NIC student Brian Feely avoids the parking problem by riding to class on his longboard.
A wise man once said that if you try to defy gravity, you’d end up falling and breaking your neck. So why do extreme sports athletes like Tony Hawk fly 20 feet up a half pipe? How does Travis Pastrana amaze people every year with his motorcycle stunts?
Well, people like Hawk and Pastrana are daring and have a passion for their extreme sports. Longboarding is not quite as extreme as a lot of sports, but it is becoming a popular trend.
Many NIC students said they have discovered that longboards are not only pretty cool, but also a great way to cruise around the campus. In a world looking for green alternatives, it is a great way to reduce our carbon footprint as well.
A longboard is similar and related to a surfboard or snowboard, but with wheels. The beauty of riding these sidewalk cruisers is the fact that anyone can ride them during the summer when there isn’t any snow on the ground.
Dorian Kaiser, 20, criminal justice, knows what the longboarding experience is all about. He said that he recently had a longboard deck custom made, while he ordered the trucks, bearings, and wheels separately.
He said getting a board custom made is usually about $40 cheaper than buying one at the store or online.
“I like to longboard because I can get around faster and I just like to feel the breeze on my face, said Kaiser. “It’s just a really cool and relaxing experience for me.
Also, most students have to park about five to ten minutes away so it’s a great way to shorten up the time from your car to the classroom.”
Longboards can be used for cruising, downhill racing, slalom racing, sliding, or just to get around easily. Longboards are designed for descending on hills, sliding, carving, “dancing”, or just to glide around.
Most longboards measure 33 to 59 inches. There are several shapes of longboards, such as pintails, flat-nose riders, drop-through decks, drop decks and boards with the same shape of a standard skateboard.
Longboard decks are typically made from wood ply anywhere from two to 11 layers, usually 2 mm in thickness, composed of birch, bamboo or maple.
Mid-length boards are 37 to 50 inches and are the most versatile. Their heavier weight makes them less suitable for skateboarding tricks, but contributes to a more fluid motion by providing more momentum.
The longboard’s design allows for big turns or quick short carves similar to the motions of surfers or snowboarders.
“Longboarding is different than skateboarding because skateboarding today is more about going to the skate park and doing tricks,” said Kaiser. “Longboards are almost like the bike version of a skateboard because with a bike you can just ride places, relax, lean and turn one way or another. It’s just great for getting around.”
Brandon Feely, a 19 year-old Pre-Pharmacy major at NIC, said that longboarding is a great way to get from place to place faster and it’s just fun.
“When I get out of my night class around 8:00 p.m. there is almost nobody on campus. It’s awesome just let everything go and ride down the middle of the street and enjoy how quiet and peaceful it is,” said Feely. “Good music can make a ride during the day peaceful also. Another fun way to ride is to find a hill and glide down it not having to worry about pushing, just riding.”
Longboards are commercially available in a variety shapes and sizes and can be purchased online at websites like www.thelongboardstore.com and www.cdalongboards.com.
Local stores in Coeur d’Alene like Pyramid Skate Shop, Zumies, Big 5 Sporting Goods, Lectric Longboard Co., and Coeur d’Alene LongBoards are also good places to shop for a new ride.
