Jamaica Sy: The child wonder

A “yes” to regular training sessions, excruciating muscle pains, and ample time allotment for the sport: these constitute the everyday routine of an athlete and it is no easy deal. With sports excellence often tied to years of battles and experience, athletes find themselves on a long and winding journey towards the ideal athletic career that they all yearn for.

On rare occasions, some prodigy athletes have it easier than usual, and rookie Lady Paddler Jamaica Sy seemingly had her sensational table tennis career put into “fast-forward” mode. Winning championships left and right, Sy thrived quickly in the national table tennis scene. At the springtime of her life, she has already exhibited exceptional and commendable athletic abilities peculiar to seasoned athletes; at one point, she was dubbed a “child wonder” in the world of ping-pong.

At a very young age, Sy was already familiar with the domain of table tennis. Outplaying other players from her age group, she has earned recognition in championships and titles from various tournaments and competitions over the past few years. When she was just a few days shy of 13 years old, she earned several championship titles in the Mayor Jejomar Binay National Quarterly Age Group Table Tennis Championship, where she bested all the other contenders in the Girl’s 12 and 14 under events.

Her table tennis prowess has also landed her a spot on the national team. Sy is a part of the Philippine National Team which will represent the country in the 2nd Asian Youth Games in China this coming August.

Beyond the ping-pong table, Sy is also a very persistent student. Fresh from finishing her high school studies at Philippine Cultural College, she is currently taking up BS Accountancy in her bid to fulfill her own aspirations apart from the scope of athletics.

As the 16-year-old child wonder suits up for the Taft-based table tennis team, she humbly admits that she chose DLSU since it has always been her dream to become a Lasallian. “[DLSU is] a University that provides quality education with competent professors, comprehensive facilities, and clubs that enhance the total development of students,” the freshman accountancy major proudly remarks.

Once the UAAP battles begin, Jamaica Sy will be a major part of the Lady Paddlers’ lineup in their quest to win back-to-back championship titles. Filling in an important role in the roster, hopes are high for this new Lady Paddler to extend her table tennis mastery and dominance to the UAAP.