A LOT of kids in their prime pick up sports and hobbies common for their age, such as basketball, soccer, or swimming but Shaun Kaizher Joyce from the municipality of Jose Abad Santos in Davao Occidental went against the crowd.
At the youthful age of ten, Shaun picked up a motocross bike, raced for the first time, and never looked back.
By age 14, Shaun won his first race and since then, he has won more than ten motocross racing championships under his belt.
It was in 2017 when Shaun first tried motocross, intrigued by the exciting videos he would see online.
“Nag try lang po akong sumali, syempre hindi pa po ako nanalo kasi yun pa lang pag start ko. Nagustuhan ko po and tuloy-tuloy na (I joined to try but of course I didn’t win because that was my first time. But I like it and pursued it),” he said.
At first, Shaun’s mother and father, who is also Jose Abad Santos vice mayor James John Joyce, were skeptical of him engaging in motocross since it is seen as an extreme sport that may oftentimes be dangerous.
However, Shaun proved his love for the sport by always being motivated to borrow a motorbike and practice. Eventually, his parents gave in and supported his interest, as well as the rest of his family and friends.
“Minsan natatakot ako pero parati ko lang sinasabi, ‘Kuya, kaya mo yan.’ Sinusuportahan ko rin siya para lumakas rin loob niya (Sometimes I’m scared but I always tell him ‘Kuya, you can do it.’ I always support him to boost his morale and confidence),” his mother said.
Shaun said he prepares for his race by consistently exercising to build endurance and training on his off-the-beaten race track in their hometown. He said it’s especially difficult when exam week coincides with competition season as he has to double his efforts.
But despite this, Shaun remains on top of his school work. “Mahirap po ang mga subjects pero siguro po favorite ko Math (The subjects are hard but I think my favorite is Math),” he said.
Now at age 15, Shaun is aiming even farther to reach his goal. He aims to race in the pro league in a nationwide competition by next year. If given the chance, Shaun said he also wants to go long-term with motocross
“Gusto ko po siya gawin professional career (I want to make it my professional career),” he said.
His message to fellow youth aspiring to be good in their passion is to be consistent and always practice. “Dapat mag concentrate po talaga (You really have to concentrate),” he said. ICM