First of all, there is a clear difference between professional longboarding and the kind of longboarding one sees on campus. Professional longboarding will not be discussed in this article.
Professional Longboarder:
Campus Longboarder:
The question many people ask about longboarding is, why? Why would someone want to carry such a heavy wooden slab around all day when they can just walk? Or bike?
To answer this question, it is important to look at the benefits of longboarding.
1. Longboards use almost no energy going downhill. In a hilly campus like Georgia Tech, there’s lots of energy to be saved.
2. Longboards tend to be faster than walking. With some people concerned about getting from class to class in ten minutes, a longboard can make the difference between being late and being on time.
3. Longboards can be carried indoors. Imagine carrying a bicycle with you into classes…where does it go? No locks necessary either.
Another thing many people are interested in is safety. Longboards don’t have brakes, so what if someone runs into me? Remember that it is in the interest of all parties involved to avoid accidents. Longboarders are always on the lookout for a safe path through pedestrian traffic. In my experience, accidents only happen (pedestrian related accidents; pine cones and branches are another story for the longboarder) when people suddenly form a wall when there were no people before and the longboarder can’t stop in time. A more specific case of this would be when a person, oblivious to the world around them, decides to blindside a longboarder who is looking forward.
Most experienced longboarders already know to maintain a low speed in high-traffic areas so that they can instantly stop, but there is no solution to the latter case other than people not staring at their phones while walking erratically. I am already used to people using their phones and walking straight; in general, predictability is good. The longboarder should keep a straight line if possible so pedestrians know where he/she is going, and pedestrians should keep walking straight and let the longboarder route himself. If necessary a longboarder can exit the walkway onto the grass, but don’t count on this since it can be dangerous for the longboarder to do so especially with a backpack changing his/her weight distribution.
If you are interested in longboarding to class, know these things:
1. Longboarding is exponentially more efficient as there are fewer people on the walkways. It is best in the morning and later in the afternoon, and even more so on weekends.
2. Foot braking is a must. Simply drag the heel of your dominant foot on the ground (the one that you propel yourself with) to slow down. It is okay to do so in short intervals since it is more stable.
3. The faster you go, the bigger your turn radius will be. This seems obvious, but corners such as the ones on Tech Green can leave the inexperienced flung against the construction fences. Foot braking will help reduce speed and thus the turn radius—leave some room for error in case a pedestrian shows up in your planned path!
4. Speed wobble is highly dangerous—stay off “Freshman hill” and the steeper side of Tech Green unless you want to be flung off your longboard into the grass (if lucky) or the pavement (if not).
5. Try to let more experienced longboarders take initiative if you are about to crash. They will have better judgment about the situation, act accordingly to their actions and turn the other way.
6. Riding on rough surfaces can loosen the hardware, so make sure to tighten the bolts and screws periodically unless you like surprises which involve a great deal of pain and embarrassment.
Finally, longboards are very different from skateboards. They are longer, have wider wheelbases (more distance between the wheels) and safer in general — meant to serve as transportation rather than for tricks. Please do not skateboard around campus — all it takes is one small rock to cause serious damage due to the tiny wheels on skateboards, as well as the narrow stances skateboards force skaters into.
