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Skating for a cause... another great way to spread the stoke! Here's the report from SoCal's "Skate for the Troops" event in November. You may not know it, and it doesn't make sense, but Uncle Sam doesn't take care of everything for the Marines and Navy who suffer grievous injury doing what the rest of us don't have to. Check out what these skaters set up for the men and women near Camp Pendelton... Skate for the Troops THE REPORT On November 14th, thirty two skaters rode from Oceanside to Torrey Pines State Beach in southern California. These skaters, young and old, rode their boards 27 miles to raise funds and awareness for the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund. This not-for-profit foundation uses donations to help support injured Marines and Sailors in the American Armed Forces. The event, hosted by Honey Skateboard’s Derek Smith, was a big success earning $838 on the day of the event, in addition to your online and direct donations to the Semper Fi Fund.. Tushar Patel individually raised $510 for the event; this is such an amazing act of support and generosity. Even though the event is over you can still donate to the cause, simply visit www.semperfifund.org and select Skate for the Troops to donate. Click through to see pics and get the report!
The event started at the Oceanside pier, where skaters signed up and received a shirt for the ride provided by the Semper Fi Fund and screen printed by Whitlock Industries. Honey Skateboards and Muir Skate were big supporters of the event. Team riders from Gravity, and Koastal were in attendance. There was a wide assortment of age and skill levels represented; from pro skaters to beginners, from an eleven year old Alex Spiegler to 55 year old Stephen Sloan, from college students to a doctor; everyone was equal and had a good time. That’s the great thing about longboarding it blurs lines between established groups. We all have a common stoke for riding and came together for a common cause. The people who build the boards were skating next to the people who buy the boards. The pro skaters in the videos were skating next to the kids who watch their videos. Mike Mahoney, the owner/master craftsman who makes Honey Skateboards rode the 27 miles without a problem. “It’s very cool to see different companies put their competitive natures aside and skate together,” Mike said. Scott Lembach, owner of Muir Skate Shop skated the distance smiling and talking with everyone along the way. “It was exciting. We will definitely be back next year,” Scott said.
 While leaving Oceanside the group encountered a slight delay with local law enforcement. As you'd expect at a longboard event int the street, our skaters conducted themselves very courteously and cooperated with the Police. The officer who initially stopped us wanted to help because she is a veteran Marine and simply wanted us to be safe within the city limits. She helped provide us with a police escort out of Oceanside. It was a very surreal moment to see a herd of skaters being escorted by law enforcement through the streets. There were countless people standing outside of their houses and businesses watching this traveling paradox go down the street. This is hopefully a foreshadowing of things to come, police and skateboarders coexisting without confrontation. 
The route the event took was down the beautiful Highway 101, hugging the coast of California. This route is a favorite with pedestrians and bicyclists alike who were all very nice and were slightly surprised to see so many skaters at one time. A few bicyclists rode with the group for a little while, most of them wanted to know what the event was all about. I even skitched on one of them per his request. The kind man said “Hey, put your hand on my shoulder, I will tow you for a little bit.” The ride was not only a charity event for a worthy cause but a perfect example of the possible symbiotic relationship between mainstream society and the Skate community. It was truly beautiful to see skateboarders and the rest of the world flowing together so comfortably and naturally. For example, on a large hill I was skating behind Trevor Watkins who was able to carve the whole width of the hill because a nice lady slowed down and allowed him to skate in front of her car while she blocked traffic for a short distance. 
Throughout the duration of the ride volunteers drove with the skaters handing out water and encouragement. “It was very cool to be riding along and see a hand reach out with water. The volunteers were awesome,” Mike Mahoney said. Thank you to the volunteers who were parents and friends of the skaters.
Derek Smith, Honey Skateboards rider and director of the event couldn’t have been happier with the turn out. “I’m still in shock, everything worked out perfectly,” Derek said to me two days after the event. Derek was just as surprised as I was to see the event come together without any problems. He said “I’m so happy that people can see the skate community as a contributing factor to society, its events like this that can change the minds of the masses.” 
When everyone had reached the final destination there was a raffle with loads of goodies for those who had bought raffle tickets. Everyone who bought tickets won at least one prize. Alex Spiegler skated with the group on a trick board with soft wheels Derek had put on for him. Alex won a complete board, just what he needed; his smile lit up his face as he was so happy. Every skater in attendance had a great time on the ride. Derek and everyone involved would like to thank the sponsors for donating gifts and time. We would also like to give a big thank you to the volunteers who followed the skaters and passed out water periodically along the route. We want to send a special thank you to the Oceanside Police for not shutting us down and escorting us part of the way.
Thank you sponsors: Mike Mahoney, Honey Skateboards, honeyskateboards.com Scott Lembach, Muir Skate, muirskate.com SilverfishLongboarding.com Gravity Skatboards, gravityboard.com TNTRide, tntride.com Concrete Wave Magazine Whitlock Ind. And RW Custom Surfboards Trion:Z, www.trionz.com Randal Speed Trucks |
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