Skateboarder's Journal

2009 Broadway Bomb

BROADWAY BOMB - You Could Die! Special Report by Travis Davenport

Broadway in New York City may be the most famous and busiest street in the world!? It is jammed packed with traffic and pedestrians and runs through many major landmarks in the city including Columbia University, Columbus Circle, Times Square, Union Square, SOHO, China Town, the Financial District, and finally that Famous Bull Statue of Meryll Lynch; which happens to serve as our finish line. The race is over 8 miles long and begins at 116th and Riverside each year.


For almost a decade, the race has been growing and now on Oct 10th, 2009, the race exceeded 300 racers. That's a lot of skaters to inject into Broadway at high noon on a saturday. Our famous slogan could not be more true -You Could Die- luckily no one has yet. But this is a completely unsanctioned race, no registration, no permits, full blown NYC traffic and thousands of completely oblivious pedestrians and tourists. Sounds like fun......and what a challenge!

Traffic surfing, a discipline almost exclusive to NYC and larger cities, is an acquired skill which combines classic lines with obstacles you cant find anywhere else. At 20+MPH, the know-how to make the right decision as you approach a red light or a taxi with a door swinging open can leave you exhilarated or lying in the street. While 10 or 30 skaters is more than enough to stop traffic and burn a red light, the front of the pack can not rely on strength in numbers. That's why a local NYC skater is the only one who will ever win this race (may that be a challenge to the world!). After you learn the patterns of the city, how drivers think, and how pedestrians react the run down Broadway gets more manageable and less terrifying.

The race is kept underground and rarely is information about location, time and date published. This event mostly happens through word of mouth and via text. I think speaks volumes about the longboard scene and its explosion into NYC! Anyone is welcome to come experience what's going on in the city with us, it sure is an exciting time. The local companies like Bustin Boards, Earthwing and Original Skateboards are growing like crazy to keep up with the demand of so many new stoked skaters. Longboarding NYC is unstoppable!

Mark Schaparow, a local tattoo artist and Bustin team rider, is the winner of the Broadway Bomb 2009, and officially the fastest man in New York City!

I cant wait for next year!

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