Fun Came First for the Youngest PH SEA Games Gold Medalist

Eleven-year-old Mazel Paris Alegado made history as the youngest Filipino to win a gold medal at the Southeast Asian Games. Mazel competed in the women's skateboard park event in the ongoing 2025 SEA Games in Chonburi, Thailand. This is her first SEA Games stint. Smart Parenting had the privilege of speaking with Mazel and her mother, Pauline Constantino, just a few days after her win.

“I went to the arcade because I love playing there,” Mazel said, smiling from ear to ear as she recalled what she did after winning her gold medal.

“That’s how eleven-year olds celebrate, right,” her mom Pauline said.

Mother and daughter sat side by side during the Zoom interview, sticking together like a team. “It was surreal, and we still can't believe it,” Pauline said. It hasn’t been too long since Mazel started skateboarding. She picked it up as a five-year-old right before the COVID pandemic.

“It was right before the pandemic started. And when it did, there was nothing else to do. Everything was closed, no malls, no other places to go, except parks.”

Pauline admitted her hesitations due to the nature of the sport, “But mostly because me and her dad didn’t know anything about skateboarding. Of course, we were scared.”

“When we saw that she had great balance, and she was really loving it, we looked for coaches right away. Someone who can teach her proper skateboarding,” she continued. 

Their main motivation to push through was because Mazel said, “Mom, this is so fun. I really wanna do this.” Since then, Pauline has taken her to the park every day and to every skateboarding lesson they could find. At that time, Pauline and her husband were not aware it's an Olympic sport.

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Pauline says the pandemic allowed Mazel to skate more because school was online. Their daily schedule would just be school online then straight to the park. She eventually bought a ramp for their backyard where Mazel could skate. The Alegados live in Los Angeles, USA, and they had no problems going to skate parks during the pandemic since it was an outdoor facility.

Mazel also shared how it feels balancing studies and skateboarding, “It was actually fun. When I was homeschooling, my Dad would teach me. She (Mom) would kind of teach me, but she would take me to the skate park mostly. It was so fun. It was so exciting to keep going and going and going.”

Mazel went back to a conventional school when the schools reopened, but when she was not allowed to miss more than 14 school days to join competitions, her parents pulled her out and return to homeschooling. “She is currently homeschooling, but it’s kind of hard for me to teach her, it’s just not my thing. But Dad’s really patient with her. When she got back to homeschooling, I also went back to work. Before, I was a stay-at-home mom. Since Dad has a small business, he can stay with her full time, teach her, skate with her. 

It's not easy raising an elite athlete, but Pauline hacked the secret to making it work: Family Teamwork.

“It was really teamwork, me, my husband, even her older brother. It’s definitely hardwork. It’s hard because of the schedules. It’s really teamwork for everybody, for sure,” she shared.

Pauline paints a picture: It's a two-hour drive to a skate park and after driving Mazel, she has to report to work. Their family is also supporting Mazel's brother, a senior high school student, with college preparations and applications. "It’s really a lot of time management," she said.

To solve this, the family work together, “We schedule everything. Everything is really planned. We also divide our time, my husband and I. We barely see each other sometimes, because half the time, I’m with Mazel, half the time, he’s with our son. It’s a sacrifice we make.”

Pauline added, “It’s really a teamwork for everybody, including her brother. Because, sometimes, our attention is always with Mazel, we also kind of like give our son the attention he needs so he’s not feeling left out.”

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Pauline shared a simple tip for parents starting their kids in sports: “Make sure it’s something your child really loves, not something you’re forcing on them." Her cue was Mazel always having fun, “She really loves it. She’s literally dreaming about it, going to sleep thinking, 'Where am I going to skate tomorrow?'”

“When you find the sport, or anything your child loves, just support her and make sure she’s happy doing it,” she continued. Pauline doesn't pressure Mazel to win, especially because of her age, and to prevent burnout. Her reminders are just to do her best and have fun. "I always tell her to inspire other skaters, cheer them on, so there’s always good vibes all around.”

When it comes to loss, Pauline's approach is also relaxed, “Losing is a part of the game. You’re not going to win all the time. She already lost a few times, and it’s going to be okay, because there’s always gonna be a next time. I think it pushes her to be better.”

Skateboarding also taught Mazel a critical life lesson, Pauline said, “She learned never to give up. She just keeps on trying and trying, no matter how much she fails, she’s going keep on trying and trying until she can land it. Because sometimes, we want to give up, but in the end, we have to keep going.”

Falling and stumbling are all part of the sport, which can seem opposite of a parent's natural instinct to protect children from getting hurt.

Pauline shared candidly, “I pray. Prayers are number one. I try my best not to show her when I’m scared or nervous. I think that she’s braver than I am. I am more nervous than she is during competitions. Personally I’m really scared, but I won’t let her let her do it if I know that she can’t. But since I know she can do it, I let her.”

Mazel said, “I’m not really scared, because getting hurt is really part of skateboarding. When you fall, you have to get back up. In my head, I will just tell myself, 'You got this, try a few times and commit, don’t be scared, have fun. You got it here.'"

Pauline and Mazel recount a significant fall; Mazel fell on her head from the top of the ramp, after which Pauline brought her to the hospital. Thankfully, there were no concussions. “There are times I tell her to stop. One time, I needed to pull her out of the park because she didn’t want to stop, even when she was hurt,” she added. What kept them going is their trust in each other, teamwork, and Mazel's love for the sport.

Mazel is excited to join the upcoming qualifying competitions for the Asian Games and, hopefully, the Olympics. “It’s really my dream to be in the Olympics,” Mazel smiled. Her mom, as supportive as ever, added, “We are going to try our best to be in the Olympics.”

Read this article if you want to know the first sport children should get into.