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Pinoy Abroad

Willy Santos -- the Manny Pacquiao of US skateboarding


He may be called the "Manny Pacquiao" of skateboarding in the United States but Willy Santos clearly does not get the same recognition as the Sarangani congressman and boxing legend. According to the news site Asian Journal, Filipino-American Santos, 36,  a resident of Mira Mesa, San Diego, has been skating professionally for over 20 years.   Asian Journal said Santos was probably the most popular Fil-Am in the US during the 1980s to the 1990s.   Thrasher Magazine, a leading premier skating magazine, said Santos was “one of the best street skaters during the dark early 90’s. He was pushing new tricks and winning proper gritty skatecomps (not your TV extravaganzas of today) with illustrious style and grace.”   Santos, one of the Filipino pioneers of skateboarding, was featured in hundreds of magazines and traveled around the world winning competitions and awards such as:   1992 - TransWorld Skateboarding skater of the year 1997 – Winner of Munster World Cup Street Contest in Germany 1998 – Winner of New Jersey Vans Triple Crown Street Contest 2000 - Gravity Games Best Trick Street   Apart from this, Santos’ talent has been recognized by none other than the legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk who personally selected him to be part of his team, Birdhouse Project.   In an interview with Thrasher Magazine, Santos said of Hawk: “He’s always been great to me as well as very supportive. Thanks, Tony. For everything. I’m forever grateful to you. You’re awesome!”   Skating everywhere Santos was born in the Philippines and later his family moved to Mira Mesa as his father was a US Navy engineer.   He decided to skate when he saw kids from his neighborhood who were enjoying the sport. He never looked back. He said he skated as much as he could "and anywhere. I was having so much fun.”   Santos started joining amateur competitions at the age of 13. He turned pro after one of the largest skateboarding companies, G&S, saw a video of him showcasing his talent. When Hawk recruited him for the Birdhouse Project, Santos' career really took off. Santos' competing days are over after retiring five years ago. Some observers said if Santos turned pro in this generation, he might have become internationally-renowned like Pacquiao and could have earned millions of dollars.   However, Santos does not see it that way. He told Asian Journal that he was proud of what he had accomplished.   “It’s been an amazing ride,” he said. Giving back   Santos never forgot to give back to the community even with the success that he has achieved.   Asian Journal said he has donated to Gawad Kalinga and started the “Let’s Go Skateboarding Day” movement in the Philippines.   “We want to help out to the Philippines and bring skateboarding even more to the next level because there’s definitely some really awesome talent there,” Santos said.   He is also active in the San Diego community where he operates a skateboarding learning group, Willy’s Workshop.   Asides from this, Santos started the Willy Santos foundation last year where he raises money which shall be used to create a public skateboarding plaza at the Mira Mesa Recreation Center. - Andrei Medina, VVP, GMA News  

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