How sepak takraw brings hope to an Iloilo athlete

MARIKINA CITY, Philippines – It was the last of 3 sets in the sepak takraw (kick volleyball) boys match between the Philippines and Brunei. The score was 15-20 with the Philippines in the lead. It was 18-year-old John Tokong’s turn to serve.

“All I was thinking that time was how I wanted to bring pride to the Philippines,” said Tokong.

It was a long volley that ended with a strike from one of Tokong’s teammates. They handed the Brunei boys their first loss in the 6th ASEAN Schools Games (ASG) while the team earned their first win.

For Tokong, the win brings him a step closer to his dream. 

Hope from sepak takraw

The athlete from Iloilo learned sepak takraw from his father. It started as a hobby but he later realized that he had the potential to be competitive.

“My father taught me all the great moves in sepak takraw. It’s also the favorite sport in my community and I used to play it every afternoon. That’s how I improved my skills,” he said.

Tokong’s family is not well off. If not for the sport, he wouldn’t have had an opportunity to enter college. He was awarded a full scholarship in the Iloilo State College of Fisheries where he also gets an allowance as an athlete. 

“I always strive to be the best in my sport while also performing well in my school. They pay for my tuition and they give me an allowance. I cannot disappoint,” Tokong said. 

A ‘provincial’ sport?

While sepak takraw is not a popular sport in Metro Manila, Rey Jagunap, coach of the Philippine team, said it is the favorite sport in some provinces, particularly in Iloilo.

“If in Metro Manila, every street corner has a basketball court, in the provinces, it’s a sepak takraw court. That’s the sport the kids grow up with. It’s very popular in the provinces,” Jagunap said.

He added: “For some of the kids in the provinces, sepak takraw is the sport they see that will bring them out of poverty. This motivates us coaches to continue training future champions.”

Jagunap said their first win gives the team a boost in morale, given the challenges they had to overcome.

“It was really difficult to form this group of 12 students. We had to make sure they have discipline and sportsmanship. Their attitudes are difficult to handle because of their different upbringing,” he added.

The Philippine team was formed from the winners from the 2014 Palarong Pambansa. They are composed of members from the Iloilo, Davao, Calabarzon, and NCR teams. “They have different cultures so we coaches always have to adjust. We really have to talk to them one by one.”

Future champions

All the Philippine team members are first timers in the ASG, except one. 

Sepak takraw has already brought Tokong to places. He has competed in past Palarong Pambansa events. His most memorable experience, he said, was representing the Philippines in the 2013 ASG in Vietnam.

He said he wants to achieve more for his family. Every win is a step towards that goal.

“I want to be an excellent international player. I want to give my family a good life through my career in sports,” Tukong said.

Jagunap said Tokong is only one of the many potential champions in sepak takraw, if the sport becomes mainstream in the Philippines. This is a sport that, if prioritized, can bring gold to the country in different international events, he said. (READ: Sipa and sepak takraw kicking in)

“There’s a lot of potential in the provinces. We need to tap that,” Haguna added. 

The Philippine sepak takraw team will compete with 5 more teams before their first possible ASG championship in the sport.

“We won this match because of the skills of the players. We really claimed that this is our game. We will constantly improve in the next matches,” Jagunap concluded. – Rappler.com