Excerpts from Sun Star Manila - October 10, 2009
MOTOCROSS is considered an extreme sport because of the danger that entails it, but 20-year-old Kenneth San Andres does not seem to mind. Kenneth, son of veteran rider Junjun, first rode a motorbike when he was three years and 6 months old. He, of course, did not settle into just training himself and eventually moved on to compete when he was two years older. The older San Andres taught and influenced his son to pursue motocross. Junjun also serves as the coach of his son.
On his first race, “The Wonder Boy of Philippine Junior Motocross” already grabbed the first-place title at the 1996 F.B.O. Motocross Series - 50cc Class Series. After that, he went up level after level and along the way successfully taking with him championship trophies.
Injuries, criticisms
Racing for 15 years now, Kenneth has injured himself while playing the sport he loves. He shared that he already experienced breaking his bones about six times already. But he was quick to add that even though he will get injured repeatedly, he will still go back in the motocross arena to show what he's got. Kenneth said a rider will only face danger if s/he does not train before a competition.
“The real danger comes if you don't have any training before you ride your bike. You should be prepared before you race and you should check the motor if it’s okay. If it’s only just two months before the race, I already practice almost every day to lessen the tendencies of being injured,” he shared.
What is also important is the willingness and perseverance of a rider to get into the tracks despite the failures faced, he added. To avoid injuries, a motocross rider wears the following equipment: helmet, goggles, neckbrace, chest protector, pants, jersey, knee brace, boots, and gloves.
After earning a lot of recognition for his accomplishments, the humble rider said he received a lot of negative comments especially from the elders. "They say that my winning was just pure luck. They even say that the motor of my bike is oversized," said Kenneth. According to him, accusations and criticisms are really part of any game.
Nammsa team
Kenneth is only one of the motocross athletes that the Namssa organization handles. Namssa is one of the recognized members of the Philippine Olympic Committee. It represents the country in international motocross tournaments. The athletes practice when they have time during non-competition days and almost every day two months prior the national and international tournaments.
Sun.Star asked Kenneth for his view on the future of motocross athletes in the Philippines. The young rider replied: "There's a chance (to excel) but you have to be determined to pursue motocross because if you consider it only as part of your playtime, nothing will happen so you have to push yourself to win." He added that what he noticed with his fellow Filipino riders is their laziness when it comes to training.
"Some are lazy when it comes to practice that's why others blab about their loss but what they don't know is that the problem lies within their attitude towards the game." Other riders who wish to join the team sometimes approach Namssa members but some have financial problems.
Kenneth said Namssa helps these riders if they can get sponsors to cover their expenses.
Plans
The young motocross wonder is now preparing to land in the first spot in the ongoing FIM Asian Supercross Championship Series this year. The team holds their training at the race track in front of SM Bicutan, Paranaque whenever they have free time, mostly during weekends.
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