Learning to Wait; Ultra Skate VI

No heatlamp-warmed boards here. The crew at Longboard Larry getting to work on the very Walkabout I am skating.

I don't like to wait. I'm not alone. The proof can be found everywhere: fast food, drive-thrus, free overnight shipping, next day air (hello Amazon Prime), lose weight instantly, feel better today, one-stop-shopping. We want what we want as long as it's now.

The skateboarding world always seemed the same: pick the board you want from these models and off it comes. Your Tony Hawk or Lance Mountain or Rob Roskopp or Tony Alva was shipping out just like anyone else's. Running shoes and gear are the same.

The world of longboarding, and in particular long distance pumping is a different world, with different rules and a vastly different time table. It's the difference between said drive-thru and a meal at the nicest restaurant around--you slow down and you wait.

There are a number of "guys" making great longboards ("guys" in that you are often dealing with the individual making the board--no go between, no customer service, but you correspond with the person making and shaping your board). Subsonic Skateboards, Galac, and Roe Racing are among the best out there when it comes to long distance pumping. Another "guy" and company working among the best is Longboard Larry.

Any of these companies start making your board when you order it. And you wait. It can take a couple weeks if business is slow, to a month or more if they are jamming. Landy was on the stealth mode when he ordered his first board from Subsonic, didn't tell any of our running crew until his board was about to show up.

And the wait is worth it. When I slapped trucks, risers/wedges, and wheels on my LBL Walkabout when it arrived, it all clicked. Sometimes, waiting is worth it.

This week has been a lot about waiting. Waiting for Ultra Skate VI. Staying off the board, running and working out just a little to stay loose, trying to catch up on rest. Tapering in runner's terms. Why? Starting Friday night, we'll try to see how many miles we can skate in 24 hours. We've worked on routes, on gear, we've gotten riding in. So tomorrow night, we get the show roadbound and see what happens. Look for a report after the weekend.

So how do I feel about waiting around this week for Ultra Skate? About like this...