Addicted to Skim boarding
By Ligaya B. Tomong

Just as there are amusements of all sorts, there are also pleasurable sports that fit all ages surpassing age, color or race. I am talking about the newest aqua-sport in the city called SKIMBOARDING!  It has been the talk of the town for the last few months all over the city of Dipolog.

The magic word “skim” can be heard almost everywhere.  You can hear it over the radio, from friends, street boys and outdoor lovers.  You can even see it in the local news papers.

I can't skim because I forgot my swimsuit and just wore my jeans

Because of curiosity, I tried it once, twice, many times and I love it just like any other skim board enthusiast who loves the thrill and excitement of gliding their board on thin water while keeping the balance and doing some tricks.

John Amatong, a friend of mine who persuaded me to try skim boarding is very much addicted to the new sport in Dipolog. I learned a lot from him like most of the beginners did. He is one of those who teach skim boarding to young people who are eager to gain knowledge about it.

Karlo doing the Superman trick

Photo shows Carlo, the brother of John, doing some skim boarding tricks

5802 – Doing wave skimming

I also found out from him that though skim boarding and surfing has a little similarity but it differs a lot I terms of the board and the waves which are needed in order the manipulate the shape and form of each respective boards. John told me that skim boarding is a water sport. You will use a board smaller than the usual surfboard and it is done in a flat sandy beach, which is very appropriate during low tide condition. I also learned from him that it is one of the most high-tech water sports all over the world using technology adapted from aerospace to attain maximum lightness, buoyancy and rocker.

At first, I thought it was him who presented the said sport in Dipolog but I learned from him that it was Chevalier Dangcalan, who introduced the skim boarding sport in the city last December of 2003.

John said that Chevalier who is a mountaineer in Dipolog happened to visit Dumaguete City and was amazed with what he saw in one of the beaches there wherein people were gliding their skim boards and enjoyed performing several styles. There, he knew that it was skimboarding and that the said sport was being popularized by the city government.

Happy faces of skim boarders after the contest

John Amatong with his skim board after teaching fresh enthusiasts in Sicayab Beach area of the city of Dipolog.

Mga paa ni Marina.........hehehe...sorry

More superman

Practice more.... skim boarders help each other to learn hard-knocking tricks

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