The Ian Tilmann Lake Lousia State Park 5k and 10k Longboard Races in Coping Block Skateboarding Magazine!

What a great day to be out at Lake Louisa State Park for a fun filled day of skateboarding races!

If I can just find the dang place! Geez!

 This GPS system in my phone has taken me to two different neighborhoods that were obviously not the State Park, and both times said cheerfully, "You have arrived at your destination".

NO I HAVEN'T! I replied both times! Doh! Technology, don't depend on it!

How can you give the same input to a GPS system and get two wrong outputs?...calculating.

I had to go old school and break out the hard copy map and reference it with a Post Man, and a Circle K employee whom lives in the area.

Yep, off to a great start and once I find the locale, I still have to jet over to Tampa to cover another skateboarding event before it ends!

"I was way off track" I thought to myself, as I passed about nine dudes that looked like the evil version of the "Duck Dynasty crew",

dragging a huge dead hog out of the woods. They looked at me like they'd seen a ghost, and I made sure not to stop so I wouldn't become a ghost.

Seventeen miles and two left turns later, I finally spot the entrance to the State Park.

Myself and two other car loads are directed to park our vehicles over to the side as the 10K Racers are approaching.

Boom! Timing is everything! I park my vehicle as instructed and jump out of my car with camera in hand, waiting for the participants to show themselves.

Whoa, the skaters don't even look tired as they approach the turn around point underneath this blistering Florida Sun.

As the skaters roll by I grab as many images as possible.

As the last skaters make their way back into Lake Louisa State Park, those of us who have been instructed to park to the side are now being told by the park ranger that we will be allowed into the park in a few minutes.

Well that worked out, I got the pics I wanted at the turn around anyway.

This distance race is taking place in Lake County Florida, where the second highest elevations exist in the state, the highest elevation is in Walton county, the city of Lakewood at three hunderd and forty five feet above sea level in the Florida Panhandle.

For the Peninsula portion of the state of Florida, the city of Clermont and Astatula have the most hills with Sugar Loaf Mountain being the second highest point in the state at

three hundred and fifteen feet above sea level. Florida isn't flat after all!

The State Park's paved trail has some small grade incline and declines, but nothing serious for these longtime competitors.

As the group of cars I'm boxed in with finally reach the interior parking lot, I'm able to quickly grab a spot and make my way over to the area where a huge crowd of spectators,

and participants have gathered for the timed results.  I'm introduced over the sound system by Morgan Monroe of the Hollywood Summit show, "Coping Block Skate Mag is in the house"!

There are people everywhere and if this is a sign of things to come, then Longboarding in Florida is going to become even bigger than it is now!

The first thing I noticed is the amount of south Florida families that have made the trip to support their family and friends, also crews from north Florida including the Gainesville based "ECHO" Longboarding crew.

There are skaters from Miami to New York, from the northwest United States and Canada all at this Ian Tilmann Foundation and ISDA sanctioned Longboarding event.

There are two races at this event a 10k and a 5K, a slalom clinic by Keith Hollien, a Longboard dance contest, and a world record breaking attempt for riding on one wheel.

In my day we'd call it a one wheel wheelie! There are some familiar faces in the crowd including JORDI of Jords Boards out of south Florida and Cami Best of Bustin Boards out of New York city.

Look for Cami's interview in Coping Block Skateboarding Magazine real soon!

The 10k Race has already been run and now the 5k participants are lining up after about a forty five minute break and re-hydration.

And their off!

When all the skateboarders have crossed the finish line, it is announced that only the top ten skaters actually made the correct turn around.

So all the other skaters will have to race again to qualify for prizes or be disqualified. Skaters quickly agreed to race again and when I look at the stamina required to push a 10k, a 5k, and then another 5k, I'm impressed.

No matter what kind of skateboarding you do, if you want to be the best, or get good at it you're going to have to practice frequently to raise your skill level.

Skating an empty pool all day takes as much stamina as pushing does, you must take care of your body and mind and stay hydrated when skateboarding.

Longboarding has come a long way in this state and the popularity of the sport has rocketed to the top of skateboarding.

If you don't think so, ask a shop owner how many Longboards they sell verses street decks.

                          There's more to come on this event! Don't forget to visit www.copingblock.com

http://copingblock.wix.com/cleoconey

The Iron Pineapple Outlaw Longboard Race in Coping Block Skateboarding Magazine!

By Cleo Coney Jr.


I got the call from Barry Tilmann of the Tilmann Foundation to join him on a trip to south Florida to cover the Iron Pineapple. He told me that one of his team riders was hosting this annual event.

                                                             The Iron Pineapple

This was going to be great because I had just finished a story on the growth of Team Pain skate parks on the west coast of Florida, and now I'd get a fresh story on the east coast of Florida all in one day.

     Traveling across the thickest part of the state quickly reminds you of the big difference between the coastal cities with beach life, and the open pastures filled with cattle and orange groves in the heartland of Florida. During the trip we saw deer, wild turkeys, and plenty of great bass and pan fish producing canals and ponds.  My Verizon Droid's GPS application kept us on the quickest path to Fort Pierce and it seemed like we arrived just as most of the sign up had been completed.

                                         Longboards littered the grounds like confetti

As I made my rounds to the different clusters of skaters one thing quickly became clear, they were all freezing cold! It was still early in the day and you have to remember two things, Florida is seldom cold and this is one of the coldest weeks we've had this year. Temperatures were in the low forties overnight and it was only in the fifties when we arrived. Not a cloud in the sky and the wind was whipping up the chill that we Florida types seldom embrace.

                                                   The result of cold air in Florida.

                                Juan Jaiman, Tyler Balcer, Pierce Deibele, & Chris Freeman


All around skateboarders were doing their best to stay warm by pushing around the parking lot, and some were doing power slides to keep their muscles active in this briskness that enveloped us all.  While this was going on an energetic Barry Tilmann gathered skaters to together to view a proposed trail for a huge push event to be held later this year. Thumbs up and positive feed back continued to expand Barry's already stretched smile.

                                             Just sliding to keep warm and killing time.
                                           

                                         Father and son, Cheyenne and Rene' Lecour.

                                 Dreggs rider Johnny Fried about to catch some air.

I took noticed of what brands of decks, wheels, and trucks were all present and I'd have to say that Bustin Boards dominated this large group of skaters.
Bustin really has made an impressive push in south Florida. There were skaters on Rayne, Dreggs, Loaded, Sector 9, Landyachtz and other lesser known companies decks, but again Bustin had the most feet on boards. Word got out that the U-HAUL vehicle would be arriving shortly to carry this large group of skaters to the trail in several group pick ups.

                                                         First load of skaters.

                                                           The Tequesta crew.
                                                 

                                    Nikki Wulf she's been longboarding for three years.


I made my way out of the park and down the road to the trail via Barry's Mustang that featured one of the loudest exhausts in a car I've ever ridden in. You wouldn't expect Barry to be a muscle car type on looks alone, but he likes that gas pedal for sure.

                                         Another skate crew getting ready to roll.

                                With a trunk full of go to options he makes a selection.
                                                 

                                    This dad is getting his son's board ready to go.

                                             Rachel Lezcano and Ivanna Incer.

                                        All aluminum longboard decks by Tequesta.



The races this day would consist of a three and an eleven mile run. Skaters were trucked to the starting line of the three mile and then would skate back to home base to complete this leg. An hour later they would start the eleven mile run from home base and then return to the start to complete the eleven mile run.
I've participated in many vertical skateboarding contests with three runs, or a jam session, but this is very different. This is skater verses the elements plus the other skaters. "What kind of shape are you in?",  I began to ask myself as if I were ready to join these longboarders. This was going to be tough because the they would all skate into the wind on the return leg! I figured I better get ready for the returning skaters by drinking one of the bottled waters myself.

                                         

                                                One of many Bustin Board's on the scene.

                               Brett and his girlfriend kept everything running smooth.

                                                    Getting ready to roll out.

                                     A few last minute stretches at the starting line.

                                         

                                            The beginning of the eleven mile run.

The men's division and the ladies division would be run simultaneously and timed individually upon their crossing the finish line. The crowd was huge for a day like this with so much to do in Florida. Longboarding seemed to bring more families out together than I'm used to seeing in other forms of skateboarding competitions. The energy was pumping, and the excitement to see ninety nine percent of the skaters finish the race they entered was demonstrated by the clapping and cheers heard from the families that attended and the skaters that had already finished. I'm stoked!

                               Skaters quickly separated as they paced themselves.

                                      Skaters and spectators celebrated run ends.

                                                          Professional chilling.

                             Jordi Ensign who's forty plus finishing the eleven mile run!

The most impressive thing I witnessed during this race was that the men's winner in the three mile race, was also the winner in the eleven mile race! Juan Molina of Califlorida skateboards kicked butt! The next most impressive thing I witnessed was the placing of Robert Erisman who's only been longboarding for two years. He finished second and third respectively in both races, and he's not sponsored by any company at all. Here's the chance for a company to step up and get their foot print in Florida Longboarding and grab this skater.

                                                 The men's top three finishers.

                                                 The ladies top three finishers.

                                                       All division top placers.
                                             

                                                Overall winner Juan Molina.

The Iron Pineapple Run was a great deal of fun and I look forward to the next Florida Longboarding event!

Coping Block Skateboarding Magazine

http://copingblock.wix.com/cleoconey