Sliders are taking skating to a whole new level
By Tiffany DeMasters
Deseret Morning News
Adrenaline junkies are finding new and innovative ways to get their highs. For longboarders, that means creating a different approach to going down steep hills without cracking their skulls open.
Mike Terry, for the Deseret Morning NewsLongboarder Erek Shaffer slides and rolls faster than some like to travel in cars. Skateboarding has been popular for years, but now a different form of skating has come into play. Longboarding is skateboarding on a longer skateboard. Longboards aren't meant for tricks, they're meant for cruising.
The method of sliding started in 1965 when Cliff Coleman, now 56, was forced to invent a safer way to go down his local hills in Berkeley, Calif. Instead of using his foot as a break, he created gloves so he could use his hands to slow himself down to a controllable speed.
To create the technique, longboarders buy over-the-counter industrial gloves and attach pieces of plastic or cutting board to the palms of the gloves.
He started teaching sliding in 1976. In the '80s, he got people involved by handing out business cards, but the style really took off when he put instructions on how to do the slides on the Internet.
Coleman said the purpose of his slides is to help people be better and safer skaters.
For three years sliders in Utah have been trying to get others involved in the sport, but people didn't started catching on to the excitement until this past year.
"They just didn't even know what we were talking about," he said.
Now, people ages 14 to 44 are finding enjoyment in the sport and each other's company. Aside from the creative aspect of sliding, people are drawn to it because it gives them an opportunity to get together and do something fun with their friends.
"It's either that or sitting around at a friend's house doing nothing," he said.
Cowie enjoyed it so much that he decided to tell his friend Carston Oliver, 18, from Salt Lake City, who has also been sliding for three years.
Jerry Bowling, 27, has been living in Utah for four years. He got a longboard on his birthday a year ago and not long after that he started sliding. He liked sliding because of the technique and how original it was.
What makes sliding creative is people are able to take the basic slides and build on them. Bowling said slides are like knots: same slide, different region.
"It's a good group of guys to hang out with and I try to push myself every time," Bowling said. "The possibilities are endless."
Not just skaters are getting involved with this up-and-coming sport. Kirk Dath, 19, from New Jersey, a student at Salt Lake Community College, is a snowboarder and got involved with sliding as the winter season ended.
"Even though it looks dangerous it's actually a lot more safer, and it's a lot better than sitting at home watching TV," Dath said.
Although the slides are safer than longboarding, wearing safety gear is the sliders' primary priority. Bowling said wearing the proper gear leaves a lot of room for progress.
What started off to be a handful of people has turned into informal gatherings once a week where up to 60 people show up — random groups of friends who meet up to slide.
"It's kind of cool seeing all these different groups pop up," May said. "It makes you feel legit."
Coleman has watched his style bloom across the nation and the world. "I tip my hat" to Utah's sliders, he said, "I hope they're having a good time."
What started off to be a handful of people has turned into informal gatherings once a week where up to 60 people show up — random groups of friends who meet up to slide.
when and where? i've never heard about this? btw... salt lake isn't really a "small" town
when and where? i've never heard about this? btw... salt lake isn't really a "small" town
Haha ya it really isnt. I think that when people think of utah they think that it is like some rural hick state or something. But its quite the opposite. In most of Utah at least.
Utah Newspaper on Sliding...pretty cool
Re: Utah Newspaper on Sliding...pretty cool
Re: Utah Newspaper on Sliding...pretty cool
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