’s certainly not sitting on his laurels. In between training and competitions, Raph spoke with MEGA Active to discuss his recent past, present, and future. Read ahead for an insight into the inner workings of a pro-wakeboarder.
Where it started
Like many athletes, family played a part in jumpstarting Raph’s sports career. He told MEGA Active that the first wakeboarder in the family was actually his uncle and that his introduction of the sport to the rest of the family inevitably trickled down to him. Speaking of his uncle, Raph said, “He introduced my mom to the sport and my mom immediately told my dad who was working in China at the time that ‘This sport is not for us, this is for Raphy.’”
Something about the sport clearly resonated with Raph’s personality and spirit because when his dad came home from China in December of 2013, the father-son duo tried wakeboarding out for the rest time and he fell in love with it. The rest, as they say, is history.
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Now, as a competitive cable wakeboarder, Raph trains extensively. He mentioned, “When it comes to my training regime, I usually drive to Deca Wakepark Clark, which is two hours away from home, and I try to stay there for at least two weeks to a month so I can train every day consistently and come home afterward. And while I’m back home, I keep myself conditioned by going to the gym and keeping my body at a hundred percent and always ready for training and competitions.”
Fitness is definitely an important part of the sport. According to Raph, wakeboarding can be looked at as a workout that’s fun to do. “You may not notice it, but when wakeboarding, your entire body is doing a lot of work. From keeping yourself balanced on your board on top of the water to carving around, and especially in doing tricks. It is a full-body workout without you even noticing,” he said.
How it’s going
Raph is not yet done making milestones for himself and the country. Remarking on his past achievements, he said, “My personal career highlights must be being ranked second in the World in the IWWF Cable Wakeboard World Championship in 2019 and 2022, as well as bagging the Silver Medal in the 30th Southeast Asia Games for wakeboarding back in 2019. These achievements for me were a personal milestone because ever since I started wakeboarding, it has always been my goal to become a World Champion and to show the world that Filipinos have what it takes to take on wakeboarding on the world stage,” he shared.
He added, “Being ranked second in the world for wakeboarding is one of the greatest achievements I made and I am very grateful to everyone who has been with me all throughout my wakeboarding journey because I would not have made it this far without their help and support.”
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But the life of an athlete is not all about wins. “Hardships and challenges are always present in every sport. And for me, the hardest battle I had to face was dealing with injuries because as an athlete, you always have to make sure that you are at the top of your game. So the time when I sprained my ankle, I wasn’t able to ride for about a month and I had a competition lined up for the next couple of months,” Raph said.
Knowing he had competitions to look forward to, Raph mentioned that he dedicated the next few weeks to rehabilitating in order to get back in shape as quickly and as safely as possible. “And I can tell you it had to be the hardest few weeks of my life, but I pushed through it day by day because I knew what had to be done and it was all worth it,” he added.
More to come
What’s next for this prodigious talent, you may ask? Well, for him, there’s still plenty left to achieve, even for someone already ranked second in the world.
“As of now, I am still aiming for my ultimate goal to become the Wakeboarding World Champion and I will constantly train day in and day out each and every day to reach that goal,” Raph said.
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Getting to that point will be a tough climb, but Raph looks to have it well in hand. Besides having a rigorous schedule at Deca Wakepark Clark, he always makes sure to keep himself well-fed before and especially after riding. This way, he gives his body the nutrition it needs to recover from a whole day of training.
And in terms of wellness routines, he shared that after training or after a competition, he likes to take a one to two-week-long break before going back to his normal training regimen. Proving the value of breathing space, Raph said these breaks are to make sure he doesn’t over-fatigue himself. These breaks also help him brainstorm more new tricks that he can try when he does get back on the water, which makes it more exciting and fun at the same time, according to him.
Photos: RED BULL WAKE PARADISE
