pavedwave longboarding

Barefoot Ted · Joined: 08 May 2008 Posts: 11

Hey, why don't I see any info about James and the STP here?

That STP is a MIND BLOWING event for a LDPer...the most intense riding or thing I have ever done...and James has done it 4 times now?

Amazing.

Please update us!!!

BFT

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One foot at a time. One sole at a time. One hell of a good time.

Barefoot Ted's Adventures
956 10th Ave E #306
Seattle, WA 98102

www.BarefootTed.com
206-552-9144
Skype:tedmcdonald

fuzzydeer · Joined: 01 Sep 2008 Posts: 66

hope everything went well.
Sounds like an awesome trip.
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LDPanda · Joined: 21 Nov 2008 Posts: 418 Location: Seattle, WA

James went on vacation right after the STP. He posted a short response a few days ago, its in the STP thread under upcoming sessions and events.

pavedwave · Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Posts: 1120 Location: seattle wa usa

The funny thing is that very few people "get" what skating the STP is about, especially within the skateboarding community. I've always been fine with that, because I do this ride for myself, and typically by myself. I really don't mind keeping it that way for liability reasons -- I don't want to see any bicyclists get hurt by some dumbass skateboarder that's too cool to follow some simple rules of the road. This year I met a guy that talked up his thrill-seeking brother that wants to skate STP next year. I discouraged him as much as possible, since the picture he was painting wasn't exactly "biker friendly" -- apparently he couldn't skate it this year because he was recovering from a fist-fight he provoked (because he's so badass) and he said he's not worried about my advice to physically prepare for it, since he plans to skitch it holding onto a bike next year. Perfect. That's exactly the type of approach that raises the chance of jeopardizing this event for skateboarders, or anyone wanting to use alternative transportation on a highly organized ride. Attracting inexperienced or unprepared riders is exactly the reason I've not been playing this ride up too much anymore, even turning down a couple media contacts the week before this year's STP. I did talk briefly with Chehalis newspaper when they took some snaps and quotes in Centralia this year, but that's it.

Most guys skating across the US or other countries are typically knocking off around 30-50 miles per day and taking rest in between. One skater I'm really interested in hearing from is Keith O'Leary, who's currently tackling 750 miles in 10 consecutive days. That I think is where you start pushing the limits, as opposed to taking a cross-country vacation on a longboard. Then there are true monsters like Rob Thomson who carry everything and sleep under bridges all along the way, living off the land. My point is not that one distance journey is better than the other, but rather that there is a distinct difference between a long distance excursion which mostly requires being at a certain carefree stage in life, and that of a truly physically demanding feat, which requires athletic preparedness.

What the STP entails is a lot of physical preparation, then being ready for anything on the day of. I don't treat this ride as a "stunt" -- success is gauged on being able to skate just as strong the day after the STP as the morning that it started -- and thank you Ted for reinforcing that mantra!! This year I spent the next day after STP (and the rest of the week) swimming in the beach, feeling strong, not injured, no pain anywhere. And it was my fastest STP so far - just under 23 hours - even though I felt like it took less effort than years past, and I wasn't actually trying for time -- just taking fewer breaks and moving more consistently, and pushing up all the hills. Swimming with the sea turtles last week only strengthened my resolve that this is what skating distance is about. It's not about how much you're willing to punish your body, it's how efficiently you can do this and skate the next day. You're either ready for a ride like this, or you're not. And you don't want to find that out on the morning of day two, being 130 miles from home. I'm pretty sure anyone can beat themselves senseless and go kick their skateboard 100+ miles for one day just about anywhere. It's getting up and doing it again the next day that's the real test.

Last year's ride was an awesome experience, sharing it with another skater like Ted who knew how to ride well, tackling big hills and footbraking right next to cyclists doing 30mph -- the main issue not being his technical ability to skate, but his social and spatial awareness to ride cooperatively alongside 10,000 bikers. There is hardly ever a time you are alone on this ride. If anything, you go nuts from the constant chatter and supportive comments! One thing for sure, every year, the bikers have been amply stoked for us and share great supportive vibes all along the way.

I just hope the ride can stay that way. Last year there was some grumbling from one vocal member of the bike community, who didn't seem to have any issue with inliners, unicyclists, fixies, or big-wheelers in past years, yet a couple skateboarders got him talking (the bigotry we're accustomed to...)

One "stunt" rider this year was an inline scooter guy. Attracted lots of attention but he obviously wasn't ready for it. Just spotted this off the biker's forum:

"I also saw a razor scooter (kick scooter on rollerblade wheels with a handlebar) around mile 80-90 on day 1, but he was absolutely exhausted and weaving dangerously around the trail, not paying attention to bikes behind him, etc. He had a personal support vehicle that was meeting up with him at every 1-2 mile trail crossing and as a Ride Ref I had to have a chat with them about day 2. Officially PSVs aren't allowed. I didn't make a huge stink about these guys on day 1 because they were being safe and staying out of the way, but I had to warn them that day 2 would be much more difficult to support like that and that we couldn't have them endangering the rest of the riders. I didn't see him after day 1, which sucks because it would have been a huge accomplishment, but I'd be surprised if this guy was even able to walk on day 2 let alone push for another 100 miles. "