“Keep practicing and just have fun.”
Take it from nine-year-old Mazel Paris Alegado, the Philippines’ rising skateboarder phenom who earned her stripes as the youngest skater to conquer the women’s park skateboarding finals in the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China finishing at 7th place.
But here’s the real kicker: It wasn’t long ago that this fearless Pinay first laid her eyes on a skateboard at her cousin’s house. Her brother was busy riding it, and little Mazel couldn’t resist the urge to give it a whirl herself.
Once she hopped on that board, there was no turning back. Her love affair with skateboarding was born.
Since then, her every day has been filled with slaying dope tricks and shredding skateparks that abound in her neighborhood in Fontana City, California, where she lives.
She eats, breathes, and dreams skateboarding. “I always think about skateboarding. When I wake up, I think about skateboarding. When I go to bed, I think about skateboarding,” she says in Hydro Flask’s “Why We Go” film series.
But no matter how cool and natural she looks in the bowl, this pint-sized powerhouse had her moments of doubt. Starting out, she confessed to feeling “a little bit scared.”
The frustration of not nailing those tricks right away got her mad. But she’s got a secret weapon: resilience. “When I’m really mad, I move on to another trick, and when I come back to it, and then I just land it,” she spills the beans.
But with practice, it got more fun and thrilling, especially when more girls in her pack picked up on the sport. She believes they’re all going to the Olympics together.
Her secret to perfecting tough tricks? She just lets herself fall. “When I try it, I just fall, it makes it easier,” she says.
While she has a mean competitive streak, her main reason for skateboarding remains simple: just to have fun. “I like getting out. I like how the hot air is coming to you. It feels so good. My hair goes crazy, it just flies everywhere,” she says.
Her incredible skills and infectious positivity have landed her places in several competitions. In 2021, she pulled off a 360 Melon grab that snagged her 2nd place at a “Go Skateboarding Day Best Launch” event in California in the 12 and under category. She was the only girl in the competition.
Monty Mendigoria, former president of the Skateboarding and Roller Sports Association of the Philippines, saw Mazel’s potential from the get-go. Three years ago, he saw her fearlessly tackle a 15-foot half-pipe and pull off crazy runs in the bowl during her regular practices three years ago. He knew that she was destined to be the future Philippine skateboarding champion.
“And you know what? That FUTURE is NOW!” he says in a Facebook post.
As for the little shredder, Mazel drops a secret or two for aspiring skaters out there: “Just keep practicing and you’ll get better and better, and just have fun. If boys could do it, girls could do it!”
