The Best Female Skater in Asia Right Now is a Teenager from the Philippines

When Margielyn Didal calls skateboarding as “ laro” (play), you know she means it. When she performed her final trick during the 2018 Asian Games, an effortless backside 50/50, 360-degree flip out, she dabs, gets off the board, raises her hands in prayer, and smiles. This was the the first time that trick was performed successfully in the Asian Games and she made it look like child’s play. She giggled and smiled for her whole run during the entire competition.

But that doesn’t mean she doesn’t take skateboarding seriously. The daughter of a sidewalk vendor and a carpenter, Margielyn took a liking to skating after borrowing one of her friend’s boards at age 12: “I just wanted to know what they felt. I was just curious,” she told VICE in Filipino. She’s never stopped since.

This, despite the few and far between skate parks in the Philippines’ most populated cities, and the scant public urban space that skaters around the world usually thrive in.

Skaters like Margielyn had to learn while constantly being on the run from security guards. She even recounted being barred from entering a shopping mall simply because she had a skateboard. Even with an active subculture of skateboarders in the country, skateboarding is often overshadowed by other, more popular sports like boxing and basketball.

After competing in the Street League Skateboarding (SLS) PRO Open in London and the X Games in Minneapolis last year, Margielyn rose up to prominence by taking the gold for the Philippines in the women’s street skateboarding category of the 2018 Asian Games. She was included in TIME’s Most Influential Teens of 2018 and the mayor of her native Cebu has promised to build a skate park in her honor. She is also a semifinalist in this year’s Street League’s Skateboarding World Championship of Skateboarding competition in Brazil.

We learn more of the rising skate star in a phone interview before she prepares for her next goal: to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The following excerpts have been edited for clarity:

Why and how did you get into skating?

I was really just curious what skating felt like. I didn’t do it because it was the cool thing to do or whatever. I really just wanted to feel what my friends felt when they skated.

How did your parents take it?

They didn’t really approve of me skating at first. They said it’s not a girly thing to do, that it’s something only boys should do. And it wasn’t just my parents who thought that – other people did too. They said there’s no future in skating. They associate it with loiterers.

People who haven’t tried skating don’t know what it feels like. How happy it feels. And that everyone is welcome to try skating despite their background in life. That’s what I liked because no one judges anyone in the skate scene. If you’re a skater, the rest of the skaters help you get better. And now, when it comes to skateboarding, your opponent isn’t really your opponent. When you compete, you also have to enjoy it.

How did you get so good? What’s your secret?

I think it’s a blessing and a talent from God. But it goes hand-in-hand with working hard and loving what you do. Ever since I’ve been skating I’ve been enjoying it. For me, if I want to do something, I focus on it. I used to skate for eight to twelve hours a day. Now I only do six. I started skating when I was 12 years old. When you’re younger, you just enjoy and you don’t care much about the pain.

You always seem to be in a good mood in all the pictures and videos while skating. What was in your head during those times?

I don’t know, I was really just born happy I guess. Even when I wasn’t skating I was a happy kid. But I really became happier when I started to skate. I’m the loudest in my family!

What are your thoughts on being a female skater?

When I started I skated with other girls who skated too, but after a couple of months, they stopped. The male skaters called me “babygirl” because I was the youngest and also because I was a girl. But I really saw myself as one of the boys. [Skating] isn’t really based on gender. It depends on you if you want to skate. It’s not a girly thing.

Have you noticed any changes in the Philippine skate scene ever since you’ve made headlines in the competitions you were in?

Yes, a lot of things have happened. Here in Cebu City, skating used to be illegal. But now, the police and security guards salute me. It’s also because the people’s perception of skaters have changed. We’re finally being respected. And the government is also supporting the skate scene. It’s surprising given that there are people that don’t recognize skateboarding as a legitimate sport, but we try to work with the government because we need government approval to compete internationally. We need to work together to represent the Philippines.

You mentioned that skating was illegal in Cebu. What was it like learning how to skate during those times?

I mean, it was kind of fun because we ended up enjoying being chased by the security guards. Other skaters used to say that you get better while being chased because you’d be forced to pedal faster. There used to be this skate park called Concave skate park that shut down because it was only a project for a few years. I skated there for a year and a half. And then only the streets after.

What’s your definition of success as a professional skateboarder?

I only dreamed of becoming a businesswoman in the past. I only saw skating as a hobby. Now I want to share my talent and share my blessings, and to help my family in the Philippines.

If you had the choice to design your own board, what would it look like?

Probably lechon (roast pig), or kwek-kwek (fried quail eggs) because that’s what my mom sells. Also rice! Because I need rice for energy. Last year I ended up in the emergency room because I had stomach cramps. I need rice.

What advice do you have for young skaters right now?

For the young generation that wants to skate, do what you want and love what you [do]. But don’t forget to study. We have a project right now, a clinic where we help anyone who wants to learn how to skate. We’re willing to help when we’re not busy. Also just enjoy your life. God really has a plan.

What do you have to say to anyone that say that skating isn’t a legitimate sport?

They should really try it so they know what skateboarding is like. There’s actually a motto, “Skateboarding saved my life.” Those are the motivating words skaters often say. Just try skating and you’ll understand what it feels like.