Young, wild, and free
She could pass as a beauty queen, thanks to her statuesque stand. But the 25-year-old Hotel and Restaurant Management student Elizabeth Supnet chooses the road less travelled by girly-girls. She opts for the rough road often traversed by daredevils—because Elizabeth is a skateboarder.
“Wala lang,” she says when asked why, of all sports, she chose skateboarding. “My friends influenced me and I thought it was cool, fun, and thrilling,” says the skateboarder newbie, who has only started riding a month ago. She adds that gender does not matter once you’re on the road skating and doing tricks. Apparently, there are girls who are into the sport, but men, still, are greater in number.
“It doesn’t mean that because you’re a girl you cannot do it,” she says, “as long as you have the guts. Basta feel mo siya gawin.” She says she’s ready for possible bruises and cuts and broken bones because it is part of the game.
Demetrio Cuevas, 21, meanwhile has been skateboarding for seven years here and abroad. He’s been injured one too many but says it does not stop him from doing daredevil stunts and tricks. But why do them in the first place? “I don’t know, just riding for the fun of it I guess,” says Demetrio, sporting a cap and baggy shirt and pants.
In the Philippines, board sports enthusiasts, like skateboarders, are considered part of the subculture. Like gangsters, punks, rockers, grunge, and emos, skateboarders are part of the subculture many traditional Filipinos stereotype and fail to understand. Many still thought that they are “rowdy, destructive, and pa-cool.”
“I don’t know. Do you think we’re cool?” Demetrio asks me. “As long as we’re not doing anything wrong against anyone then, we’re cool,” he says.
Last year, a viral video of a Makati police and a teenage skateboarder playing in Ayala Triangle drew mixed opinions among netizens. The video excerpt showed the skateboarder and the officer pushing each other. Another viral video, with over one million views, meanwhile, shows American wakeboarding—another type of board sport where a rider slides over the water—daredevil Brian Grubb gliding on the Banaue Rice Terraces. The video drew split views as well. Some said the stunt was disrespectful of nature; others meanwhile thought it was cool.
Just outside the Manila Bulletin office in Intramuros, a group of young skateboarders often gathered in the Walled City. The street arts, beside the less trafficked road, add an extra dash of punk to their daredevil rides. So far, no one has complained against the kids’ pastime.
As much as skateboards want to play anywhere, there are sweet spots for skating: in Heartbreak Hill Juan Luna UP Diliman, Kapitolyo Park, BGC, and Circuit Makati, among others have open terrains perfect for riders.
Just recently, youngsters and hipsters gathered at Circuit Makati to party the release of True To This movie screening celebrating the 23 years of America’s first boarding company, Volcom. The 40-minute video captures the energy and artistry of board riding in its purest sense.
“This movie is a tribute to the ‘anti-establishment movement’ philosophy we adhere, meaning, breaking the barriers of what people think is acceptable. We’re not rebellious, but by ‘establishment’ we mean the norms that the society force on people who are pressured to become someone accepted by the community,” says Volcom brand associate Mikey Punsalan.
He adds that skateboarders only want to express their personality and individuality.
“I don’t think that skateboarders are innately disruptive, it’s just that people don’t give them the chance. People think they are noisy but they promote an example of strong community and camaraderie,” he adds.
The sport, according to USAToday.com, started in early 1950s in California when surfers wanted to practice on land. The rest, as they say is history. In the Philippines, meanwhile, the activity may have started in the ‘80s. One of the pioneers of the sports, Willy Santos, was hailed as “one of the best street skaters during the dark early 90s” by Thrasher Magazine. While the history of this action-filled sport is blurry in the Philippine setting, in Banaue, Ifugaos boast of their wooden makeshift scooters, which they use to traverse the rocky road of the mountains. During ancient times, men race against each other while on board the scooter to set land conflicts and ownership. But then again, history set aside, it all boils down to individuality. As book author Jim Morrison says, “The most important kind of freedom is to be what you really are.”
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