Tagaytay Oval ready for skate events Monday

The skateboarding venue for the 30th Southeast Asian Games is nearing completion with a projected finish date next week, according to Skateboarding and Roller Sports Association of the Philippines president Monty Mendigoria.

Located at the Tagaytay Oval, Mendigoria said the skate park is 95-percent ready with the street course remaining as the only incomplete part of the skateboarding venue.

“We’re looking at Nov. 25 as the projected completion date of the venue in Tagaytay. We’re waiting for the last remaining part to be finished which will be used for street course,” Mendigoria told The STAR, adding that the national training pool has started using the bowl for park course as early as last week.

A total of eight gold medals will be at stake in skateboarding which will be played for the first time in the biennial meet. The Pinoy skateboarders eye a grand sweep.

Six events will be held in the Tagaytay Oval such as park, street and game of skates for both men and women. Downhill events for men and women, meanwhile, will be played in Maragondon, Cavite.

Asian Games gold medalist and current world No. 13 street skateboarder Margielyn Didal will be at the forefront of the 12-strong national squad together with park skate masters Kiko Francisco, Christiana Means and downhill bet Jaime de Lange.

De Lange, once the No. 3 downhill racer in the world and the top-ranked player in Asia, and three other downhill bets have long been in the country to familiarize themselves with the dreaded Maragondon route under the tutelage of renowned mentor Harry Clark.

Francisco and Means are expected to arrive this week while Didal, fresh from an Olympic qualifying event in Rio de Janeiro where she placed 10th, returns home Monday in time for the completion of the Tagaytay Oval.

Mendigoria expects the delegates from Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore and Vietnam to arrive starting Nov. 28, two days before the scheduled practice event for all skateboarders on Dec. 1-2, which is mandatory according to the international federation ruling.

The official skateboarding games will run from Dec. 3-8.