Lakai and Luis Mora on making sure Alrey Toring will push forward.
In African traditions and values, we learned that “it takes a village to raise a child,” for us Filipinos, we call it Bayanihan. And the same Bayanihan system is what the whole skateboarding community did for Alrey Codilla Toring to have a new support, a literal physical support, a new leg.
Alrey’s leg case was something he already had when he was born.
"Nung bata pa po ako, wala po talaga akong prosthetic leg. Binubuhat lang ako ng Papa ko patungong school, kaya nung nag-five years old na ako, dun na ako sinukatan ng leg (first)." Alrey recalled.
He started skating when he was twelve (12) years old, and has been skating for 7 years now. But due to this art form’s consequences, sometimes the impacts, bailouts, and rollouts took a toll not only on his body but also on his prosthetic legs. But from his old clips, video posts, and media exposure, you can definitely see how committed he has been to skateboarding and how much he has grown from it.
"Yung pinaka-murang na-experience ko, almost P10,000 to P20,000 (around $100 to $400)...kahit mahirap na, gumagawa talaga akong paraan para ayusin, galing sa mga lumang parts, gumagawa talaga ako ng diskarte para makapag-skate at makalakad." Alrey told us about his struggle with fixing his prosthetic leg.
All that hard work paved the way for people to reach him. Not only to see his progress on social media, but somehow, give him something: either a sense of support, a call out for anyone kind and capable enough to support him, or give him something he can use (from shirts, to skate hardware, up to decks). The community noticed it.
Not long after years of skating, Luis Mora and Lakai made sure that these dreams would happen for Alrey. Last year, Lakai Philippines and Banchi Jimena, contacted Boyya Go, who stands as a big brother to Alrey and also to fellow skaters from Iligan City. Along with Luis, they took preparation, assessments, and a set date of execution for the actual measuring of the leg and production of the mechanics; and to round it all up, Luis Mora visited the Philippines for this mission.
It’s one thing for a shoe brand to sponsor shoes to skaters, but it’s gotta be a whole lot another story to sponsor a prosthetic leg to another person; what Lakai and Luis Mora did will not only make sure Alrey will continue to skate, but also walk in comfort, with ease, with confidence, and with a positive view of the world that stands on kindness and looking out for each other.
Skateboarding, I guess, will always have that virtue and unspoken rule: To cheer up for another homie and make sure they win, because for us, when we see our homie win, deep in our soul, we also win.
