Skimboarding Girls?

You get a board, take your position and run fast.

On the right timing, drop the board and ride it. But, make sure that one of your feet is on the back part of the board.

This is a good start for a skimboarding enthusiast.

Ever since skimboarding became a popular water sport here in the Philippines, Cebu has become one of the good skimboarding spots. Beaches in Lilo-an, Talisay and Argao are places where skimboarders go. This water sport is mostly played by boys, knowing it could break arms or legs.

But there are girls who are determined to try and master this sport, too. These girls are ready to take the extreme challenge.

Friah Fontanoza, 15, who hails from Lilo-an, started skimboarding when she was still in grade six. She would spend several hours a day in Lo-oc beach, located near her house, to practice. She would play in the morning or in the afternoon, depending on the tide.

" Naibog lang ko kay daghan naman silang magduwa then ako wa man koy duwa-on, mao nang ni-apil na lang ko (Many of them would play. I envied them so I joined them)," says Friah.

At first, she was only observing a group of boys skimboarding. She had no coach. She would only watch the boys and tried it herself. She practiced a lot with the other boys, who became her skimboarding buddies, until she mastered it.

Her enthusiasm and passion for the sport made her win twice when she joined the skimboarding competition in the Wahini Division (girl's division) in Lilo-an and Talisay.

"Ganahan gyud kaayo ko makat-on kay dili ko ganahan nga lalaki ra ang makaduwa ana, naa gyud na'y babaye nga makaduwa ( I like to learn because I don't want only boys can play it)," says Michelle Parawan, 20, another skimboarding enthusiast from Danao.

Like Friah, she first played in Lo-oc beach in Lilo-an and later found a good spot in Danao. She thought skimboarding was fun and at the same time a good way of working out. Michelle asked help from a friend named Arichie, a skimboarder, to teach her how to do it. It took her a day to ride the board perfectly.

In the following days of practice with her friend, she got even better. Michelle's first days of learning the sport were not easy. She got wounded ankles during the practice, as well as muscle pains after playing it. She even feared that boys or other people might mock her. But she continued to play especially during summer.

Friah and Michelle suffered bruises, sprained their arms and legs, and wounded their ankles. That was not the only thing they had experienced because of this water sport.

Behind Friah's victory was hard work and a tough experience for her. Her parents did not know right away that she was participating in skimboarding, not until her mother saw her wounds and discovered that she got them from skimboarding. Friah was always scolded and reprimanded by her parents, especially by her mother, because she spent more hours playing and less in studying.

But still she played and practiced harder. It was her grandfather who would watch over her while she skimboarded. It was also her grandfather who convinced her parents to support their daughter's interest.

When Friah ranked second in the first competition she joined, that was the time her mother softened her heart and fully supported her daughter.

"Pagtan-aw nako sa contest, nindot man di-ay. Pag-play na gyud niya, nagda gyud ko ug camera, ako gyud siyang gishotan. Mura man sad ko ug nalu-oy sa bata (When I saw the contest, it was nice. When it was Friah's turn to play, I had my camera and took a picture of her and pitied her)," says her mother. After that, Friah joined another skimboarding competition in Talisay, and won the first prize. Her parents were very proud of her.

"Okay ra nang babaye nga moduwa ug skimboarding (It is okay for girls to play skimboarding)," says Aldis Brian Yuson, 19, a frequent competitor in skimboarding in Cebu, Leyte, Cagayan and Davao.

Another skimboarding enthusiast, Carlo Lucero, 20, advised girls planning to learn skimboarding to be determined to learn the sport and "to be yourself."

Girls like Friah and Michelle have real stamina for skimboarding. No matter how hard, it has not stopped them.

Boys, watch out!