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For Largo man, skating brings peace

By Demorris A. Lee, Times staff writer
In print: Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Bien Yambao, 48, skates regularly by the Largo Clock Tower on the corner of Missouri and East Bay. He does not skate for money, just for the love of skating. Yambao discovered roller blading as a teenager and has continued to skate. He says “when I hear the music I feel like I’m in another world.”
	[ATOYIA DEANS | Times]

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The concrete in front of the landmark clock tower in Largo Central Park has become Bien Yambao's outlet. • With earbuds that play everything from country to classical music and with inline skates on his feet, Yambao loses himself to the rhythms. • He thrusts his arms to the sky as if he can touch its blueness. He squats to a knee-high level with his arms stiffly stretched. He effortlessly spins in circles as if he were a world champion figure skater. • "I'm in my own world," said Yambao, 48. "I'm expressing whatever the music says to me. The music tells me what to do." • Yambao has been skating for about 17 years, the last three in front of the Largo Clock Tower at Seminole Boulevard and East Bay Drive. The area's smooth surface with the wide open space is perfect for his expressive maneuvering. • A stocker at Publix, Yambao is there skating nearly every day. The honking of horns from vehicles garners a hand wave and a smile from the man who has become a rush-hour fixture at the corner. • But it was a tragedy that led Yambao, who moved to Largo 10 years ago, to the emotional outlet. • On Jan. 2, 1991, Yambao lost his brother, Antonio "Bon/Bon" Yambao, in a car accident. The 28-year-old U.S. Air Force sergeant was on his way home on Dec. 22 for Christmas. The family lived in Chicago at the time. Yambao was a year older than his brother who too loved music and was a DJ. • "When I look up, I see him," Yambao said of skating and looking to the sky. "It's like I'm skating to the angels. It makes me happy." • Yambao now skates out his emotions. • "When my friends are depressed, I say, 'I'll skate for you today.' "

Demorris A. Lee can be reached at 445-4174 or dale@sptimes.com