Margielyn Didal and the national skateboarders hope that their SEA Games success will trigger support for the sport. YUMMIE DINGDING @tribunephl_yummie
For the longest time, skateboarding has been taken for granted.
Skateboarders finally secured the attention and support they have been longing for following their smashing success in the recent 30th Southeast Asian Games.
The skateboarders chipped in six gold, four silver and a bronze medal to emerge as a gold mine for the Filipinos in the prestigious 11-nation multi-sport conclave that formally drew to a close Wednesday at the New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac.
Asian Games champion Margielyn Didal led the charge after winning in women’s Game of SKATE and women’s street skateboarding events while Filipino-foreigners Christina Means, Kiko Francisco, Jaime de Lange and Daniel Ledermann ruled the women’s park, men’s park, men’s downhill and men’s Game of SKATE, respectively, in a thrill, gravity-defying four days of action.
Three decades after the Marcopper mining disaster devastated Marinduque’s waterways, the province is again pressing the…
Housing is probably the biggest issue affecting people the world over.
Malacañang on Monday called for a more thorough investigation into the questioned flood control projects in Taguig…
The defense on Monday backed the move by senator-judges to exclude a prosecution witness who testified on the firearms…
Skateboarding and Roller Sports Association president Monty Mendigoria said they hit two birds with one stone as they managed to bring glory to the country while getting the attention they deserve.
“We already have world-class athletes. What we need now is a world-class facility,” Mendigoria said.
“It is high time that the Philippines must have its own training facility for our skateboarders.”
He said their performance should speak for itself.
“Our medal standing is a call to all local governments and sports officials to focus on this kind of sports.”
The lack of training facility in the country became a drag as the athletes were forced to train overseas in order to perform well.
In the United States and other countries like the United Kingdom and Germany where skateboarding is a big hit, skateboarders are pampered with world-class facility.
Here in the country, skateboarders breed on the streets and often being barred by the police for obstructing the flow of traffic, similar to the case of Didal who learned his skating chops in the streets of Cebu City.
