Skating in Circles

Calleigh Little is, put simply, an adventurer. Most recently, she completed the Appalachian Trail, but her resume of trek related challenges does not end there; she’s also a “thru-skater”. Thru-skating is basically backpacking on a skateboard. Her adventures range from crossing state lines, crossing an entire country, riding down coastlines, and everything in between. We got to talk a lot about what these adventures look like and what compels individuals to even do them in the first place. Calleigh also shared what’s next on her calendar, although, full disclosure, part of that adventure has unfortunately been cut short because tornadoes aren’t skateable. She has plans for Miami Ultra skate though. If you are going and listening to this before the event, best of luck to you! If you are hearing this after, you will indeed have an interesting perspective on this episode.Instagram:@fossils.for.all@skating.in.circles.podcast

In this episode of Skating in Circles, we hear from Shreddie Mercury – an individual who has a lot going on right now. We talk about what it’s like to ride a skateboard 50 miles without pushing, how it feels to move across the country at a young age, the origins of skateboarding, what inspired him to become a skateboard instructor, and all things in between. Shreddie is a person with whom I imagine almost everyone finds easy to chat. I look forward to skating with him in the future, and you should, too! He can probably even teach us a thing or two. As always, thank you for listening.Links:School of ShredAthletic Brewing CompanyThe DC wheelsInstagram:@shreddie_mercury_@skating.in.circles.podcast

We talk a lot about community on this podcast - what it means to be a part of one, how to contribute to your own, the things that keep them healthy. I think one of the most important parts of a community is having a safe space to gather. Insanity Boardshop in San Antonio is one such place. Captained by Ehren Mohammadi, the shop has been around for over 10 years now and supported various skate events in that time. Ehren is also planning out a big event for the 2024 Distance skateboarding calendar. It is a 3 day event in his local area of San Antonio consisting of about 160 miles. It’s shaping up to be quite the event.Insanity Boardshop:https://www.insanitybs.com/Instagram:@insanitybs@ehren_skate@skating.in.circles.podcast

This episode’s guest is one of the kindest people I know. Angel has been in the competitive distance skateboard scene for over 8 years and has recently been kicking it up a notch in preparation for the 2024 Miami Ultra skate. He had a lot to share around his training practices as well as some insight into the forces that drive him to compete. It goes without saying that we are not health experts or trained in medicine in any way, however, we do have quite a bit of experience when it comes to riding skateboards for long periods of time. So that is primarily where all of this comes from. Everyone is encouraged to do their own research and discuss these things with the larger community.  He also has a pair of wonderful cats who you will probably hear throughout the recording.Music RecommendationsEL1011TransitionsNew Years EveAnd So I Watch You From AfarAll Hail Bright FuturesThe Endless ShimmeringBear Cubbin’Girls With Fun HaircutsInstagram@thedudewiththelute@skating.in.circles.podcast

Something we’ve discussed a lot on the show is the role that events play in developing a community. Put simply, the more events we have, the better. But it’s really not that simple. Scott Ziegler is the event organizer for Skate Camp. Skate Camp is a three day long event that takes place in and around Titusville, FL. Scott has big plans for this year, including a fully sanctioned marathon race that is sure to attract some of the scene’s most competitive riders. It’s important to know, however, that Skate Camp is for everyone; the marathon is really the only competitive component. It’s mostly about riding skateboards, being in nature, and around good friends. When it comes to running events, Scott likes to stick to a few main principles: “low-cost, high value” and “quality over quantity” being two of them .We go in depth on what Skate Camp is and what can be expected this time around. It seems like a truly one-of-kind experience. In addition to all of this, we also got to talking about the IDSA and the many things that currently being done, as well as the many things that can still be done. If you’re interested in what happens at the IDSA, or are interested in helping out yourself, be sure to listen through to the end.Links:Skate Camp page: https://www.facebook.com/events/771929597927338Thane Travel page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087931541783IDSA website: https://theidsa.org/Skate racks on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/market/skateboard_rackInstagram:@theidsa@szeig@skating.in.circles.podcast

Many will probably be familiar with today’s guest. Adam is great because he’s a super humble athlete who has put a lot of his own resources into distance skateboarding. You can always expect a genuine conversation when speaking with him because he has no hidden agenda. He is truly a man of science… and jazz (which, it turns out, is a science of its own). We talk a lot about some of the contributions he’s made, especially recently with the new Pantheon Karma wheel, as well as general distance skate talk. No surprise, you can expect to hear Ultra skate reflections, but also much more. Adam has an excellent vision for what the future of distance skateboarding could look like and some of the things we can all be doing to get there.Blueridge Longboard Project@blueridgeprojecthttps://www.youtube.com/BlueridgeLongboardProjecthttps://www.brproject.org/@skating.in.circles.podcast

When I started this podcast, I knew I wanted to bring on passionate individuals who had spent a lot of time and energy on distance skateboarding. Gavin Conti is definitely one of those people. Gavin has been skateboarding for a while and has a great perspective on what it takes to overcome the challenges distance skateboarders face. We discuss the mental side of Ultraskate, Gavin’s skateboard collection, a little bit of gear talk, as well as an event happening in November called Skate Camp, and a handful of other things. This episode is a bit longer than the previous ones.Instagram:@gconti13@skating.in.circles.podcast

Sitting down to talk with today’s guest was a pretty refreshing experience. Jeremiah Pascua is an ultra distance skateboarder from southern California who has been at it for about 10 years. In this episode, we talk about what got him into skating, what some of his achievements are, and what the future holds for him. Listening back to this I found a lot of what he had to say to be pretty inspiring and I hope you do, too. As always, thank you for joining us.Instagram@jeremiahloveslife@skating.in.circles.podcastYoutubehttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcooa0FLT0AJaE5VHo_265g

Chatting with Earl Stout III about some of the exciting things going on in the Philadelphia area. We got to talking about an event he is throwing called the Truekill, which will be taking place this September. Earl is a great dude who has been at it for while so it was truly an honor to have him on the show.Truekill:https://www.facebook.com/events/6283660841742272Instagram:@socialpush.philly@push2survive@organic_hogwash@livelikebrent@wanderdust.starlust@broad_street_bomb

Talking with Joe Burnham from Kansas City, Missouri about his local skate scene and all the fun stuff the Burning Spider Stoke Community (BSSC) has been getting up to. Joe is full of stoke and was a real joy to have on the show. He has been organizing skate meet ups for almost 10 years and his experience shows. People like him truly understand the core of what skateboarding is all about.Burning Spider website:https://www.burningspiderstokecompany.com/Instagram:@burningspiderstokecompany@skating.in.circles.podcast