Filipino skaters turn out for Vans Go Skateboarding Day 2016

MANILA, Philippines – Skaters from around the country converged in the spirit of skateboarding, as Vans Philippines spearheaded the brand’s 50th anniversary and the annual International Go Skateboarding Day on Saturday, June 25 at Globe Circuit Events Ground, in Makati City.

The Push Parade, where participants ride their skateboards from Paco, Manila to the venue in Makati, signaled the opening of Vans Go Skateboarding Day. Various contests like the “Speed Challenge –Obstacle Course Race”, “Sticker Slap Challenge”, Guillotine – Highest Ollie”, “50-50 Side Stripe Rail”, and the “Vans Philippines Skate Championship 2016”, were the highlights of the event.

Skate Championship finalist Mark Calvo, 28, observed that the future is luminous for the growing skateboarding scene in the Philippines.

“The youth will be the one’s who’ll be making the [skateboarding] scene in the Philippines”, Calvo tells Rappler. “Based sa laro nila ngayon medyo teknikal na sila eh, so what more can they do in the future,” he added.

(Based on how they play, they’re already a little technical, so what more can they do in the future.)

Fifteen year old skateboarding prodigy Lee dela Cruz says that he hopes schools around the country introduce extreme sports like skateboarding to their students.

“Yung mga schools sana magkaron sila ng mga sports like skateboarding, mga extreme sports,” dela Cruz stated.

(I hope schools introduce extreme sports like skateboarding.) 

Give us more parks 

Roan Arguelles, the lone-female to join the sticker slap challenge, said she hopes skateboarding gets more support from the incoming government administration. When asked what kind of support she expect from the government, she simply answered “More skate parks.”

Go Skateboarding Day regular attendee Kyle Gascon, shares Arguelles’ aspirations of having more skate parks in the Philippines. “Sana mas dumami pa yung mga skate park kasi kulang yung mga park dito,” Gascon said.

(I hope for more skate parks because there are not enough skate parks here.)

For Calvo, raising the skill level of skateboarding in the Philippines is dependent upon having more parks for skaters to practice at. 

“If they provide skate parks, they will see a champion,” Calvo stated, quoting American pro-skateboarder Christian Hosoi. 

If the multitude of skaters present at Vans Go Skateboarding Day is any indication, the spirit of skateboarding in the archipelago is alive and well. – with reports from Rafael Bandayrel/Rappler.com

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