The growth in adults taking to the streets on skateboards has been growing for the last decade.
In 2006, USA Today sarcastically began an article on the subject with, “”Hey, Dad, can I borrow your skateboard tonight?”. The 2006 article reports on the growing popularity of skateboarding and specifically the role of longboarding.
More recently, in May 2012 the New York Times featured the Bergen County Bombers, a collection of longboarders founded by a middle-aged Bergen County resident who still loves to ride — and prefers some company; the founder Tom Barnhart of Cresskill, N.J has a day job as a mortgage broker when he is not longboarding. The group is not an ageist organization, and their Facebook page is open to all who love the longboarding
Longboards are, as the name implies, long skateboards. Rather than a souped muscle car, they are more the Lincoln or Cadillac. The longboards are not designed for doing tricks or jumps, they are designed for a smooth ride, which fits those people who need to go to work on Monday morning, are responsible for mowing the lawn, or otherwise have important reasons to avoid a broken arm or fractured wrist.
Generations ago, helmets and wristguards were not part of the accessories that came along with the purchase of a skateboard. Today, the additional safety gear and the stability of the longboard make skateboarding accessible once more to those who just want to go out for a ride.
The neighborhoods of Franklin Lakes, Oakland, and Wyckoff offer some sublime streets for longboarding, as some of the accompanying videos show; there is also a video of the Bergen County Bombers in an undisclosed location.
While all the skateboarders, young and old, share a timeless passion for the longboard ride, it’s funny listening to the music chosen for each video.