Skateboarding gold

The Asian Games is still on, and for us, some surprises are emanating from where it is held, in Palembang, Indonesia. The recent surprise came again from another of the unlikely events for the country in the Asiad. I am referring to Cebuana Margielyn Didal’s gold medal haul from, of all disciplines, skateboarding. “Who would have thought…?” a friend muttered.

We didn’t get gold medals from the more popular events like, yes, basketball. Gilas Pilipinas, represented by the core from the Rain or Shine team in the Philippine Basketball Association and beefed up by Filipino-American Jordan Clarkson of the Cleveland Cavaliers of the United States’ National Basketball Association didn’t get a podium finish after close defeats to China and South Korea.

Snatching gold is always a morale booster, so thanks to weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz for giving the Philippines the first one. Golfer Yuka Saso then gave us another, and her golf team that included Bianca Pagdanganan and Lois Kaye Go gave us our third. Didal gave us the fourth. Weightlifting, golf and skateboarding? Mmmm… Skateboarding?

I frequent a store in the downtown area that is in the middle of two converging roads, one a major thoroughfare and the other a secondary route. The latter is a favorite playground of young skateboarders because only few vehicles pass it. When the road gets deserted, they do their thing there, the noise of skateboard wheels rolling and skateboards being flipped taking over from those of engines revved up.

Skateboarding has a bit of a similarity with basketball. One can play it cheap. A basketball ring can be put up wherever a space is available; the smaller the space the smaller the ring and the basketball. In a way, the pleasure derived from playing basketball can be adjustable. And because one can play it cheap and almost anywhere, even in backyards, many are into it.

Didal is the daughter of a kwek-kwek vendor in Lahug but skateboards are not as expensive as say, golf clubs. And unlike golf that can only be played in special venues and needs support staff, in skateboarding, you grab a skateboard, look for smooth ground, often a road, and you are ready to play it. Of course, you need money to go into the finer points of the game.

I initially thought skateboarding would become a mere fad like BMX biking of old. Youngsters on BMX also used to disturb the road setup, the bikers doing their thing in groups, flying, twisting, etc. like the X-Games was on their minds. BMX bikers are no longer ubiquitous; skateboarders now are. Didal’s Asian Games triumph will ensure the skateboarding would feed the dreams of its players.

But the ripple effect shouldn’t only be on skateboarders. Its bigger impact should be on sports officials, especially in the sometimes feuding Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC). They should focus on further developing the sport of skateboarding in the country, especially because it is now included in the Olympics.

The days of skateboarders playing a cat-andmouse game with vehicles on the roads should end. Players should be provided with a better venue to further hone their skills.