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Longboard enthusiasts, many dressed like pirates or ninjas, cruised around the NIC campus in the first ever “Battle for the Booty” race put on by Resort and Recreational Management students.
They teamed up with sponsors Pyramid Skate Shop, Rock 94.5, Cabal Clothing, and Boarders for Christ (BFC) for the event. Prizes were donated for the winners.
Kyle Olsen, 10-year veteran skateboarder and friend of Casey Siers, won first place overall in the race. He won a skateboard deck and $20 cash as prizes.
“A friend of mine who started Cabal Clothing helped sponsor the event,” Olsen said. “Another friend, Casey Siers, was part of the class that put on this event. I was just glad to participate in the race. I don’t really longboard much, but this event was really fun.”
Asher Chivvis, 8, son of Paul Chivvis, Outdoor Pursuits and Resort and Recreational Management Instructor, won best dressed with his ninja outfit. He received a skateboard deck from Cabal Clothing.
The race consisted of 23 racers and about 30 registrants. The course took racers around the campus in a fun-filled, costume-infused race. Not everyone dressed up, but there were quite a few pirates and ninjas gliding around the concrete waves of NIC.
The course started behind Lee Kildow Hall before continuing around the north side of Christianson Gymnasium to College Drive. It then turned right on to Garden Avenue, cut right behind Boswell Hall and sent riders heading West until they turned into the South parking lot beside Rosenberry Drive. The final dash was toward Seiter Hall before cutting back North and finishing behind Lee Kildow Hall.
Casey Siers, Taite Petersen, T.J. Hustoft and Dylan Schols are the students from the Resort and Recreational Management program who put on the event.
There were winners for first and second place overall, first and second place consolation bracket, and best dressed.
“We were inspired to do this event just because we had to put on an event for our event planning and management class, and we hadn’t heard of a longboard race around here, so we thought it’d be a cool idea,” said Taite Petersen. “We didn’t have many people sign up early, but people started to come in around 1:00 p.m., and we had about 30 people registered total. It turned out to be a lot of fun.”
Michelle Vadney and Willie Frame said they are enthusiastic supporters of NIC events. They attend as many sporting events and other events as they can throughout each school year.
They participated in the longboard race together. Frame won first place in the consolation bracket with the prize being a skateboard deck.
“I attended NIC from 2004 to 2007 and got my degree in Construction Management,” Frame said. “I’ve just had a blast here and I love it.”
For Vadney, NIC has been offering a taste of the North Idaho lifestyle.
“Willie kept talking about Coeur d’Alene and NIC so I decided to move here and come see what it was all about,” Vadney said. “The longboard race was really fun. Willie and I just enjoy supporting NIC and having fun with it.”
Siers said that they are hoping the event will take place again next year.
“Longboarding is becoming more and more popular and has become a pretty cool activity for many people in Coeur d’Alene in the past few years,” Siers said. “We thought this would be a cool idea and it turned out to be pretty fun. Hopefully it will turn into an annual event.”
Justin Deal (left) and Kyle Olsen (right) collect the fruits of their labor
