Skateboarding should get the attention it deserves — De Lange
By Michael Angelo S. Murillo, Senior Reporter
FOLLOWING the successful showing of the Philippine skateboarding team in last month’s 30th Southeast Asian Games (SEA), gold medal-winning downhill skater Jaime De Lange hopes that the gains they got in the biennial sporting meet be sustained so as to get the sport the attention it deserves here in the country.
Competed in the men’s downhill skateboard event held in Maragondon, Cavite, Mr. De Lange, a product of De La Salle University, led the Philippine longboard team to a 1-2 finish, with him taking the gold and teammate Duke Pandeagua finishing second.
It was a showing that they are very proud of as they made history in skateboarding’s debut in SEA Games and at the same time they were able to show the sport as something that can be picked up by Filipinos and, in turn, excel in it.
“It feels amazing to make history with skateboarding making its debut in the SEA Games. And we walked away with 11 medals and skateboarding was one of the better-performing sports. And the skate community in the Philippines is very happy about it,” said Mr. De Lange in an interview last week as he was introduced as one of the latest ambassadors of Chooks-to-Go.
Mr. De Lange further said with skateboarding proving itself as a sport that can be organized in a legitimate manner, now is the time to throw support behind it.
“Usually you see it being done on the streets. But now that skateboarding has proven itself as something worth doing now in the Philippines, now is the time to have more skate parks, skate schools and skate clinics not only for streets but also longboard. It can be a big part of our culture if we are open to it,” he said.
And having companies like Chooks-to-Go recognizing what they do, Mr. De Lange said, is a step in the right direction for the further acceptance of the sport.
“Just to recognize me and the sport in general, it’s wonderful. To be put in the mainstream like this and back and support us with all our goals, it puts skateboarding to its proper light that it deserves. I feel really good about it,” he said.
Apart from Mr. De Lange, also added to the Chooks-to-Go family was SEA Games gold medal-winning surfer and hero Roger Casogay. They join the likes of Kobe Paras (basketball) and Nico Huelgas (triathlon).
Moving forward, Mr. De Lange said they are targeting to be able to compete in the Asian Games and, hopefully, the Olympics down the line.
“Our next goal is the Asian Games because that is coming sooner and skateboarding is already there and the Olympics, but just not our category yet. As a sport (downhill skating) we are still pushing to make it to the Olympics. The SEA Games was the first time we were recognized by a sub-Olympic committee as a legit sport because downhill skating is not the regular skateboarding. But we are hopeful,” he said.
