Maryhill, the 2.2 mile speedway for downhill located in Goldendale, Washington, has graced longboarders with her many gifts. Smooth pavement, tricky turns, and best of all, an amazing view with an escape from traffic. But Ms. Mary, oh Ms. Mary. This is too good. A featured video in the New York Times? Big high five!!!
“With an inclusive, do-it-yourself ethic, longboarding has grown as a grass-roots movement mostly outside the established skateboard industry and spread from Southern California to places like Brooklyn and Bend, Ore.”
— Skateboarding Glides Into a New Phase, The New York Times, July 20, 2010.
This article is one to check out for sure. Not only does it feature a killer video on Maryhill, it mentions some of the sweet beginnings of longboarding. Venom. Longboard Larry. Earthwing. Orangatang. Sector9. Definitely the bread, butter, eggs and milk to our industry.
Photo Courtesy of the NY Times
“There’s no stigma,” said Larry Peterson, who made 2,500 boards in a dairy barn in Salem, Ore., last year under the brand Longboard Larry. “It’s one of the sports where someone who’s 40 can go skate with someone who’s 13 and nobody thinks it’s weird.”
We couldn’t agree with Larry more, and that’s the very reason we love longboarding so much. Even guys who are “older” and grew up pushing around on longboard decks 30 years ago feel comfortable when they join the local crew at the parking garage.
“It’s really all new,” Marcus Bandy, 37, the Orangatang team manager claimed. “It’s like when punk rock or hip-hop first came out. It’s a whole new thing, and the kids are loving it.”
He added: “People are always going to create their own stuff and that’s what’s happening here. These guys are creating skateboarding and reinventing skateboarding.”
As a Seattle longboard shop, we’re excited to be a part of the movement and can’t wait to see what the future brings.
