Luke Blum has been a surfing and skating enthusiast ever since he could walk. So it was no surprise when he started the Landsurfers longboarding club last semester as only a freshman.
The Millersville broadcasting major is even sponsored by top names such as Globe Shoes, SMX optics and BambooSk8, all manufacturers of longboards.
The Landsurfers Longboarding Club was established to gather students together to form friendships through common activities such as longboarding, discussing the growth of the sport, aid beginners in improving their skills and teaching longboard safety.
“I wanted to start the club because I was tired of seeing students ride around on longboards alone. No one should ever have to do that.” said Blum. “There is nothing better than riding with a group of people who are having a great time and pushing each other to get better.”
And what about meetings you ask? Even though there is currently no consistent meeting schedule, when a member in the club decides they want to meet up to longboard, all they have to do is send out a mass text to end up having a great time.
“We are a very tight knit group of friends. We had 4 new members come out and they are already part of the family,” said Blum.
Although longboarding is a male dominated sport, Blum encourages women to come out and join. There are many all-woman sponsored longboarding teams in the sport. As of now there are only four female members and they are all doing a great job.
For anyone who does not know how to longboard, the club is aided towards beginners willing to learn, offering workshops that will give lessons to new riders.
The club also has participated in community service. Currently they are working on saving the local skate park that the Millersville Town Council is trying to tear down. “The skate park became a second home to us for the short time we were able to use it. It was one of the few places we were legally allowed to skate,” said Blum. T-shirts are now on sale to help this cause for only ten dollars.
Other plans for the club include contests, races and a charity event to raise money for the St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.
“The longboarding club is like a family. Everyone in the club is unique but we all fit perfectly together,” said Blum.
Longboarding can be as simple as riding from point A to point B, or it can be as complicated as doing downhill slides and crazy tricks. You can make what you want of it which is why students should join because ANYONE can longboard. The enthusiastic and dedicated members of the club prove that anything is possible. There is a great future for the Landsurfers longboarding club and a great future for Luke Blum.
For more information on the Landsurfer’s Longboarding club contact them through Facebook, Twitter, or by email at LandsurfersLBC@yahoo.com