This Rollerskates Group is Asking for the Government's Support | OG
Roller skating is probably one of the most satisfying gifts from the 80s and 90s. And to cut to the chase, some things just don't wash out. Meet this group of roller skaters and find out why their thing is as important as basketball.
Wait. There's a thriving community for roller skaters, by roller skaters? For some, this may come as a surprise because of ordinances taking effect to ban roller skaters and skateboarders on thoroughfares and sidewalks for their own safety.
But Everywhere We Skate PH, a group of skating enthusiasts came to be during the pandemic and gave roller skating a rebirth. This is the kind of sport that definitely brings out the kid in you so no wonder this community talks a lot about the joy it brings while coping during this Covid-19 pandemic. Skating has helped them take care of their physical and mental health as they glide and dance away on wheels.
But they need their places like skateparks to be able to roll away in safety and get the most meditative benefits of the sport. Here's what they want the government to know.
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Using the power of video to tell one good story at a time... ONLY GOOD... OG.
OG is Summit Media's video first brand. And like all Summit Media brands, OG is anchored on top-notch storytelling to delight, inspire, and connect with our audiences.
We are deliberate in creating content that spread positivity, inspiration, and good vibes. Expect only good here at OG. Subscribe and be part of the community!
Roller skating is probably one of the most satisfying gifts from the 80s and 90s. And to cut to the chase, some things just don't wash out. Meet this group of roller skaters and find out why their thing is as important as basketball.
Wait. There's a thriving community for roller skaters, by roller skaters? For some, this may come as a surprise because of ordinances taking effect to ban roller skaters and skateboarders on thoroughfares and sidewalks for their own safety.
But Everywhere We Skate PH, a group of skating enthusiasts came to be during the pandemic and gave roller skating a rebirth. This is the kind of sport that definitely brings out the kid in you so no wonder this community talks a lot about the joy it brings while coping during this Covid-19 pandemic. Skating has helped them take care of their physical and mental health as they glide and dance away on wheels.
But they need their places like skateparks to be able to roll away in safety and get the most meditative benefits of the sport. Here's what they want the government to know.
Click here to subscribe to OG:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIj3xiW-RIO2cpr5LBvokRg/?sub_confirmation=1
About OG
Using the power of video to tell one good story at a time... ONLY GOOD... OG.
OG is Summit Media's video first brand. And like all Summit Media brands, OG is anchored on top-notch storytelling to delight, inspire, and connect with our audiences.
We are deliberate in creating content that spread positivity, inspiration, and good vibes. Expect only good here at OG. Subscribe and be part of the community!
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00 Roller skating for me is very magical and whenever I skate I feel like I'm a
00:05 different person I feel like I'm a more confident version of who I am.
00:09 Every time I skate I feel like all my problems disappear and I just feel pure happiness.
00:16 Roller skating in totality is a sport and aside from that being a sport
00:27 roller skating is an expression it's a place where everybody could just become
00:32 a kid again. It is an avenue for people to connect and express themselves in so
00:36 many other ways. We started at least 500 members last year in the group and now
00:41 we're at least 8,000 more and growing strong. When the pandemic struck there's
00:46 a lot of people who were clamoring for something to express and do and I
00:50 believe that roller skating was an avenue for a lot of us even me to be
00:54 able to release all those frustrations those anger and angst when it came to
00:59 the whole pandemic.
01:00 Roller skating was a boom in the 70s up to 90s. I'm a 90s kid so I fell in love with roller skating.
01:08 So that was my first love. So if they say first love in sports, it's true.
01:14 I was the one who made it real.
01:16 Fast track to the 90s up to 2000. There were a lot of kids who were
01:21 driving on the streets, on the highway, in accidents. So there were ordinances to ban
01:27 inline skating, rollerblading in the streets. And the problem was we have lack of
01:34 facilities, skate parks, open spaces, safe spaces for skaters. So there was a problem
01:41 that other kids were not given the chance to skate.
01:46 Maybe some of the kids while growing up didn't find it easy to practice the sport
01:52 because there was no facility. So maybe some of them decided that I'll quit skating
01:58 but it didn't die because there were a lot of other cultures like aggressive inline skating.
02:05 Then there were other coaches who still skated shifted to ice skating because at that time
02:11 ice skating became a boom in SM. So what happened since it's a trend in the Philippines
02:18 to have ice skating. The hype that a lot of the parents would want their kids to practice
02:24 figure skating instead of rollerblading on the streets.
02:29 So that's the comparison with the time shift paradigm.
02:33 The underground scene of aggressive inline skating is still alive.
02:38 It's not just mainstream because it's prohibited. So there are a lot of ordinances
02:43 prohibiting skating at this place, at that place.
02:46 Eastsiders Roller Skaters, we actually met from our umbrella group called Everywhere We Skate PH.
02:58 We want to locally invite the skaters since geographically we are near each other.
03:04 So that it's not so intimidating once you get to skate outdoors.
03:08 Most of us are from the east side of the metro. There's Antipolo, Marikina, Pasig, Cainta.
03:13 So there, the ones at the end, the result part.
03:16 Skating usually is very intimidating for all those newbies.
03:21 So they feel shy when they skate outside.
03:25 So we bring them along and we try to teach them the basics
03:30 so that it's safe for them to skate outdoors.
03:34 It's really fun when you skate outdoors and you get the endorphins in.
03:39 And most especially right now, it's a pandemic and everyone's mental state is kind of low.
03:45 So roller skating really helps in that aspect.
03:49 Every time I skate, I feel like all my problems disappear.
03:53 Because it really disappears.
03:56 And I just feel pure happiness when I glide.
04:00 Whether it's trail skating, city skating, or even dancing on skates.
04:07 That brings me a lot of joy in my life right now in this pandemic.
04:12 The fashion in roller skating is really diverse because others really want to look good as well while skating.
04:18 Because it really brings them confidence.
04:21 Here in my roller disco rink, you can see them wearing disco clothes.
04:27 There are also people who like to wear sporty attire since this is a sport.
04:32 And you really want to be comfortable in skating.
04:36 So there are people wearing jogging pants, leggings, boys wearing t-shirts.
04:49 The Roller Sports Union is a group of coaches and experts in the field of roller sports.
04:56 There are a lot of fields in roller sports.
04:59 Aside from skateboarding, there are 11 fields in the discipline.
05:02 There's speed skating, hockey, artistic, derby, and jam.
05:12 Which we are inclined to do skating and dancing.
05:16 A lot of institutions and places here in the Philippines are not aware of what roller skates are.
05:22 And they always tag us as dangerous.
05:25 They do not allow us in other spaces.
05:27 We can't even practice in closed spaces where people without skates are allowed.
05:33 I think that kind of discrimination stems from a lack of education about roller sports.
05:43 One of the challenges we have in the skating community is having a decent place to skate.
05:49 A skate park, a venue like this one, a rink, or any other safe place where we can practice and learn things related to skating.
06:01 I can say that the government hasn't recognized us for the past decade.
06:06 Until Asian Games, SEA Games, and Olympics were held.
06:13 It became a birth for our Filipino culture and other countries to welcome the Philippines as a legit country.
06:22 Where there are athletes, especially Marjolaine, who is good at skateboarding.
06:26 Since I was part of the NSA before, we really had a hard time convincing the government.
06:33 That Filipinos are good at skateboarding, we will have gold.
06:37 It was a long lobby, it was really hard.
06:40 But as you can see, the Philippines is in the Olympics now.
06:44 And in the SEA Games, we won a lot of medals.
06:48 Other people are showing that us Filipinos can do more if we support skateboarding.
06:55 That's why we need to have more skate parks.
06:58 Because most skate parks are privately owned.
07:02 So for that, I request our government to support skaters, to give us skate parks.
07:08 Not just basketball courts, because there are so many basketball courts everywhere.
07:14 But skate parks, come on.
07:17 There are only a few skate parks that you can count on your hands and feet.
07:21 And that's what we need as a community.
07:23 We're growing, we're thriving, we're bringing in medals from the Olympics,
07:27 from other legit Olympic Games, sports, SEA Games, Asian Games.
07:32 So it's about time that the government support this community.
07:36 [Music]
07:42 If you have an inspiring story like this, email us at stories.onlygood@gmail.com
07:48 And don't forget to subscribe here on the OZ Channel.
07:51 Thank you for watching.