Skate for the Twins

Another long distance solo skate

2009-07-18T00:56:00.002-04:00

Omar Fahmy is currently skating from Memphis to San Diego solo

http://kickinitlonger.blogspot.com/

Wish him luck!

Last Update

2009-07-15T00:42:00.003-04:00

Hey everyone thats been following the trip. First of all, I would like to apologize for the lack of updates (I was locked out of my google account for a while). I am still alive, so bear with me. In Mid/Late June I ran into a ton of issues.

Floods

Dogs

But I kept on going...until the end of June.

I was around 100 miles away from Columbia, Missouri when I lost my GPS. I searched for hours and couldn't find it. I found a local library and printed basic route information from google maps. I tried to follow it as best as I could but without my GPS I couldnt find any food locations when I got hungry etc, and the Missouri highway system was a mess to skate through. So I had to call my dad and have him read off google maps whenever I got lost (I tried to stay as close to I-70 as possible).

And then, my second deck cracked, despite efforts to keep it alive

http://i40.tinypic.com/10mss92.jpg

At that point, I decided that things were getting too dangerous. Nevada, and Utah would have been an extremely risky prospect in the middle of the summer heat and halfway through Kansas the elevation would start to climb for ~400 miles. I wasted a good amount of money waiting for the first replacement deck to come in, and waiting for the second replacement would have zapped even more of my balance. I made it close to Columbia, Missouri, roughly 1000 miles (i'd say around 1100 with all my little sidequests) and hitchhiked my way back to St. Louis, where I bought an air plane ticket to Sacramento. I stayed over at Dan Hendersons house and skated in honor of Peter Ramirez, who lost his life in a skateboard accident a few months back. Now I am back in Brooklyn. I do not regret a moment of the adventure, it opened my eyes to how beautiful and great America really is, even if it has some points that are rough around the edges.

I would like to attempt something of this caliber again, but it would have to include a support car to carry the 30-40 pound load which I struggled with on my back, day after day. A big thanks goes out to everyone who has inspired, supported, and touched me throughout this journey.

If anyone has sent a paypal donation to me that they would like refunded, please email my skateforthetwins gmail account, as I have access to it again. Donations to the ABCF cannot be refunded.

June 14th Updates!

2009-06-14T10:11:00.002-04:00

I'm currently in Greenville, Illinois. Broke 50 miles in one day, Im happy :)

June 11th Update

2009-06-12T10:00:00.003-04:00

Today I had a pretty amazing experience that showed me how kind-hearted and awesome people can really be. I was passing by Linton, Indiana when two guys (Paul "Fatboy" and Travis) in a truck started talking to me. I told them about my trip and what I was doing, and they were pretty impressed. They admitted that when they first saw me on my skateboard and 50 pound pack, that they though I was kinda insane. But once we got past the stereotypes, John and Travis took me out to eat at this awesome place which served some delicious catfish and onion rings. Probably the best fish I've had so far. They gave me some cash for my expenses and treated me like family. Thank you Paul and Travis!

June 10th

2009-06-10T18:55:00.002-04:00

Currently in Bloomfield, Indiana

Tons of new videos

June 7/8 Update

2009-06-08T11:04:00.003-04:00

I was leaving the best western in Athens and started talking to the manager about how my deck was done and I had to walk 50 miles from Athens Ohio to Greensburg Indiana, to where LBL shipped the new one. This lady (Beth) heard my story and offered to drive me there. She treated me to a delicious milkshake in athens (United Dairy Farmers) and a tasty burger in Greensburg. I got to meet her sister and her wonderful family. It turns out that her mother had breast cancer, and passed away on May 22nd, which is when I started my trip. On this trip, I have met wonderful people, without them I do not think I would be able to keep on going. Beth treated me like a family member and I will always remember her kindness. Thank you Beth and everyone else that has helpled me in tough times.

June 6th Updates

2009-06-06T19:56:00.004-04:00

Deck snapped so I am walking/hitchhiking, plan is to get to Greensburg, Indiana by walking/hitchhiking around 25 miles a day. In a sad mood so I am not really into viewing the area right now, but its a beautiful place. The deck got caught in multiple storms and experienced probably the worst riding conditions a longboard ever faced, so the 500 miles it lasted is still a great amount :)
Anyways...

Currently at Oxford, Ohio

June 4th

2009-06-04T12:16:00.003-04:00

Currently at Chillicothe,OHIO

Some videos :)

June 2nd

2009-06-02T11:54:00.007-04:00

Hey all. I'm around 25 miles away from Athens Ohio. Can't wait to get there!

Courthouse in West Union

Video from day 7

Video from yesterday

Turn on route 50

Day10/11

2009-06-01T09:37:00.003-04:00

Hey everybody. I took a detour into West Union, WV to get some pics up etc

Currently headed towards Ellensboro, WV. Enjoy the pics/video from the last few days

Day 7

2009-05-28T12:34:00.002-04:00

Currently at Keyser, WV library, headed to a Walmart nearby

From day 6:

Day 6!

2009-05-27T15:56:00.008-04:00

Hey guys, im in a library at La Vale, MD headed towards Gormania, WV

Some pics:

VIDEO!!!

First Update

2009-05-25T11:20:00.004-04:00

Hey everyone, this is day 4 and the first time I have access to the internet!

I am currently in Gettysburg, Virginia, 6 miles from fairfield.

The connection is not so great, but heres a first pic of me starting at Annapolis, MD

Thanks to mike for driving me!

The trip has been exhausting so far. Mentally, physically...but I'm getting stronger. Thanks for your support.

Tent I will be using

2009-05-21T14:44:00.003-04:00

Rei Ultralight Quarter Dome T1 Tent (Freestanding)

I think that freestanding tents are the way to go. Any ground setup is possible.

Play by Play

2009-05-21T14:38:00.001-04:00

Maryland:
Annapolis: MAY 22 travel 15 miles to Odenton
Odenton: MAY 22 travel 30 miles from Odenton> SLEEP>
Mt Airy: MAY 23 wake up, travel 15 miles, reach Mt Airy,
Manchester: MAY 23, travel 26 miles miles, reach Manchester> SLEEP>

Pennsylvania:
Hanover- MAY 24, travel 15 miles to Hanover> then 25 miles to Fairfield. SLEEP>
Fairfield- MAY 25 travel 12 miles to Rouzerville
Rouzerville-MAY 25 travel 43 miles to Hancock, Maryland, ZIP Code 21750 (Super 8 HANCOCK MOTEL) SLEEP

Maryland:
Hancock- MAY 26 travel 41 miles to LA VALE/Cumberland MD 21502 SLEEP SUPER 8
Cumberland- May 27 travel 51 miles to Gormania, WV. SLEEP: Us-50 Mount Storm, WV 26739 1 304-693-7614 COTTAGE IN MOTEL

West Virginia
Gormania- MAY 28 travel 45 miles to Grafton, SLEEP 300 Moritz Ave ,Grafton, WV 263541 304-265-2100 CRISLIP MOTOR LODGE
Grafton- MAY 29 Pack extra food.travel 45 miles. SLEEP
Ellenboro- May 30 travel 20 miles to Ellenboro, travel 30 miles to Parkersburg, SLEEP 3714 East 7th Street WV 26101 +1 304-485-1741 RED ROOF INN
Parkersburg- May 31 travel 40 miles to Athens, OHIO > SLEEP. BUY EXTRA FOOD when you wake up

Ohio:
Athens JUNE 1 -travel 50 miles camp/sleep
Chillicothe-JUNE 2-Travel 10 miles to reach Chillicothe, PACK EXTRA FOOD>travel 30 miles, SLEEP
Blanchester- June 3rd- Travel 30 miles to Blanchester, travel 22 miles to MASON, OHIO SUPER 8, 5589 Kings Mills Rd 45040>SLEEP
Mason- JUNE 4- travel 40 miles to 650 E 8th St Brookville, IN 47012 SLEEP

Indiana:
Brookville- JUNE 5- Travel 43 miles to Greensburg IN, SLEEP
Greensburg- JUNE 6 - Travel 45 miles to 75 W. Chestnut St. Nashville, IN 47448 COMFORT IN> SLEEP
Nashville- June 7- Travel 20 miles to Bloomington Indiana> PACK EXTRA FOOD
Bloomington- Travel 25 miles on path to Sullivan, SLEEP.
Sullivan- JUNE 8 - Travel 30 miles to Sullivan. PACK EXTRA FOOD. Travel 20 miles to Robinson Illinois> SLEEP BEST WESTERN 1500 W Main St 62454-3819 +1 618-544-8448

Illinois:
Robinson, IL- JUNE 9 - Travel 45 miles to EFFINGHAM> SLEEP> FARMS EVERYWHERE
Effingham- JUNE 10- Travel 50 miles to Greenville> SLEEP
Greenville- June 11 - Travel 40 miles to ALTON, IL > SLEEP SUPER 8 1800 Homer Adams Parkway 62002 +1 618-465-8885
Alton- JUNE 12 Travel 45 miles to Wentzville, 1258 Continental Dr 63385 +1 636-639-1987 BUDGET INN

Missouri:
Wentzville- JUNE 13- Travel 30 miles to Washington.
Washington- PACK EXTRA EXTRA FOOD. Travel 20 Miles. SLeep
June 14- travel 45 miles SLEEP
June 15- Travel 15 miles to Jefferson City PACK EXTRA FOOD
Jefferson City- June 15 Travel 30 miles SLEEP
June 16- PACK EXTRA FOOD Travel 30 miles to Camdenton
June 17 REST
FROM Camdenton- June 18 - Travel 45 miles to Weaubleau SLEEP
Weaubleau- June 19- Travel 40 miles to 2301 E. Austin Blvd. Nevada, MO 64772-0529 SUPER 8 MOTEL / SLEEP +1 417-667-8888
Nevada, MO- June 20- Travel 20 miles to Ft Scott, Kansas BUY EXTRA FOOD

Kansas:
Ft Scott- June 20 - Travel 25 Miles. SLEEP
June 21- Travel 35 miles to Yates Center. Sleep
Yates Center- June 22 BUY EXTRA FOOD, Travel 45 miles. SLEEP
June 23- Travel 20 miles to El Dorado
El Dorado- June 23 - Travel 40 miles to colwich. SLEEP.
Colwich - June 24 - Travel 40 miles to Kingman, Kansas. Sleep
Kingman Kansas- June 25- Travel 40 miles to Pratt,KS. SLEEP
Pratt- June 26- Travel 35 miles to Greensburg, KS > GET EXTRA FOOD
Greensburg, KS- June 26 - Travel 20 miles to Bucklin, KS > SLEEP
Bucklin, KS - June 27 - Travel 43 miles to Meade, KS > 700 E Carthage St 67864 +1 620-873-2543 (Circle O-Motel & Camp) SLEEP
Meade - June 28- Travel 15 miles to Plains
Plains - BRING EXTRA FOOD - Travel 30 Miles. SLEEP
June 29 - Travel 50 Miles to Elkhart, KS (WILL PASS THROUGH HUGOTON> GET FOOD). SLEEP
Elkhart - June 30 - Travel 45 miles to Boise City, Oklahoma. SLEEP

Oklahoma:
Boise City - JULY 1 - Travel 45 miles to Clayton, NM. keep following route you will see townsman / clayton motel 422 Monroe Street SLEEP

New Mexico:
Clayton- JULY 2nd. PACK 2 DAYS WORTH OF FOOD+ WATER. Skate 45 Miles to GLADSTONE on LEFT. SLEEP
JULY 3rd- Skate 40 miles to Springer, NM- SLEEP
Springer - JULY 4th - Skate 27 miles to Cimmaron, NM >STOCK UP ON FOOD
Cimmaron, NM - July 4th - Skate 20 miles to Gold Pan Motel (Eagle Nest) 50 Therma Drive, 87718. SLEEP
July 5th- Skate 45 Miles to Questa, NM. SLEEP
July 6th- Skate 25 miles to Taos, NM > PACK 2 DAYS OF FOOD
Taos, NM > Skate 20 Miles, CAMP/SLEEP
July 7th- Skate 40 miles to Antonito, Colorado, SLEEP

Colorado:
Antonito- JULY 8 - Skate 48 miles to Chama, NM. SLEEP. Stock up a bit extra food/water.

New Mexico:
Chama- JULY 9th - Skate 46 miles to Pagosa Springs, Colorado. SLEEP

Colorado:
Pagosa Springs -Rest. JULY 10 SLEEP
JULY 11-Stock up on extra food, Skate 50 miles to Durango
Durango -JULY 12 - Stock up on a full days worth of food. Skate 45 miles to dolores SEE GOOGLE PRINTOUT
Dolores - July 13 -STOCK UP ON 2 DAYS OF FOOD - Travel 35 miles to Dove Creek, CO. Skate 10 miles towards Monticello. CAMP/SLEEP
July 14- Skate 15 miles to Monticello, UTAH

Utah:
Monticello: -JULY 14 - Skate 21 miles to Blanding. SLEEP.
Blanding - July 15 - PACK 3 DAYS OF FOOD> SHITLOAD. Skate 50 miles. CAMP/SLEEP
July 16 - Skate 50 Miles to Hanksville, UT. SLEEP
July 17- Skate 53 Miles to Grover, UT. SLEEP
July 18- Skate 50 Miles to Escalante, UT. SLEEP
July 19- Skate 47 Miles to RUBYS INN, UT
July 20- REST
July 21- Skate 41 miles to Duck Creek Village (SEE GOOGLE PRINTOUT) SLEEP
Duck Creek Village - July 22- Skate 31 Miles to Cedar City (SEE GOOGLE PRINTOUT) SLEEP
Cedar City- July 23 - Skate 41 Miles to Minersville. SLEEP
Minersville-July 24- LOAD UP FOR 2 DAYS of Skating. TONS OF WATER Skate 45 Miles. REST/SLEEP
July 25- Travel 45 miles to Garrison, UT. SLEEP
Garrison - JULY 26- 2 DAYS FOOD/WATER. Skate 40 miles. SLEEP
July 27 - Skate 20 Miles to Ely, Nevada

Nevada:
Ely -JULY 27- STOCK UP ON 2 DAYS OF WATER/FOOD. Skate 25 Miles. SLEEP
July 28- Skate 40 Miles to Eureka SLEEP
Eureka- July 29 - LOAD UP ON 2 DAYS OF WATER/FOOD. Skate 40 Miles. SLEEP
July 30- Skate 30 miles to Austin.
Austin- JULY 30- RELAX/SLEEP
July 31- Austin- PACK 3 DAYS OF WATER/FOOD. Skate 40 Miles. SLEEP
August 1st- Skate 25 miles to Middlegate. SLEEP
Middlegate -AUGUST 2nd- skate 46 miles to Fallon Nevada. BRING 2 days water. SLEEP
Fallon Nevada - August 3rd - Skate 48 miles to Dayton. SLEEP
Dayton -AUGUST 4- Skate 38 miles to Kingsbury, NV SLEEP or whatever
Kingsbury AUGUST 5th - Skate 45 Miles to Pollock Pines, CA, SLEEP
August 6th- Skate 50 Miles to Loomis,CA.

Screw ups etc---- August 15 arrival in Loomis, CA

California:
Woodfords
Sacramento
Vallejo

Thank you

2009-05-17T15:49:00.005-04:00

I'd like to give props to Malakai Kingston at Silverfish for setting up a press release about my event on their front page, as well as Jack Smith from SkatersJournal, Brian over at Earthwing, Adam/Pablo over at Loaded and Steve Cave from http://skateboard.about.com/

Thanks guys!

Motion Slide Gloves

2009-05-15T17:46:00.009-04:00

Just got some slides gloves in from Motion. Light, strong, decent in comfort. Perfect for my trip. Best of all is that they only cost 16 bucks on the Motion site :D

Thanks Vinz!

New Route

2009-05-11T19:14:00.006-04:00

Maryland:
Annapolis
Odenton
Mt Airy

Pennsylvania:
Hanover
Rouzerville

Maryland:
Hancock
La Vale

West Virginia
Gormania
Grafton
Ellenboro

Ohio:
Athens
Chillicothe
Blanchester
Oxford

Indiana:
Greensburg
Bloomington
Sullivan

Illinois:
Effingham
Greenville

Missouri:
Washington
Jefferson City
Camdenton
Weaubleau

Kansas
Ft Scott
Yates Center
El Dorado
Colwich
Pratt
Greensburg
Plains
Elkhart

New Mexico
Clayton
Springer
Eagle Nest
Taos

Colorado
Antonito

New Mexico
Chama

Colorado
Pagosa Springs
Durango
Dolores

Utah
Cedar City

Nevada
Austin
Fallon

California:
Woodfords
Sacramento
Vallejo
San Francisco

Some Trip Changes!

2009-05-08T16:01:00.003-04:00

Sooo...

Looks like this is going to be done SOLO. Robert Springs and Christian Cupp have jumped ship. I'm not getting into the details but the other dude just emailed me telling me he/his friend dont have enough $. Life happens.

I asked him to ship back the sponsor stuff (Randal Trucks) and I had to tell Longboard Larry (who built the kid a deck) the news...LBL was incredibly understanding and will hold the deck as a backup longboard for me.

I talked to Malakai from Silverfish and he said something awesome... "problem with accomplishing great things is finding great people". Probably the best quote i've heard in my life so far.

So its still on for May 20. Everything stays the same, its just not a world record attempt anymore. Im going solo. Unless Bustin lets me hop on with them for their skate.

Rogers Bros Shoe Soles

2009-05-07T14:33:00.003-04:00

We will be pushing a ton, so our shoes will be taking a good amount of abuse. The good folks at Rogers Bros have sent us some of their awesome Brake Soles so that our shoes can hold up much longer. Thanks guys!

News from Guinness

2009-05-05T06:40:00.000-04:00

AGREEMENT FORM RECEIVED: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Dear Mr Serge Berig,
We are glad to inform you that your record application has been transferred to our internal system. As a result of this, we are sending to you the Agreement Regarding Record Attempts together with a document called General Information on Record Breaking, which will give you an overview of the process.
The next step is to complete the Agreement Regarding Record Attempts with your CLAIM ID in the appropriate field, sign it and send it to us XXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Once we have received this, we will begin to assess your application and enter into correspondence with you. We hope to give you an answer within 4 to 6 weeks, but will endeavour to respond as soon as possible. PLEASE DO NOT SEND ANYTHING FURTHER AT THIS POINT. Once we have considered your record suggestion, we will contact you with our decision. In case of success, we will send to you the current world record, the guidelines you must follow and details of the evidence you must compile.
Thank you for contacting Guinness World Records.
Best regardsRecords Management TeamGuinness World Records
If you should require further information, do not reply to this email, but please visit our website and login to the member area (www.guinnessworldrecords.com/register/login.aspx).
We will only be able to reply to enquiries regarding any of your pending claims if you have sent us the Agreement Regarding Record Attempt by fax or post.

Kick Push Cure

2009-05-02T21:48:00.003-04:00

I'd like to announce that Mark Dalmacio from KickPushCure, plans to join our skate when we get to Idaho. The group looks forward to skating with Mark, who has skated long distance collecting donations in the fight against Crohn's disease.

Check out Marks KickPushCure page to find out more about him and his latest endeavour.

Some News Coverage from College Newspaper

2009-04-30T23:39:00.010-04:00

The Lamron, a local student run newspaper on my college campus (SUNY Geneseo) has published the following article about the event:

Article Link

To clarify about the world record thing, this will be the longest group skate across a continent attempted so far (actual skate, without using cars etc). I have contacted guinness to make it more official, still waiting on a reply.

Abec 11 Stickers!

2009-04-23T20:45:00.001-04:00

Thanks to Abec 11/Chris Chaput for sending us these stickers, they will be going up everywhere we can stick them (legally) all over America :)

Bearings for the Trip

2009-04-20T14:38:00.012-04:00

I would like to give a big thanks to Bones for supplying us with some much needed bearings and shirts for the trip. The team looks forward to representing Bones by wearing the shirts and rolling on the sweet bearings for the 3000 mile long journey :)

Sticker on the Comet FSM

Trucks/Wheels We Will be Riding On

2009-04-15T18:40:00.004-04:00

Our team will be riding exclusively on Randal Speed Trucks. Made in the USA, these trucks can handle thousands of miles of skating with ease. I would like to thank Randal not only for providing us with 42* trucks, but also for donating to the American Breast Cancer Foundation, both for our skate and through their pink truck program. Special thanks to Breamo at Randal for all his support :)

As for the wheels, I would like to thank ABEC 11 for providing us with flywheels for the skate, along with graciously helping us achieve our fundraising goal by donating to the ABCF. Thanks Mr. Chaput!

Decks We Will Be Using for the Trip

2009-04-13T13:47:00.026-04:00

Decks Being Used for the Trip: We need something ultra low that could fit ~83mm wheels so our team will be going with the LBL Pusher. The deck has stood the test of time with many riders and can handle thousands of miles of wear and tear. I would like to thank Longbord Larry for providing our team with the LBL Pusher. Below is Robert Thompsons LBL Pusher, simply awesome:

I'd also like to mention that for the past few weeks I have been riding on the Comet FSM nonstop. The rocker (like a reverse arc) the deck provides makes it a blast to push on, even on hardish wheels. Its a really fun deck for standup slides etc...

Outdoor Research Compression Sacks

2009-04-13T12:04:00.008-04:00

I'd like to thank Outdoor Research for providing us w/ a set of their AirPurge Dry Compression Sacks. These waterproof sacks are breathable and will keep clothing moisture free, which is exactly what we needed! Not to mention they look really cool :)

http://www.outdoorresearch.com/site/browse/Storage%20Systems/Compression%20Sacks.html

I'm gonna go ahead and admit it took me half an hour to figure out how to close the thing haha, my fault though, I didn't bother reading the instructions (my downfall as always). These sacks are an extremely simple (yet high tech) and efficient method for packing clothes etc...

Route

2009-04-10T19:12:00.003-04:00

Poster/Trip Locations

2009-04-09T20:44:00.000-04:00

Latest Poster/Sponsors:

Here is a rough estimate of our trip schedule

Virginia:
Richmond (May 21st)
Ruckersville (May 22nd)
Harrisonburg (May 23rd)

West Virginia:
Brandywine (May 24th)
Elkins (May 25th)
Belington (May 26th)
Cameron (May 27th)
Bethlehem (May 28th)

Ohio:
Massillon (May 30)
Ashland (May 31st)
Shiloh (June 1st)
Gilboa (June 2nd)
Ottawa (June 2nd)

Indiana:
Fort Wayne (June 3rd)
Warsaw (June 4th)
Illinois:Joliet (June 7th)

Iowa:
Cedar Rapids (June 12)
Sioux City (June 18th)

Nebraska:
O'Neill (June 20)
Atkinson (June 21)
Ainsworth (June 22)
Rushville (June 25th)
Chadron (June 26th)
Crawford (June 27th)

Wyoming:
Lusk (June 28th)
Douglas (June 29th)
Glenrock (June 30th)
Casper (July 1st)
Shoshoni (July 3rd)
Dubois (July 5th)

Idaho:
Ashton (July 9th)
St Anthony (July 10th)
Rexburg (July 10th)
Kuna (July 18th)
Nampa (July 19th)

Oregon:
Burns (July 23rd)
Bend (July 26th)
Newport (July 30th)