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! 

Skateboarding Fail GIFS

Because I love to skate and I love GIFs, here's my compilation of epic fails from the skateboarding scene that I have seen (look at how that rhymes) around the interwebs. Hope you like them.

It can be funny but in the real world, if you sucked at skateboarding like me or like these dudes above, it kind of sucks. Instead of laughing our ass off, we should try to help and encourage those who are struggling and having fail moments. This is what makes the skateboarding community tight through the mistakes that we make and how we overcome these mistakes.

Skate and never be afraid to fail. Though they are funny, it's part of being a skateboarder to just laugh our ass out.

Skate safe!

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!