Skimboarding: more fun in Iloilo

Jeehan V. Fernandez

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Skimboarding enthusiasts in Iloilo unite to create awareness about the sport.

SKIMBOARDING FUN. Now there's one more thing to do in the beaches of Iloilo.

AREVALO, ILOILO CITY – When you talk about summer fun, for us, there is nothing more fun than skimboarding. And in the Philippines, skimboarding is definitely more fun in Iloilo City.

The Flatsand Iloilo Skimboarders will kick off the Flatsand III Competition and Clinic on April 29, Sunday, on Villa Beach, Arevalo, Iloilo City. It is set to make a splash and create waves among the skimboarding community in the Philippines and, hopefully, around the world. 

Villa Beach has become a skimboarder’s haven, thanks to the sand, the non-rocky shores, and lots of puddles. “It is a most ideal spot for skimboarding,” says Kelbin Mark David of the Flatsand Iloilo Skimboarders.

What is skimboarding?

Skimboarding is done in two ways: riding the waves nearest the shore and playing on flats or on thin puddles on the beach.

According to the Flatsand Iloilo Skimboarders, skimboarding took off in Iloilo in 2004. Aside from Villa Beach, they also skimboard in the shores of Calumpang and Oton. Other skimboarder groups have also been formed in Roxas, Capiz; Kalibo, Aklan; and Antique.

The Flatsand Iloilo Skimboarders enjoying another day of skimboarding at Villa Beach.

How did the group start?

They were first a bunch of water sport enthusiasts who would see each other regularly at Villa Beach. Some of them had already started learning how to skimboard, and this attracted the others’ attention.

The Flatsand Iloilo Skimboarders are mostly students aged 15 and above. Eventually, professionals up to age 35 also started joining, and the group’s popularity gradually grew.

The group started to introduce skimboarding as a water sport, teaching locals through clinics and promoting it through competitions. During the Paraw Regatta Festival in February and the Flatsand II Competition in October 2011, competitors from Roxas City, Capiz; Escalante, Negros Occidental; and even as far as Cavite participated.

A national competition to be held in Iloilo is also in the works, under the united efforts of skimboarders from around the Philippines, spearheaded by the Iloilo enthusiasts. – Rappler.com

 Skimboarding can be both challenging and acrobatic.

(For more information on skimboarding and other fun things to do in the Philippines, visit wandandredwan.wordpress.comRAPPLER wants to hear about your summer adventures. Email us your story with photos with subject heading SUMMER ADVENTURE at desk@rappler.com.)

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