COMING from humble beginnings, pro skater Margielyn Didal believes that anyone can make it big in skateboarding, just like her, as long as you put your heart into it and have the right support system like the skateboarding community.
“Skateboarding is for everyone. It doesn’t matter what your status in life is, your gender or your age. In skateboarding, you have a family and someone that will teach you, not just tricks but also in life. That’s how the community of skateboarding works,” said Didal in the Xponential Tour presented by Converge Super Fiber X, skateboarding event, at the Talisay City Skate Park. “As Margie, I started without my own skateboard. I just watched and the skate community itself will help you. You can borrow boards and ask more experienced skaters to teach you. It does not take much. You just join the local skate community and go to parks and spots. You can learn and if you want to progress you need dedication and prayers.”
The 27-year-old Didal is one of the biggest stars of skateboarding in the Philippines. She is now the newest band ambassador of Converge Super Fiber X.
After the official opening of the event, Didal took a spin around the park and did a few tricks that impressed the fans.
Later in the afternoon, Didal joined the skateboarding competition.
Didal competed in the Olympics in 2020 and finished in seventh place. She’s also an Asian Games gold medalist and a two-time Southeast Asian Games gold medalist.
Now at the pinnacle of her skateboarding career, Didal never forgot her roots, her humble beginnings, and is giving back to the community through her organization.
“We have Push Philippines, a community that’s run by my friend in London who’s also a Filipino. We grow and help other your skaters by gathering used and brand-new boards from other countries and we bring them here through Balik Bayan boxes. We not only give it here in Cebu but also other parts of the Philippines. We want to help the youth in the remote areas that don’t have access to skateboarding,” said Didal.
Skateboarding isn’t a usual sport that gets support by the government; that’s why Didal is taking matters into her hands to lift the sport not only in Cebu but also in other areas in the country.
“That is what we are doing with the Push Philippines donation drive and we ourselves are the ones who will support skateboarding.” / EKA / RSC
