Hello, Andrew! Welcome to VOV24/7’s Culture Rendezvous! I know you’re a big fan of longboarding. Can you tell us a little bit about the sport?

It started in Hawaii. Longboarding is meant for speed. A longboard is probably twice the size of a skateboard. A skateboard is about two and a half feet or so. A longboard is about five to five and a half feet long. It’s wider also, and the wheels are thicker. They have different bearings. They allow the board to spin faster because the wheels are more impressionable. It’s really great for cruising around. It’s kind of surfing on the ground. I like longboarding. It’s really fun when you fly down.

How long have you been longboarding?

Let me see. About 4 years. I don’t think I’ve mastered it, but that’s enough for you to move around very quickly and easily.

Are there techniques you need when riding a longboard?

Riding techniques? Let’s see. When you ride a longboard, you point depending on if you’re right handed or if you’re more comfortable using your right side, you’ll want to use your right leg to push on the ground. So you’re gonna face your left foot forward and use your right foot to push against the ground. And when you get enough speed, you can lift your right foot off the ground and place it on the board and then you can manage to stand on it.

There are many ways to use longboards - for transportation, free styling, down a hill, dancing, or racing. True?

Yes. There are competitions for speed longboarding like joying (?) hills and people fly down. It’s also like a lounge that we can sit down on. You sit down on the board and then go downhill on it.

Downhill longboarding (Photo: uneed2know.eu)

Does longboarding require any protective equipment?

Oh, well, I’ve never ridden with gear, but usually you should wear a helmet, elbow pads, knee pads, and gloves. The gloves have a piece of plastic, so you can put your hand on the ground.

Are injuries common?

Injuries just happen. It’s part of the sport. Whoever is riding the board will be responsible for it.

Is longboarding allowed on the streets?

Yes. It’s allowed on the streets and on the sidewalk also. We used to do it a lot in high school. I would consider it a kind of outdoor exercise. That’s worth something. It’s popular in California, probably Florida too. 

A girl riding a longboard in Rochester Institute of Technology (Photo: rit.edu)

Thank you, Andrew, for the talk. That was Andrew Diatroptoff from the US talking about longboarding in America.