Students on campus use all types of transportation to get to class whether it’s by car, bus, bike or rollerblades. But these transportation methods aren’t the only ways students get to class anymore. The longboarding trend is growing everyday on campus with more students choosing it as a form of transportation.
Do not mistake this sport for skateboarding! There is a difference between the two.
According to www.streetboards.com, while skateboards are made to perform tricks, longboards are used more for transportation purposes. Longboards have a longer, wider board that keeps skaters stable while riding. The wheels on longboards are also thicker, which are better for riding on cracked pavement.
Michael Ashida said he started longboarding as a means of transportation.
“It started as a way to have fun ‘cruising’ around town,” Ashida said. “I continued longboarding here on campus both for recreation and as a way to get to class.”
Ashida is also the former treasurer of the Illini Longboarding Club, which originated in the fall of 2009.
ILC holds weekly skate sessions where club members skate together. They also offer separate sessions for both experienced and new skaters, Ashida said.
Since the club’s existence, Ashida also said that he has seen the number of longboarders around Champaign-Urbana increase too.
“There are definitely more longboarders on campus since the club started. You can see it both in general just walking around campus and you can see it by the number of people that get involved with our club,” he said.
“When I was here on campus 4 years ago, a lot of people didn’t know what a longboard was. Now, I feel like its a lot more common knowledge here on campus.”
Not only does ILC hold weekly skate sessions, but last year the club held an event called Cruise for Cancer, a charity event that raised money for the American Cancer Society.
“The Cruise for Cancer was very successful, especially for our first charity event,”Ashida said. “We had 75 riders skate just under 13 miles around campus escorted by two police cars.”
ILC raised just under $2,000 for the American Cancer Society and featured a raffle with prizes.
When ILC’s current president, Julian Martinez, started longboarding in high school, he knew he would not be able to stop.
“I started longboarding as a way to practice for snowboarding. My first time snowboarding was freshman year of high school with my school’s outdoor club, and after going a few times I became addicted,” he said. “When summer came I thought that picking up longboarding would be an easy transition and a way to keep myself from going crazy while waiting for winter. As soon as winter came, however, I found myself itching to get back on my longboard.”
Martinez really enjoys longboarding because of its simplicity.
“My favorite thing about longboarding is that you can do it just about anywhere. You don’t need to pay for a lift ticket or buy tons of expensive gear, all you need is your board and some pavement, and the pavement doesn’t even need to be smooth since longboard wheels are softer and more shock absorbent than skateboard wheels,” Martinez said.
Most importantly, longboarding is something fun that anyone can get involved in.
“Longboards are easier to introduce to beginners,” Martinez said. “The smoothness of the ride makes something as simple as going across a parking lot a blast!