VANS ATTACK! Vans Mindanao Leg Competition and things you might want to bring during Big Events

June 1, 2013 - a proud day for Mindanao skaters to show that they can compete in a National skateboarding event. Skaters from General Santos City, Kidapawan, Panabo, Tagum and Davao gathered together at Abreeza Mall's parking lot for one of the biggest events in the skateboarding scene: Vans off the Wall Skate Championship held at the Abreeza Fresh park.

Huge prizes where at stake in winning the competition. First place will win 10,000PHP worth of Vans of the Wall merchandise plus cash, Second prize will have 5,000PHP worth of goods and 3,000 cash and the winner for best trick gets cash and freebies from Vans. Any skater who bags the first and second place will be flown to Manila for the National Vans of the Wall Championship this coming July at the World Trade Center, pretty cool huh.

It was a hot day with the hottest tricks from the best skaters around Mindanao. One of the most awaited runs were from Werner Cossid from GenSan (DC sponsored), Alex Ompoy and JR Yuan (flow) of WeLegendary Davao, Tristan Pardillo of Tagum City and Shine Skateboards (Australia). Even with the heavy competition, skaters still want to give a shot to claim the championship. More than 30 people registered for the best trick and best run (Maybe because it was free and there was a free shirt from Vans).

To keep the excitement flowing, the organizers also brought Ansey Flores (WeLegendary and one of the best Manila Skaters) and Demetrio Cuevas (Cebu's representative for the Vans Competition). Each of them showed what they are up against and what the winners will be facing this coming Vans Championship in Manila and Wow! They really are one of the best. Melon grabs, kickflip grabs and all other sorts of gnarly tricks on the quarter pipe.

Winners:

1st Prize for Best Run - Tristan Pardillo
2nd Prize for Best Run - Dennis De Guzman

1st prize for Best Trick - Werner Cossid
2nd prize for Best Trick - Tristan Pardillo

If there was an award for "Audience Impact" it would probably go to "Agavic", one of the "old skul" pipz that rocked the quarter pipe ramps. Because I am such an awful blogger, I wasn't able to record which trick landed them the prize (heck, I don't even know what they won) but Tristan "Tala" did dominate the whole event.

Photos courtesy of Vans Philippines.

Overall, the event was a success and well-organized. I have to give a hand to the emcee of the event for keeping up with the Davao crowd. It was a long hot day and all the hours from 1:00PM to almost 8:00PM he kept on commentating and cheering up the crowd. Vans had prizes, stickers and shirts for everyone that joined the event and people weren't bored, even one bit.

When it comes to events like these, I need to have several things on my checklist to make it more convenient. You might want to take down notes on things to carry on your backpack when attending big skateboarding events like these:

1. Sunblock
2. Water, lots of it. 
3. Shirts (3 would be good)
4. A towel.
5. Gatorade (optional)
6. A camera (if you're a blogger).
7. A hat.
8. Shades.
9. Party money (hey, there's always going to be an after party right?)
10. Your board.
11. First aid kit?

Skateboarding Day, here we come! 

Why Politicians should Never get Involved in Skateboarding Competitions

Skateboarding competition is all about fun, hanging out with your friends and making new ones. Now, what happens if a skate competition is organized by politicians? Just recently, Davao skaters headed to Sta. Cruz - a far point in Davao that is almost near Digos City, we went there expecting a fully organized and fun event but it turns out that there was something more behind this "skate competition". Based on what I noticed, most of the sponsors where (as you have suspected), politicians. That's right folks, they have "sponsored" a skate competition in order to get recognized because of the coming May 2013 senatorial and local elections.

For me, there's nothing wrong with them sponsoring the local skate scene but with the "emcee" repeating a long list of names of "sponsors" that don't even care about this event; it's just plain annoying. What makes it even worse is the hot weather that accompanied the summer season, it was just HOT. It would've been rewarding if we really did have a great time (aside from the free food). Here are some of the awful things that I have noticed:

1. Most of the "organizers" hardly skate or did not step on the board their whole lives.
2. The "sponsors" consists nothing but endless names of politicians.
3. There was an "entrance fee" for 10.00 php, even if you are only going to watch (so much for the sponsors).
4. The "emcee" was super annoying. She hardly knew what she was doing. I was guessing she was the organizer but I'd rather not think about that. 
5. They kept on saying that the registration fee was going to be donated to a said church that they are trying to build up. I have nothing against religion but please don't rub it in our faces. 
6. It was super-to-the-highest-level-badly-organized skate event. It's like they didn't even put some thought on the schedule. 
7. Here's the worse part, I heard rumors that the organizer/emcee insisted on 200 php registration even when the poster said 150 php, now what would you say about that?

Good thing there was free food in all the mayhem that ensued. We were greatly welcomed and we appreciate that but come on, next time, please don't get us involved if you run for politics or trying to win our vote. 

I had a great time but please, please never do this again. 

Davao City Needs a Skate Park!

Ever since skateboarding came into the city, local skaters have been pushing for a skate park down south. After almost 30 years (including skaters from the 80's) of promises, plans and heresy, there's still no skate park in town.

Davao is considered to be a major skate destination because of the number of skaters and skate shops that are based here but without a skate park, we feel kind of left out. The number of skate spots are dwindling; thank God we still have Magsaysay park to house all our events and obstacles.

What's worse is, people are complaining about us skating the streets, risking our boards (and lives?) to find a great spot. If you want us off the streets and your establishments, hand us a skate park and we'll stay out of everyone's way. This is also one reason why Davao skaters are sort of stagnant on their tricks. We don't have enough bowls, banks, handrails, manual pads and smooth pavement to shred unlike what the others have overseas.

We are so tired of this:

"DONG BAWAL DIRA!"

I'm not asking for any likes nor shares. I want to reach out to the guys who has the capabilities (and maybe money) to make a skate park. We're not asking much here; smooth and well-constructed pavement would do. We already have ledges and rails, all we need is a place to safely house them (because it gets stolen, every now and then).

Thank you so much for reading my blog even though I rarely update. I do appreciate every feedback that you guys have. See you next post.

Skate safe and support your local scene.

Davao Skateboarding Featuring Malaya Adalim

There aren't many female skateboarders around the Philippines but Malaya Adalim - a Davao born and raised skater, is slowly but surely showing the world that girls can skate too! Currently sponsored by Reef Side artworks, Malaya hopes to rise up to the top and be the best female street skater in the Philippines.

Personally, me and "Mayang" have been friends ever since I started skating here in Davao. She is nice, fun-loving and she always pushes herself to the limit. She is Davao Skateboarding's pride and one of the best females skaters that graced the scene. The best of Malaya Adalim right here on TWS.

Aliling (b-side) from eric perez on Vimeo.

Keep it Local: Davao Skate Shops

Way back the 80's and 90's, even the early 2000's Davao skaters only have access to quality equipment if they have relatives abroad that send them balik bayan boxes during Christmas or if you have tons of money to order stuff online. Today, we are thankful that many skate shops have opened, making it easier for many skaters to replace any broken trucks, decks and wheels or even purchasing a new set up. Listed below are some of the local skate shops that you can visit:

5Tabz. I must admit that this is one of my favorite shops down south. I even purchased my first set up here. Anyways, located in EC business center in Recto (formerly Claveria St.), this shop is a great stop for deals and discounts. Though not as popular as the others further down the list, this shop is locally owned making it fit for local skaters. In addition, they also have longboard parts that you can check out.You can visit their site here


Kurv Industries. Opened last 2009 and now in front of J.P. Laurel Avenue, Kurv is also a great place to shop for skateboarding goods. They sell the basic stuff like trucks, wheels, bearing and even some signature apparel. Not only that they cater to skateboarding, they also have longboards and surf goods from board shorts to wax.

Sk8Rock Skateshop. One of the most popular online shops in Davao city, Sk8rock is home to quality skate goods ranging from decks to bearing and even apparel. Shoes, skate bags and sun glasses can all be found here. Though price range may go up from 1000 php or more, you can't deny that the shop supplies good quality stuff. They have an active multiply account here.

WeLegendary Davao. Though WeLegendary has its roots in Manila, the Davao crowd welcomed the shop with open arms. The shop is currently sponsoring two local pro skaters Marc Calvo and Alex Ompoy which we skaters down south are proud to have. The shop supplies quality skate goods and apparel, including shirts from Stay Stooned (local) and many more. You can check out more of their blog here.

If you ever need anything, you can check out some of these shops both online and in their physical stores around Davao City. They have made skateboarding affordable and accessible for many of us. We should give our thanks not only to the owners but for everyone who support local.

See you around. 

<3

Loud and Proud: Davao Skate Spots

Taking it out on the streets is one of the most awesome things that happened to skateboarding. Davao has been known as a home for lots of skaters and because of that, there are many spots around the metro to cater to our passion. It may not be like the skate parks that we see around the United States and Europe but we are proud of what we have, even the smallest and frailest ledge or rail. Here are some of the local skate spots down south:

Magsaysay Park. Located near Uyanguren Street, Davao City, Magsaysay or MP is the center of Davao skate scene. Almost all of us know that this is the spot where you can skate all day long, that's if you can handle the intense heat during noon time. The great thing about the spot is the awesome shade of trees in the afternoon. The place also has a ledge and rail and if you're feeling extreme, there's a stage just around the corner that you can skate. 


Matina Town Square or MTS is great destination for people who want are looking for a little bit of fun whether you are on a skateboard or not. Even though the management doesn't always allow skaters under the tent, the spot is still great especially if it's raining because of the huge tarpaulin canopies. MTS may be flatland but skaters from all over DC are building up several ledges, manual pads and rails to make it more "street". 

PBCOM. Fronting Quirino Avenue, Davao City, PBCOM is not a favorable spot for many skaters but because of lack of spots, people still flock here to skate. The area is road kill, literally since it's right next to a busy, main avenue. In addition, the pavements for flatland skate are coarse and it's not a large spot like MTS or MP. Since it is a bank during daytime, skaters only get to shred the spot after 8 o'clock. 

Victoria Plaza Carpark. One of my favorite spots in DC is the nearby mall carpark downtown. The spot had been home to many skaters for more than 4 years until one time, the mall management suddenly forbade skaters to shred the spot. Even though you can only access the car park at night, it was still a nice spot to be. It's quiet with enough lighting and it has a rail and a huge gap. If you love doing wheelies, the spot would be great for you too. 

Computer World or CW is located in Roxas Avenue and like PBCOM it's right next to a main road but with less traffic. The bad side about this spot is the uneven and coarse pavement but nevertheless, many skaters still come here especially the "underground" ones. I'm not sure what the term is but at least we know that it's a skate spot. There aren't ledges or rails but there's a little slope that you can practice your tricks on. One thing, there's a security guard on duty everytime so any monkey business is not welcome such as property damage (or drugs?). The area is a computer shop and can only be accessed at night. 

Claveria or better known as "Lawaan" because of the old theaters of the same name is also one of my favorite.It has a ledge, a small rail and is pretty close to a skateshop. But like in car park, it was closed down due to construction. The management wanted to make the property into a hotel and just last year, our favorite spot was gone. Today, even a single sound of a skateboard is forbidden even if you're just passing by. 

Narra Street or better known as Toyozu is one of the oldest and most visited spots next to Magsaysay park. When the Claveria spot closed down, most skaters would flock here to skate. It has a two stair down, long flat and smooth pavement and a huge gap facing the road. There are only two occasions in which you can skate the area, on Sundays and at night. It's an awesome spot in daylight but it sucks during the night due to lack of light. 

Today, the only main spots left is MP, Toyozu and MTS (if the management feels like it.) But at least, Davao Skaters are still able to enjoy the beauty of skateboarding. 

How's it been?

It's been a long time since I posted something here and it has been a pleasure to write about the skateboarding. I chose this topic because of the fact that Davao needs an official skate park. There have been musings about it and many of the senior skaters have brought it up with the local government but still there was nothing. But anyways, like I said, we are still happy that we can still shred the streets even if we lack the spots. 

See you next post! 

12 Long Years of Skateboarding

INDIO FAMILIA. One of the most solid and robust skate crews around the south have been cruising the streets for more than 12 years and counting. That's a lot of blood, sweat and booze for 12 years. 

Last December 12, 2012 (I know I'm late), their skate crew premiered their SKATE AND INDIOY video featuring riders from down south. It started with a free for all skate competition at Magsaysay Park which I am unlucky enough to attend because of work but fortunately I did not miss the main event: their video premiere at a local residence near Ecoland, Davao City.  There was also free booze, snacks and entertainment for all. So without further adieu:

Skate and Indioy from Indio Familia on Vimeo.

What's happening 

Wow! To be honest, I never realized that this blog would reach 2013 because of my constant busy working schedule. Despite my small page views and unregular updates, I'm still faithfully trying to give much attention to write stuff about skateboarding.

Anyways, let's not talk about me; after all who would want to see me skate? I suck at it but nevertheless, I still continue to learn and just have fun. 

I'll see you next post and skate safe! 

#RANDOM$ - Supporting the Local Skate Scene

Wow! It's been a long time since I've been able to write again. The last update I wrote was three months ago; that's a long time. It feels so amazing to be back on track with what's going on around this blog even though when I log in I disappointingly weep on how many page views I get. LOL

Despite my busy working schedule, I am still able to skate with my friends. Skateboarding is like getting away from the stresses that constrict me everyday. It is a way to relieve me of my stress and just focus on one thing and that is not to injure yourself while doing tricks and jumping on obstacles. It's like being free to do whatever you want without anybody criticizing you if it is right or wrong.

One thing that our local skate scene is proud about is making videos. Though we don't have high quality cameras or expensive equipment to film them, we are still happy to have produced a video.



#RANDOM$ from eric perez on Vimeo.

This is to support our local skateboarding scene to keep on pushing our boundaries and enjoy the ride. If you are reading this far, thank you so much for reading and watching.

By the way, I have a new blog. It's like a music blog and I post some music stuff in it. You can check out the Mad Scientist.

Thanks again and see you next post.

My Frustrations in Learning the Kickflip

Hi readers! I know I have not been posting that much. This is because of work and other engagements plus I skate most of my free time. As you all know, I just started skating almost a year and a half ago and I still consider myself a beginner.

The kickflip is probably one of the most frustrating tricks and one of the hardest to learn, for me that is. Learning how to kickflip can really challenge a beginner's motivation and skills in skateboarding. As mentioned on my previous post, the kickflip is a skateboarding trick in which you flick the board while in the air and you let it flip under you.

One of the biggest challenges that I currently face right now is that the board always keeps flying out of the way forward.. I tried not to flick it too hard but it is still not working. Though I can land my front foot, it lands on the back trucks. I also tried moving forward and keeping my shoulders straight to catch the board, it still winds up moving away.

One stroke of luck, I had recently landed it but I still fail to recreate how I flipped the board in order to land it properly trucks to trucks. I know I sound lame but it would really help if you can leave some tips that would really help on my situation.

There are some sort of emotional pressure that is also keeping me from learning to kickflip. I know it is a good motivation but I cannot seem to put it in place. All my girl skater friends are now able to land it more often than I do and its peer pressure.

I know that skateboarding is not supposed to be a competition but all about FUN. But I guess I just have to accept the fact that some people are just better than others at something. Even so, I still enjoy skating with my friends.

Even if I am confronted with this challenge, I am still going to continue skateboarding and learning new tricks. But if you have tips that you can help me, please do get in touch. I badly need some advice and all that.

Thank you so much and see you next post! :)

Four Basic Stances in Skateboarding

Photo credits to Gordon Gabrinez

One of the things that you have to know in skateboarding is the different stances for skateboarding tricks. These stances make a trick harder or easier but mostly, it depends upon you and your preferred tricks.

There are four basic stances in skateboarding: fakie, nollie, switch and normal. So for every normal trick, there are three other ways to do it. So if you learned a new trick, you can instantly try it on different stances to multiply your tricks. ;)

• Normal stance. This is your preferred stance with your front foot on the front trucks and your back foot on the tail going forward. There are two kind of skaters out there: regular and goofy. Goofy skaters skate with their right foot forward and regular skaters use their left.
• Fakie. A fakie is the exact opposite of nollie. This is where you place your front foot in the middle of the board and your back foot on the nose, going forward. For me, fakie is much easier compared to a nollie and are good for beginners like us.
• Nollie. Nollie is fakie on switch stance. What happens is that your back foot is on the nose and your front foot is in the middle of the board. The weird thing is most skaters that are comfortable with nollie, struggle with fakie.
• Switch. Switch is the exact opposite of either regular or goofy stance. For regular skaters, the switch stance would be goofy and vice versa. Switch is not for the faint hearted and is recommended that you be accustomed to riding a skateboard.

Get comfortable with each of these stances throughout your sessions. This will help you get accustomed with riding a skateboard. Start rolling slowly, especially for nollie and switch, then you can move up your speed and accomplish tricks.

For beginners, understanding these stances can be quite confusing. But I do hope this article helped you with any misunderstandings with the stances. If you have any suggestions, you can comment or contact us.

Skate safe and see you next post. :)

5 Basic Tricks on a Skateboard

Sorry for the sketch. :D

Skateboarding involves many different tricks depending on how “gnarly” you are on it. Basically, the gnarlier the better. For us beginners, let us reserve those gnarly tricks in the future and focus on basic yet essential ones that you would later find important in complex skateboarding tricks.

Learning basic tricks on a skateboard can come a long way than having to master a single one without going through the “trick ladder” as I’d like to call it. These tricks are easy and achievable for beginners if he/she has the perseverance to do so. Even though these are basic, safety always needs to come first since we are not yet accustomed to riding a skateboard.

Here are some of the basics in skateboarding that you can learn easily and is fit for beginners:

1. Ollie. The ollie is one of the most basic yet important skateboard tricks. Flips and some shoves or perhaps the combination of both depend on how much you have mastered this trick.
2. Shove it or shuvit. Though not as essential as ollies, shuvits are important if you want to master big spins, shoves and varial flips whether frontside or backside.
3. 180. 180 refers to the angle in which your skateboard turns. If you have mastered this trick, you can head over to 360. Just like shuvits, this trick also has a frontside and backside.
4. Nollie and fakie. Though not really a trick nollie and fakey refers to the  stance in which you are going to perform a certain trick. This increases the number of tricks that you have running in either regular, nollie or fakie.
5. Manuals. Still considered as a trick, manuals are easy for beginners. All you need to do is run in 2 wheels whether lifting your nose or your tail. When you have mastered this trick, you can incorporate all sorts of tricks with it.

Tricks on a skateboard are constantly evolving because of many talented individuals that are contributing to the sport. If you are hoping to improve your skills in skateboarding, you would really need to work hard to master all the tricks that are mentioned above.

If you think that I have missed one or a couple of basic tricks, don’t hesitate to comment or get in touch with me. Everyone is welcome to share their feedback.

Thank you and see you next post!

5 Easy Steps on How to Ollie

Knowing how to ollie on a is one of the most basic tricks in skateboarding and by basic it meaning essential and important. Many tricks would require you to know how to ollie before proceeding to more complex ones such as kickflips, heelflips, etc.

Beginners like myself need to practice and eventually master this trick without flaws. Ollie is easy to practice but difficult to master. With the two years I spent skateboarding, I am able to ollie but haven’t mastered it to my advantage, heck I am still not able to make it 2 stairs down!

Even then, I am still willing to skate and accomplish such a feat and to help others like me, I made this post for people that are hoping to do the ollie for their first trick (well, it is encouraged that you start with it.).

Listed below are the steps on how to ollie on a skateboard:

1. Stand on your skateboard depending on your stance.
2. Place your popping foot just right within the tail and the brushing foot near the middle of the board.
3. Pop the board and brush your foot to assist the pop. Synchronize this movement until you grow accustomed to it.
4. Apply it on flat ground with the wheels rolling and ollie your way through little obstacles like lines, cracks and leaves. Then if you are more comfortable, make obstacles a bit challenging like gaps, rocks and small gutters.
5. Keep on practicing until you have the balls to go down a couple of stairs and gaps.

These instructions are not the “actual” rule when it comes to knowing how to ollie. You have the prerogative to switch to other positions depending on what makes you comfortable. As long as the skate jumps along with you, it’s an ollie.

It is all about getting used to riding a skateboard. As a beginner, you are not expected to go down huge stairs or gaps, just have fun with what you are doing and persevere. Eventually, you will get to do all those things that you are dreaming about in skateboarding.

Have fun and skate safe!


PS: My Press Release got approved for Davao Skateboarding. You can check it out here.

When Females Dominate Skateboarding

Skateboarding is mostly dominated by men but behind their shadows are female pro skaters eager to be as good as men. Female skaters are rare and are often criticized for being surrounded by males in a male dominated sport. But still females still strive to keep up in the world of skateboarding.

I am a woman and I have been skating for more than 2 years now and still I am scared to do complex tricks! The good thing is, for me skateboarding is not a competition but more of fun and having fun with the people around you. So I do not pressure myself to compete with males, I just go with the flow and learn tricks at an easy pace.

But even if pro skater girls are behind men when it comes to tricks, hats off to them. Why? Because they have bigger balls than some skaters I know. Yes, these girls are not pros for nothing. They have the skill to land such a reputation in the skateboarding world and being able to dominate it is a feat itself.

Here are some of the best current female skaters I know and If you think I missed out on someone, do not hesitate to comment.

• Leticia Bufoni. Leticia Bufoni is a 19 year old pro skater and is one of the youngest female pro skaters out there. Riding goofy, she had rubbed elbows with pros from Volcom, Osiris, Foundation, Rock Star Bearings, Bones wheels and Crail.
• Lacey Baker. A 20 year old goofy skater from California. Lacey is sponsored by Billabong, Element Skateboards, Indy, Bones (flow), Pawn Shop Skate and Vans (flow). She had long hair before, I just learned that she cut it short.
• Elissa Steamer. Elissa is one of the most amazing female skaters around the world. She had won lots of competitions including Slam City Jam in 1998 in which after she was named as a “pro”. Elissa is sponsored by Zero, Nike SB, Thunder and Tampa Skatepark.
• Marisa del Santo. Marisa is a boyish skater from Illinois and is as gnarly as Leticia or Lacey. She is currently sponsored by Nor Ill Skate Shop, Zero and Emerica (flow).
• Evelien Bouilliart. A very competitive woman “Evie” had participated in the female X games since 2000 and is a top competitor. Her sponsors are  Hoopla Skateboards, Etnies, Nixon, Von Zipper, Bones, Zumiez, Rockstar Bearings and Girls from Omsk.
• Vanessa Torres. Ms. Torres is a regular skater that attained dozens of awards and have participated in the X games side by side with all the female skaters in the event. She rides with Element and Rockstar Bearings.
• Amy Caron. A regular peo skater from California, Amy Caron had been competing in the X games 1996 and have been a major competitor since 2005. She is with Element, Circa, Rockstar Bearings and Bones Wheels.

In skateboarding, sexism does not exist but we have to admit that it is a male dominated world. But men have to bow down to these women that dominated the sport and are still continuing to WOW the crowd.