MANILA, Philippines - Only months since the dust settled from the DVS Skate Tour in Fort Bonifacio, Aloha Boardsports drops another awe-inspiring skate event guaranteed to rock the very foundation of the new Global City skyline. International clothing company and extreme sports leader, Volcom along with Flip skateboards has assembled a team of world renowned skaters to temporarily take over scorching Metro Manila streets for a weeklong tour that will include Flip Skateboard’s video premiere, Extremely Sorry, a skateboarding exhibition and the Philippine’s first national skateboarding tour, The Sari-Sari Skate Tour, that will assign a point system to determine a national champion. It’s not just another ordinary skate tour, it’s the Volcom and Flip “Thrilla In Manila.”
“We’ve put together a lot of successful tours but I always look forward to tours involving Volcom because they’re our showcase brand. The 2008 Balut Salute Volcom Tour was really successful but I believe that this one will be bigger and better. The skaters coming are some of Volcom’s top guys and we will have a mix of one of the best veteran skaters ever, Mark Appleyard and some of the best young skaters in the world like David Gonzalez, Luan De Oliveira, Willow and fourteen year old Louie Lopez,” adds Aloha Boardsports’ president, Freddy Gonzalez, as the countdown begins.
Volcom has founded its business on supporting talented athletes in realizing their potential, similar to Aloha Boardsports’ own principles. “Youth Against Establishment,” Volcom’s philosophy, highlights its campaign to be a company that invests in youth and in nurturing non-conforming styles over redundant trends and pseudo-vogue traditions. Eddie Miyoshi, international sales manager for Volcom says, “The term ‘Youth Against Establishment’ is not a negative slogan against the government or anything of the sort but a very fundamental property of Volcom. It’s something we put into our designs, riders, art, music and lifestyle. Volcom’s whole persona is the rebellious company. A brand targeted for the rebellious youth supporting creativity on all parts of our sports, art, music, fashion and not directed at the government but the permanent structures that are built and directed for all to conform to and which lack creativity and thought.”
The showcase of riders that Volcom and Flip Skateboards will be presenting on this occasion has been deemed by local skaters to be the most energetic group to roll polyurethane wheels across urban Filipino terrain in the last few years. “The hype behind this tour is massive and the guys are stoked to be a part of the Thrilla in Manila Tour. We have a solid crew and this is Luan’s first major tour since he turned pro, so it’s definitely going to be a trip to remember,” adds Flip skateboards team manager and marketing coordinator Andrew Shusterman, who will accompany the Volcom and Flip team on their trip to the Philippines. Joining Andrew will be Steve Stratton, Volcom’s team manager who had this to share: “I think the Thrilla in Manila Tour is going to be off the hook. We have a really good squad of guys coming out and between all of them, there is a lot of positive energy brewing for this trip. These guys can’t wait to come out and experience everything the Philippines will have to offer.”
Award-winning 2003 Thrasher magazine Skater Of The Year, as well as holding numerous other awards, Mark Appleyard will headline the event. At age 28, Mark is the veteran rider on the team. Originally from Canada but now residing in Huntington Beach, California, Appleyard is well known for his smooth style and laid-back personality.
Along with Appleyard is 20-year-old David Gonzalez of Medellin, Colombia. Gonzalez’s popularity in North and South America has been steadily growing as he becomes well known for pulling off big tricks as well as displaying an array of technical prowess.
Luan Oliveira, a 20-year-old Brazilian transplant, has recently changed his career status from amateur to professional in February of this year. This will be Luan’s first tour since joining the pro ranks so he will definitely be taking the demo to a different level by exhibiting an arsenal of highly technical tricks.
At 26, Flip Skateboard’s European counterpart, Willow, is a Flip team rider from East Germany. Willow has been known for causing a big stir in the European skate scene and is sure to light things up during his weeklong tour of the PhilippineLast but not least, Louie Lopez, a 14-year-old roller from California, is the youngest on the team. Lopez is still in the amateur ranks but, regardless of his status, he can still bust moves like the pros.
These five amazing skaters will be putting on an exciting demonstration of skating that cannot be missed — especially by skating aficionados here. As a precursor, the feats of these professionals will also be on display in their new video called, Extremely Sorry, the third installment in Flip Skateboard’s trilogy of skate videos: Sorry, Really Sorry and Extremely Sorry. On Friday, March 19, before the actual skate demo, Handle Bar and Grill on Polaris Street in Makati will screen Flip’s newest skateboarding film, which exhibits the flair of all the skaters performing at the demo. The debut screening by the Aloha organizers is free. Also rocking the night away will be Crow Jane with lead singer Nicole Asensio shaking the house before and after the 45-minute film. A raffle for skateboard decks, clothing and other skate swag will also be held.
Thrilla in Manila kicks off the first-ever national skateboarding tour. What makes this tour unique is the point system that will be attached to the tour: five national stops have been designed to incorporate different regions of the nation (the locations have yet to be announced). After the fifth competition, all of the competitors’ points will be tallied and a national champion will be decided. An event of this nature has not occurred in the history of Pinoy skating since the sport’s induction into the country.
There will be two categories of skate-boarding: a 16 and Under division and an Open Men’s division. Riders will be judged on their routine in six different areas of the skate park, with a maximum of 10 points per area. Skater will be put into 15-minute heats with 15 members each. The top five riders with the highest score out of 60 total points will advance. After three rounds, the winners of each division will collect a money reward. The 16 and Under champion will receive P10,000; the Open Men’s division gets P15,000. In the end, the most consistent and adept skater in each category will take home a P50,000 grand prize for their overall exploits.
With more variety than any skate tour before it, Thrilla in Manila by Aloha Boardsports is sure to be the skating event of the year. With an extremely charged mix of international skaters, a highly anticipated video premiere and a grass-roots skating competition will surely make history and take local skating to new heights.
“It always hard to ‘one up’ yourself but I think we are able to do it with the sheer talent of the guys coming as well as the Sari Sari Skate Tour that we are going to kick off for the local skate community,” adds Gonzalez. “After doing a few tours and bringing the world’s top skate talent to the Philippines, it was about time that we moved our focus to developing our local talent and giving them a platform to better their skills.”