Ride through the glide of Skimboarding

     As the smooth waves reach the shore of Nasugbu, 19-year-old Karl, with his teardrop-shaped board, stands waiting a few feet away from the sea. And as the sand patters to the ocean, he lets loose of his board, steps on it and runs in anticipation towards the shore — gliding through the small waves at the edge of the sea.

Boards up!

     From a mere lifeguard’s drill used to cross over beaches in California, Skimboarding has greatly established itself today as a visually thrilling and fun water sport worldwide. In the Philippines, the sport has been rocking the country’s coastline since 2000, starting along the shores of Tanauan, Leyte.

    In less than a decade, more people from neighboring towns and provinces were drawn to the sport, and what used to be a form of recreation soon evolved into a series of friendly competitions. In fact, a three-day sports festival called ‘Skimfest’ is annually held in Nasugbu, Batangas wherein Skimboarders compete and party all night.

     “Skimboarding is one way on how I can release my stress. Masaya s’yang laruin lalo na kung marami kang kasama,” expressed Karl Dale dela Rosa, a second year Brahman AutoCad student who has been into skimboarding for a year now.

Conquer the waves

     Most people know Skimboarding as ‘the-thing-you-do-in-the-sand’, and while this is true, Skimboarding has evolved to something more than that.

     To start with this groovy sport, you must stand about 20 feet away from the ocean with the skimboard on hand. Once you see a wave, hold your boards up then drop it on the wet sand. The hardest part though is when you try to ride the board.

     “Medyo mahirap magsimula kasi ang tendency ng iba ay tumalon sa board, pero mali ‘yun, kasi mas malaki ang chance na mahulog sila,” explained Karl.

     Moreover, if you know now how to ride the board, the next step to do is to remain stable on it. You will then need to glide into the sand towards the  coming wave, bank off of it, and ride back onto the shore. There are many possibilities for riding the waves and that is where skimboarding gets really interesting. If you already mastered the basics, then you can try making tricks like Ollie and shuvit.

Surf and scratch

     Not everyone may love water sports. But remember, trying something new isn’t bad at all. Afraid of breath-taking water sports? Then, Skimboarding is definitely a great sport you can start with — cheaper, refreshing and definitely safer.

     So will you just be at one corner of the beach doing sand castles? Come on! You know what to play now.

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