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I learned to skateboard as a child, when a little red plastic skateboard came into my possession. I picked up skateboarding again in college, when a co-worker sold me a homemade deck. I skated primarily just to get around; after cycling for hours almost every morning, the last thing I wanted to do was ride a bike to school. My cycling career came to an unglorious ending, and I moved to Boston to become a professional PhD student. I did get a new bike with the insurance money - a 17-lb carbon fiber beauty - but it's much too nice to ride in the city. There's good riding out in the suburbs, but just getting out there is scary. Thus, skateboarding again became my primary mode of transportation. I had my trick board, and picked up a saggy Vision longboard for the bumpy 3-mile commute to lab. |
| After a late night in lab one summer, I was skating home through the Boston Public Garden when I happened upon a group of skateboarders. They had slalom boards and an electric longboard, and were probably less surprised to see a girl skateboarding in Boston than a girl in the park, alone, at 2 a.m. Thus I became acquainted with Alexander Scott, artist and slalom boarder, and the renowned slalom champion John Gilmour. Since then, I've picked up a couple of G&S Fibreflex boards, started riding slalom, and stopped wandering around alone at questionable hours. John remains a great friend; Alex and I are, for the most part, unseparable. |
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| See
a video clip of John on a slalom course, filmed by Alexander
Scott. |
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THE SLALOM ON DA FARM RACE VISTA, NEW YORK OCTOBER 6, 2001 |
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On this beautiful fall day, slalom skateboarders from across the US (and one from England) gathered to race for charity. All proceeds from entry fees were given to The American Red Cross. |
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L: Terence Kirby, one of the winners. That's Alex smiling in the background.
R: My first (and only) prize from a skateboard race: GREEN FIBREFLEX WHEELS! See how proud I am! |
Jim Trippe made a fabulous music video to document this event. View video in Quicktime (19 MB) or Windows Media (8 MB) / Real player (11 MB) |
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INDEPENDENCE DAY, 2003 Every July 4th in Boston, Storrow drive is closed to automobile traffic and open to pedestrians...and skateboards! |
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| "Excuse
me officer, can I hitch a ride?" |
The
nice officer towed me all the way downtown. How could he refuse? |
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