EXTREME SPORTS BLASTS AT THE MALL OF ASIA


IT wasn’t the bay itself that attracted people towards the bay area of the SM Mall of Asia last November 10 but Tribu’s wakeboarding pool, the 36-feet, stone-studded wall and the skate park that converted the cemented walkway into an extreme sports arena.

Three extreme sports are one in the city once again. While skateboarding, wallclimbing and winchboarding are played at different places, these were amazingly held in one venue, all in one day at Metroactive Magazine and Tribu Outdoor’s “X in the City: The Extreme Sports Challenge in Manila.”

The annual event highlighted winchboarding by Towd Winch. Being relatively new to the city, Metroactive Magazine editor-in-chief Jeena Lopez explained winchboarding as wakeboarding in a small body of water such as a swimming pool where one is pulled not by a boat nor a cable but by a lifting machine called “winch.”

Competitions for the three sports started simultaneously in the afternoon, with the skaters pouring in and crowds getting ready to be splashed by the waves of the Tribu wakeboarding pool.

Winning the first place for the Towd Winchboarding competitions is Rocky Ona with backslide 180 as his winning move. Carlo de la Torre bagged second place for his boardslides and Carlo Rodriguez placed third after the series of skis he made at the funbox. Towd Winchboarding exhibitions followed with demonstrations from local and foreign wakeboarders.

Wakeboard competitions also took place and JV Tanjangco won first place for the men’s division and Joyce Recto for the women’s division.

Meanwhile, skateboarders were having close playoffs during Malachi Apparel’s skateboard competition, leaving skate achiever Rasheed Al-Rasheed as the champion. The Tribu Fresh Park opened later for a free skate.

Wall climbing also became a hit as people lined up to try the Tribu Wall. As for the speed climbing competitions, Eunice Quilantang won first place and Kenneth Roldan went second place for the men’s division; While Nikki Capalungan and Johanson Cachapero placed first and second, respectively, for the women’s division.

Wakeboarding, skateboarding and wall climbing were first held simultaneously last August 4 and 5 at the Bonifacio High Street by Stoked Inc. Making a comeback in the city, the event was flocked with extreme sports enthusiasts as far as Baguio City. As the event made the San Miguel by the Bay at the esplanade alive until evening, it eventually ended with an “extreme party” with performances from El Rey Cultural Dance Troupe and ethnic music group Tribu Boracay, completing the adrenaline rush and telling everyone that extreme sports will always be welcome in the city.

-by Krzl Light Nunes