SKIM THE WAVE

Summer is finally here and the best place to hang around is the beach- where the soothing breeze and cold water erase all our ranting about how hot these days are. People from all walks of life couldn't miss a single summer without going to the shore and spend a relaxing day there. But we do not go to the beach just to swim - we skim.

THE BOARD. Literally, to skim means to travel quickly on the surface of water; and to do this on the beach, a skimboard is needed. This may not be new to other people. They might have seen people going around town or near beaches carrying flat, wooden, two-meter long boards. These things are called skimboards, and the sport is called skimboarding.

THE SPORT. Skimboarding, also conveniently called skimming, is much like surfing, but only much smaller. It is done on shallow waters. Normally, a skimmer (a person who skims) runs parallel to the shoreline. He throws the board to the thin layer of water, and rides on it. When he meets the wave, he can then maneuver the board to the wave and do some tricks.

THE ROOTS. This sport dates back to the 1920s when the lifeguards of Laguna Beach, California used to skim of pieces of wood. Today, skimboarding has evolved immensely, while continuing to be one of the smallest sports in the world. It has found its way to Asia and to the Philippines. The skimming capital is in Tanauan, Leyte, where the perfect waves and fine sands are conducive for skimming. Here in Cebu, the famous skimming site is in Lilo-an.

THE GROUP. We started skimming late last year, when a fellow IT student taught us the basics. Now, we go to the beach almost every weekend to skim. "Nindut man gud kaayo tan-awn (It's nice to watch it) so I decided to learn the sport. "Dili man sayun magkat-on ug skim, naa nako'y pi-ang sa ti-il tungod sa skimming (It's not easy to learn how to skim, I got feet injury because of skimming)," said Ronald Campana when asked about why he liked skimming.

We started in a small beach in San Fernando. We then transferred to Coral Reef in Brgy. Elaya, Mactan. It is not really an expensive hobby; we can spend a day at the beach with only 100 pesos in hand. "Sulit ra pud kaayo ang board kung paliton (Skimboards are affordable) ," said Emil Francis Clave when asked about the price of skimboards.

THE LESSONS LEARNED. Aside from getting jeered at because of our scorched complexion, we learned balance and improved our stamina. There are several injuries due to slips and slides, but it made us face the fear of falling, and it challenges us to get back on our feet, and skim again. In our desire to learn the complexities of the sport, we developed patience and perseverance. One can also make friends with other skimmers on the beach and the most important thing - it also strengthens our bond of friendship. As graduating students, we also learned how to make most out of what's left of our time here in CITE. This sport has been gaining more popularity over the years. The euphoric feeling of riding the waters and the artistic sprays of the waves made it more interesting to young and old people alike. Skim the wave! (Contributed by Marlo Gestole)

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