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Front Page  Events & Coverage Orange County, CA Skateboarding Meetup Group
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Orange County, CA Skateboarding Meetup Group |
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Written by Abec 11
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Sunday, 31 May 2009 |
The First of its Kind - an Orange County, CA
Skateboarding Meetup Group
For those of you not familiar with Meetup.com, it is a great online community that facilitates get-togethers for those with similar interests. Just enter your gig, how far you are willing to travel and let the camaraderie begin! Check it out…. there are Meetup groups for just about everything under the sun. There are groups for dog lovers, wine lovers, hikers and bikers to name a few. I say just about everything under the sun because if your interest was skateboarding, there wasn’t a single group to be found within 100 miles of Huntington Beach. WTF?
Enter HB local, Chris Chaput.
On April 18th, 2009 he organized the first Longboard Skateboard Meetup group.
“Can we all just get a longboard? Yes! Meet, ride, and hang out with local longboarders and skateboarders of all shapes and sizes. All those who want to learn how to design, build, and ride the coolest longboards and skateboards on the planet are welcome to join. The owners of Huntington Beach based longboard and skateboard companies are getting involved and helping to make Surf City a more skate-friendly place. The group shares knowledge of events, hot spots, tips, tricks, and equipment. Bring your buds and spread the stoke of skating. We encourage everyone in the family to get outside and skate.
This group embraces ALL of the various disciplines and styles of skateboarding including carving, cruising, sliding, pumping, freeriding, downhill, slalom, pools, parks, pipes, ditches, freestyle, street, paddle-skating, slopestyle, electric skateboards and more. Drop the attitude at the door because this group is for anyone and everyone who wants to skate for the pure joy of it. We don’t care if you’re a grom, newbe, bro, or hardcore pro - join us and skate! “
So…after Chaput hosted a small get-together for Michael Brooke on Friday, April 24th, where the likes of Jerry Madrid, Pete Hamborg, and the amazing guys from Aend Industries along with several others came to eat, drink and be merry, Chris had his first Longboard Skateboard Group Meetup the next day. There were longboards, electric boards, Hamboards, etc descending upon the Huntington Beach Pier bike path. The weather was perfect and the turn out was great. Most excited was 5yr old Nico who got to “skate” with his hero, Mischo. Seems Nico might end up being a street luger or a skull-boarder, though, as he didn’t like to stand on the board as much as he liked to lay or kneel on it. Here’s what some of the skaters had to say:
“I thought the HB Longboard Skateboarder's FIRST Meetup was great! I had a blast. Chris Chaput, the Meetup group organizer, is full of energy and made everyone feel very welcomed, no matter what their skill level was! “
-Story
“It was great day at the beach for a skate. Lots of electric skateboards and longboards were used. We used the Banshee Bungee on the path for a 0-30mph slingshot down the path with minimal carnage. The skate to the cliffs was a ton of fun with a safe mix of electric boards, paddle skaters and pushers. There were camera crews and videos shot, and lots of crazy wheels, trucks, bearings, and decks on hand to try out. We got a lot of positive attention from all of the beach-goers and even met another Meetup group that was there with their inline skates. ”
-Chris
The vibe was great! Chris (the organizer) showed up with a big box van filled with toys (skateboards) for everyone. He was truly friendly and really took the time to get to know everyone! We had a great time talking and getting to know one another before we headed down the bike path along the beach and skated up the coast. We could not have asked for better weather. If you love skateboarding and a great group of young at heart people you should really join in the fun. ”
-Pamela Z
Of course, the never-shy Chaput was more than eager to show-off – especially given the audience of several young French exchange students.
Using one hand to steer and the other to gently squeeze the trigger on the wireless remote control, Chris performs his patented electric Hamboard headstand while shamelessly flirting with the French paparazzi.
So, if you live in or are visiting the SoCal area and want to hook up with some skaters, go to http://www.meetup.com/HB-Longboard-Skateboarders . Would love to have you on board.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 04 June 2009 )
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