Official moved by skateboarding Town urges 'green' transportation; administrator says bikes are too pedestrian
Marty Roupe glides back to his office at Carrboro Town Hall after a visit to Weaver Street Market. Roupe says he'll use his skateboard instead of a car to get lunch or just to get out.
Staff Photo by Harry Lynch Story Tools
Meiling Arounnarath, Staff Writer
CARRBORO - He doesn't "ollie" anymore, but he still enjoys the feel of the wheels under his feet as he glides downtown for lunch.
Marty Roupe, development review administrator for Carrboro, bought a new skateboard a couple of years ago so he could practice another alternative form of transportation in the already bicycle-friendly town.
Roupe, 36, had been riding a town-loaned bike to and from lunch and to meetings in Chapel Hill and on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus.
About three years ago, the planning department started keeping three bikes in Carrboro Town Hall for employees to use, said Dale McKeel, transportation planner. Though the bikes are used mostly by people in his department, he said they're for all town employees to use.
Roupe was a frequent user of Town Hall's bike program.
Then he noticed "Ian the intern" riding a skateboard from class at UNC-CH to Town Hall. About the same time, Roupe talked to a friend in Charlotte who rides his skateboard from his parking spot downtown to the office.
"I had just forgotten how fun it is," said Roupe, who hadn't picked up a board in 10 years. Plus, there's the added benefit of getting exercise and not using gas.
The only difference between now and then: Roupe doesn't try tricks anymore. The most he'll do is ride ramps.
"I've got to be careful because my older body gets bruised easily," he said.
He's not the only one in the Planning Department having fun, though.
Kendal Brown, a planner and zoning and development specialist, has a folding, kick scooter -- the kind with the handles to steer. She got it as a Christmas present a few years ago and keeps it behind her office door for when she wants to ride it to lunch.
"When I started working here, I knew the Planning Department follows the Board of Aldermen's lead in trying to think about alternative forms of transportation," Brown said. "When I learned this about the staff, I thought I would bring this out of the closet and bring it to work."
But she hasn't had much chance to use it yet.
Her co-workers have been borrowing it for lunch or for meetings around town. "They're a lot of fun, a good workout," Brown said. "You're not using any fossil fuels, and it's a little quicker than walking."
WHAT'S AN "OLLIE"?
Named after skateboarder Alan "Ollie" Gelfand, an ollie is a trick in which the skater kicks the tail of the board down while jumping in order to make the board pop into the air.
HERE'S HOW TO DO ONE:
1) Push at a comfortable speed.
2) Place your front foot near the middle of your board. Put your back foot on the tail.
3) Squat, so you can spring yourself up.
4) Kick your back foot down so you can pop as you jump up; your front foot should rub upward on your grip tape.
5) Make sure you tuck your knees to your chest, picking up your back foot as well to level the board at a good height.
6) Come down comfortably, both feet on the board.
7) Bend your legs as you touch down to give it that smooth style, and roll away stocked. MERRIAM-WEBSTER'S ONLINE DICTIONARY, SWITCHMAGAZINE.COM
I prefer Magic or levitation...especially when done in the presence of a non skater...like my dad for instance...ranks up there with a good bunnyhop on my Trials bike
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Originally Posted by Mile_High_Mark
You will get wheelbite if you ride it (a downhill board) like a cruiser/carver, but if you ride it for what it was designed for, you'll be fine.
Town Official Moved by Skateboard...
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