Downhill skateboard racing to Olympics?

MANILA, Philippines — Southeast Asian Games downhill skateboard racing gold medalist Jaime de Lange said the other day he wouldn’t be surprised if the sport makes it to the Olympics, maybe in 2024, as more and more countries are getting involved in the six-month World Tour that brings the exciting break-neck action around the universe.

“It’s exploding locally and globally,” said De Lange who is looking forward to competing in his fourth World Tour starting in March. “I understand the International Downhill Federation (IDF) is pushing to bring the sport to the Olympics. That’ll be cool if it happens. It’s exciting and fast. Nothing subjective because it’s a timed race. It’s great for the fans and fun to watch. Imagine capturing guys moving 90 to 120 kilometers an hour on camera.”

De Lange, 23, took the gold medal down the 1.7-kilometer Maragondon road with a time of 1:27, two seconds short of the course record, in the recent SEA Games where the sport was introduced as an event under skateboarding. The road isn’t new to downhill racers as it’s been previously used as a leg in two World Tours and in a local competition.

To prepare for the SEA Games, De Lange trained 1 1/2 months in Australia, staying with racer Josh Evans and working with IDF world champion Harry Clarke. Both Evans and Clarke were in town to coach De Lange during the SEA Games. They’ll be all together competing against each other in the coming World Tour.      

De Lange started skating when he was eight and began downhill racing at 13. It was his drum teacher Roy Secillano who opened his eyes to skating. “I was learning how to play the drums when my teacher got me interested in skating,” he said. “I tried different kinds of sports – basketball, baseball, golf but after I saw downhill skateboard racing in on-line videos, I told myself that’s what I’d like to do. I wanted to focus on just one sport and that was it.”

De Lange finished high school at Southridge in Alabang and earned a degree in Development Sciences at La Salle. He worked two years in a Vail, Colorado, hotel then moved back to Manila to help out his parents Nick and Rosanne in the family furniture business Design Ligna which was started in 1969. At the moment, De Lange is concentrated on improving his world standing.

“I was once ranked No. 3 in the world but that lasted only a few months,” said De Lange who’s sponsored by Blackwater. “You need to keep piling ranking points by joining the stops in the World Tour and I didn’t have the money to do it. Now, there’s support from PSC and POC. The incentives I got for winning gold in the SEA Games will help sustain me on the World Tour next year.”

De Lange said a downhill skateboard is different from what Margie Didal flips in executing her tricks. The downhill skateboard is longer and wider with bigger wheels. “I use a board made of Canadian maple wood but you can get boards made of carbon fiber or even bamboo,” he said. “A good board will cost about P5,000 but you can get one for as low as P800 in some stores. We wear a helmet, pads and a leather suit in every race. Technology has made all that stuff a lot lighter than they were before.”

De Lange said the most challenging track he’s ever raced on was in Romania during a World Tour. “It was ridiculously steep and crazy,” he said. “That road in Romania was probably the most dangerous I’ve ever done. I think in this sport, fear is part of the game. But when you’re out there, you feel more excitement than fear. You lay it on the line but you’ve got to be in charge and stay in your comfort zone.  It’s all about taking calculated risks.”

Downhill skateboard racing is a consuming passion for De Lange. He’s attended events in the US, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Japan and many other countries as a racer, organizer and coach. Over the last four years, he’s been the Philippines’ No. 1 downhill skateboard racer. With a SEA Games gold medal under his belt, De Lange’s next goal is to conquer the world.