Skateboarding, one of the newest Olympic sports, has found an ally in Laoag City mayor and former Gintong Alay Project Director Michael Marcos Keon.
Keon, who was one of those responsible for the rise of late the former Asia’s Sprint Queen Lydia De Vega and long jump icon Elma Muros Posadas in athletics, has expressed support for skateboarding and hopes to produce future elite skateboards from his city.
It was through his nephew Vincent Marcos that Keon came to know about skateboarding and Asian Games champion Margielyn Didal.
“I became aware how good we were pala in skateboarding through the performances of Margielyn Didal. Also, the comment of the group who hosted is that despite the absence of a skateboard park our skateboarders are quite proficient. So with (enough) support, skateboarding can take off as a sport here in Laoag and Ilocos Norte,” said Keon, who headed the highly successful Gintong Alay sports project of then president Ferdinand Marcos, Sr.
Vincent brought with him some skateboarders, led by Didal and SkatePilipinas president Carl Sambrano and conducted a mini tournament, with Keon and Ilocos Norte governor Matthew Marcos Manotoc as special guests.
Didal’s rags-to-riches’ story through skateboarding has inspired a lot of young kids in Ilocos and established the Ilocos Norte Skateboarding Association, headed by Dexter Rasco.
From helping her mother sell fishballs in the streets in Cebu, Didal rose to become the 2018 Asian Games champion, a double gold medalist in the 2019 Philippine Southeast Asian Games and finishing 7th in the 2022 Tokyo Olympics.
“Both Vincent and his group were surprised by the passion, diversity, and general talent of the local skateboarders, who were primarily from Laoag City. Vincent also asked me about the possibility of creating a skateboard park in Laoag City. We will study the possibility of establishing a skatepark here in Laoag City,” added Keon. “I welcome this new sports initiative.”