Gator Longboarding

Wednesday night, about 15 longboarders raced downhill on the road behind Broward Hall, sliding, carving and boardwalking.

Sliding is where the longboarder turns the board to one side and stops quickly, either standing up or putting his hands on the ground. Carving involves leaning the board left and right downhill to reduce speed. Lastly, walking up and down the board while moving is called boardwalking.

All of the longboarders came out for Gator Longboarding, an established longboarding organization at the University of Florida that has over 100 members and has been around for a year. The club organizes skate sessions, talks about skating and networks with other skaters.

Wednesday night was their first beginner’s meet of the semester, where a few new members came out to learn new longboarding tricks and tips.

Larry Hamami, biology freshman and new to the club, was taught how to perform the slide technique by one of the officers of the group. Hamami said he has been skating for more than a year but is still trying to get better so that he can go down bigger roads.

“It’s hard to longboard unless you know how to slow yourself down,” Hamami said. “You need to be able to handle speed.”

Brian Elsken, civil engineering freshman and also new to the club, has been longboarding for less than a year. He was also learning how to slide with help from the officers.

Elsken said he’s getting better at sliding, but it’s still scary for him. He plans to keep coming to the club's meets to improve his skills and to make friends.

Kimmy Hudon, applied physiology and kinesiology sophomore, has been longboarding for only one week. Her lesson was to learn how to stop correctly. The officers showed her how to put one foot slightly on the ground and slowly come to a stop.

“I fell when I tried going down a hill on campus,” Hudon said. “It’s not as easy as it sounds, but it’s fun.”

Hudon said she’s mainly learning how to brake and maneuver better around people on campus because she rides to class. Her usual 15 minute walk from one building to another turns into 3-4 minutes on the longboard, saving her a lot of time.

The longboarders in the club skate for fun, but most of them skate for transportation purposes.

Members of Gator Longboarding usually skate around the campus or Gainesville, trying to find new spots. They also sometimes get pizza provided by their sponsor, FreeRide Surf and Skate Shop.

The surf and skate shop, which sells longboards and longboard parts, also gets the organization members 10% off anything in the store.

For buying a board, the club suggested looking on www.gainesville.craigslist.org, www.silverfishlongboarding.com or visiting FreeRide Surf and Skate Shop.

The club will have official meets every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. Clinics and social meets will be held on Wednesdays.

Next Wednesday there will be another beginner's meet. The club is always welcoming anyone who likes to longboard or wants to learn more about longboarding. They also accept short boards, downhill boards and cruisers.

“Everyone is welcome,” said Christopher McCarthy, engineering junior and president of Gator Longboarding. “We’re really working on expanding; we have big dreams.”

For more information about the organization, join their Facebook group called Gator Longboarding.