Skateboarding takes shape in Panama and aspires to be in the Olympics

Panama City, 19 Mar Skateboarding in Panama tries to win a place among traditional sports and in turn break that stigma of pastimes for lazy people or money boys as it has been considered over the years. And one of those stigmas is broken just by knowing that one of the few parks to practice this sport is in front of the populous neighborhood of El Chorrillo, a place that saw the birth of the greatest Latin American boxing fighter, Roberto “Manos de Piedra” Durán, and fertile land also for the birth and growth of footballers. In this place, every afternoon some of the best exponents of Panamanian skateboarding gather to skate, only with the dream of ever being with the elite of world sport at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Between the sound of the waves bursting in the Bay of Panama and the birds that fly over the place is Iván Bárcenas, 24, from El Chorrillo, who shows his skills at the Cinta Costera 3 skatepark, a beautiful and modern promenade. Barcenas left the soccer ball and boxing gloves and exchanged them for a board on wheels, ramps and extreme tricks. After delighting several with his tricks, which he has been perfecting with more than 10 years of experience, he told Efe that for him skateboarding (skateboarding) is “a sport” “I've been told not to practice it, but one of my goals is to represent the country. If we had the support we could surely make it to the Olympic Games,” Bárcenas said. He pointed out that “they only ask for more support” and that they should be given the minimum structures to work. Along with the boy another group of athletes was skating, among them the Venezuelan Andelrson Mauri and the Panamanian John Petite, who agreed that “on wheels life is different” and “everything relaxes... everything is forgotten by skating”. In Panama, this sport is managed by the Panamanian Skateboarding Commission, which is under the umbrella of the Panamanian Skating Association (APA), recognized by the Panama Olympic Committee (COP). It is estimated that in the Central American country there are approximately a hundred skaters with a competitive level. But there are only three public skateparks in the Panamanian capital, the others are private academies or places that have been adapted to practice the sport in a clandestine way. Gina Méndez, an experienced longboard and ramp skater who is now dedicated to teaching young people at her Community Skate Club Panama academy, located in the Diablo sector, close to the Panama Canal area, said she hopefully gave this sport the seriousness it deserves. “More places or public skateparks are needed for kids to train,” Gina told Efe. Mendez stressed that skateboarding is a sport for everyone, it is not exclusive to a social class or athletic people, because everything will depend on “what you have inside you and the desire you put into it”. In her Community, Gina hosts boys from 6 years old, mostly girls who want to skate to a “pro” level and be able to represent the country. “There are boys, but there are more girls... That fills me a lot because it shows that culture is changing and parents' thinking is also going on that same course,” he said. He noted that he recognizes that society still sees them as vandals, but he feels that it is no longer the trend and that many people appreciate the activity and give it the rank of sport because of how hard you have to work on each trick to get to perfect it. “In Panama there is a level, you just need more places to practice and more support for athletes,” he said. Rogelio Adonican Osorio