Philippine Longboarding Spot: San Rafael

Iloilo’s contribution to the Philippine longboarding scene was discovered right at the emergency room after Johann and Chubby tried out a hill somewhere in Barotac. Though that session was cut short due to a bamboo incident, both individuals were stoked ( even through all the stitching ) as the E.R. doctor revealed to them the gem that San Rafael has to offer.



Fast forward to 2011, and The Big Dipper ( San Rafael ) still provides a riding experience worthy of a good conversation.

Below are reactions of different individuals who had the chance to ride the course.

About the San Rafael course, what were your expectations about the Big Dipper? What were the stories that you heard about it? 

Jose Miguel Medina Cagalingan: haha my friend of mine from iloilo,(Matt Sudario) kept on telling me how technical the course was in iloilo and not to race with my Stims. with all the switchbacks and turns that i heard i decided to get new wheels for the course. haha

Joel Belcina: heared it was wild!

Matt Sudario: I heard the Big Dipper is a hard course. I expected that I'll bail/wipeout during the race.hehehe

Mike Pernia: very technical course... lots of wipe outs!

Jay Mitra: I heard that the course was very technical and physically demanding due to its concrete pavement. I expected tight exciting heats during the course of the race.

Joshua Bondoc: Tons of turns! Twenty-fucking-eight turns on a cement course!

Caloy Sambrano: When I first signed up, I immediately thought I was up for some big challenges - out of town, technical course and cement road. And I had to face all of these knowing that it was my very first race.

Even Tjosavik:  Actually i didnt know anything about the course before arriving San rafael.
I decided to join Palumba2011 just 2 days before this event, so nobody got time to tell me anything, and i didnt even got time for a sneak-peak on youtube from Palumba2010.. hehe

Were these expectations met? What was your initial reaction when you first saw the course? 

Jose Miguel Medina Cagalingan: met? hahaha! damn! first thing i thought of was.. "never ever trust videos!" going up the mountain to the school and passing the course i was thinking... " shit! is this the course??? puta! yari tayo dito..." hahahaha 

Jay Mitra: Yes. All of the heats and even the early morning practice sessions were tight pack runs, which was very fun. When I first saw the course, I wished that we had an asphalt version of that in our back yard. 

Joel Belcina: yes!, amazed! switchbacks! 

Mike Pernia: yeah! excited! can't wait to bomb it... 

Joshua Bondoc: Initial reaction? "PUTANGINA PANO MO MAG-GRIP YAN?!" 

Caloy Sambrano: Once I saw the track first hand, I had just woken up from a long drive. Man I was excited! Everything I heard was true. Lots of turns and some mean ass cement pavement. 

Matt Sudario: I was a bit scared when I had my practice run on the course. Every turn you gain speed. It's a bit hard to footbreak at high speed because of the turns. I said to myself that I cannot conquer this course. 

Even Tjosavik: . It’s a really fun, fast and tricky course.. a bit technical.

What was the feeling you got after riding the course for the first time? 

Jose Miguel Medina Cagalingan: fulfillment that I’ve never felt... this was so far one of the hardest course and finishing it with no footbreak made me feel more confident. 

Matt Sudario: Scared with a smile on my face.hahaha 

Mke Pernia: woohooo... stoked! 

Joel Belcina: danm good! STOKED!!! 

Jay Mitra: We hit the course when it was open and in the rain, so we didn't really get a good sense of how fast it was. Wish we had more time to get used to it and really maximize the course. 

Joshua Bondoc: Scared as a little boy in his first day of school :"( but the boys from Cebu showed us how to ride it!

Caloy Sambrano: I went through my first run down the hill carefully. Cut to a few minutes after at the bottom of the hill, and I was super stoked! The cement proved to be rough to what I was used to, but super grippy. There were a lot of turns to keep you on your toes and not bored at all. Lastly, the very long straight pulls you in as you go faster and faster. Solid run, even if I didn't give it my all just yet. The next thing that came into mind was going back up and bombing it again and again and again.

 Even Tjosavik: This course fits me very well, except for the unlimited pushkicks. My pushkicks sucks!!! The course have a good length, Good average/max speed, but still, I will never get as comfortable as riding on asphalt.. So my wish for the future is to have this spot with asphalt!!

Did you ever feel like LBI were waiting for something to happen since they were all at the hairpin?

Jose Miguel Medina Cagalingan: hahaha definitely a lot will happen on the hairpin! As locals you guys would've known better. And as racers, we knew after passing that hairpin that it would be THE carnage point. fucking gnarly hairpin brah!

Jay Mitra: Everyone usually knows where the action is, heck I do the same with the races we organize. It’s always nice to see riders pushing their limits.

Mike Pernia: nope... never had an idea... cheer! if somebody fell... hehehe

Joshua Bondoc: Haha of course that's where the action is! So I guess it goes hand-in-hand. They get to see the carnage AND help those who'd get thrown off their boards hahaha.

Caloy Sambrano: Honestly, LBI waiting at the hairpin isn't a big deal at all for me. That's just where the action is so it's only natural for people to flock there. I did the same thing when I was eliminated from the men's open, which I also joined. 

Even Tjosavik: In every longboard competition people will always gathering in the turn that is most critical, and were the action will happen! That’s a part of the show! 

Joel Belcina: hhmmm,.. lol,. sort of,. but i think it was the spot everyone liked to look up on how the racers manage the ride (pin),. cool!!! you guyz are freakin awesome! 

Matt Sudario: Hahaha. I already know what they were waiting for. All the action happens in the hairpin. They were waiting for anyone who will wipeout. Take a video or photo of it.haha. But also its the part where you can see the racers at their fastest and maybe learn a thing or two about how they navigate the hairpin.

Is the hairpin which is lovingly called by LBI “the carnage area” really that difficult to navigate?

Jose Miguel Medina Cagalingan: well i luckily for me, i got to experience carnage areas in manila, which was like the hairpin in your course... i was more scared of the blind, quick, switch back corners before the hairpin. hahaha! i love the track... the guys and i fell in love with it!

Jay Mitra: It was difficult in the sense that when you hit it your always at the edge of your grip giving way so you have to temper speed and grip just right. See you guys at the corner next year!

Joshua Bondoc: Yes, since the inside of the turn's repaved with smooth cement kaya medyo nakakagago lang siya. It's fun taking it stand-up though :)

Mike Pernia: not really!

Caloy Sambrano: Yes, it can be quite difficult. But like any challenge, you just have to go for it while skating within your limits.

Matt Sudario: At first, it was a bit hard. But I tried several ways of navigating it. After several practice runs I figured out how to conquer it. It actually became my favorite part of the course.:) What can I say about LBI? They are my family in Longboarding. When I went back to Iloilo I spent most of my time with them.

Joel Belcina: manageable, thank you for the great course!

Even Tjosavik: For me this hairpin is a piece of cake, and for me not technical, just long and smooth. My weakness is hard left turns and left hairpins.. So I had more problems with handling those left turns before the hairpin. It was also this left turn which caused my bail-out during my quarterfinal run. 


Did you curse while going down the Big Dipper? If yes, what was it and why?

Jose Miguel Medina Cagalingan: i think my word for the day was "puta, puta, no footbreak bawal footbreak! patay tayo dyan!"

Jay Mitra: Many times, sarap eh!

Mike Pernia: nope! 

Joshua Bondoc: Inside my head but not out loud. "Tangina wag ka kakawala..." 

Caloy Sambrano: No, but I did once I reached the end of the course. It's just hard not to curse (in a positive way), knowing that I just had a solid run. 

Even Tjosavik: Not really, just having some problems with handling those small concrete bumps in the turns, especially when riding close to the limit for my gripy BigZig. 

Joel Belcina: no, it was challenging. 

Matt Sudario: Nope, the Big Dipper gave me the advantage. I always got stoked everytime I entered and exit the dipper.hehe 

Describe the Big Dipper in one word. 

Jose Miguel Medina Cagalingan: isaw! 

Matt Sudario: Vacuum. 

Jay Mitra: Technical 

Mike Pernia: sweet! 

Joshua Bondoc: Something you'd have to experience first hand 

Caloy Sambrano: Technical 

Even Tjosavik: All-in. 

Joel Belcina: FUNTASTIC!

Describe the whole experience in one word. 

Jose Miguel Medina Cagalingan: stoked 

Jay Mitra: Fun! 

Matt Sudario: Unforgettable. 

Joshua Bondoc: Puta babawian ko pa kayo at winasak niyo ako nung gabi! Di tuloy ako nakapangchicks nung gabi sa smallville! 

Caloy Sambrano: Bitin 

Mike Pernia: enjoy! 

Joel Belcina: EXCITING! 

Even Tjosavik: Amazing! (Really enjoying how people from all over Philippines comes together for sharing their love and stoke for Longboarding, and also the fun during this weekend)

*Thank you to the people above for sharing their views. Also to Vansen, and Kitya for the images.