A mash-up of skateboarding and paddleboarding.
Three years ago, Andy Andras' once-fiery passion as a competitive distance skater was fading. He had been competing in — and winning — plenty of “push” races for years. He had already snagged the Guinness World Record for the farthest distance traveled on a skateboard in 24 hours — cruising a whopping 261.8 miles. And he continued to beat his own record; his personal best stands at 309 miles on a longboard, though this feat remains uncertified by Guinness and has been surpassed by two other athletes.
“From there, it was kind of like, there’s just no more to give,” says Andras. “I always say Ultraskate — skateboarding for 24 hours takes a chunk of your soul every time you do it. After so many years of doing it, it was like, ‘I don’t want the suffering in me anymore.’”
As the creator of the annual 24-Hour Ultraskate event in Miami, Andras had seen an uptick in athletes using poles and paddles to push their skateboards. Their feet, the traditional propellers, sat steady on the decks. “It always kind of struck me — it was always interesting,” he says, though he had never tried the method himself. In that moment of waning love, his friend Don Sandusky reached out with an offering: Try pushing with a skate pole created by his brand, SUPSKATE.
It was an instant match. “[When] Donnie put a paddle in my hand and I started competing with that, it reignited my fire,” says Andras. “I was like, ‘I’m going to train this now. I’m going to get the world record in the poling.’”
And that he did. Today, Andras holds the record for the farthest distance traveled on a skateboard in 24 hours — specifically in the discipline of skate poling, or SUP skateboarding — at 274 miles. He also carries the record for skating the fastest marathon using a pole, finishing the distance in one hour and 51 minutes, he says. Last summer, Andras and three other skaters relay-raced (with the help of poles) from Williamsburg, Virginia, to Newport, Oregon, in just 17 and a half days. It’s the fastest known time for the route, surpassing the previous PR of 21 days. “Nobody died, which is the best part,” Andras jokes.
The rest of the skate poling community may not be setting mind-blowing records like Andras, but the tool allows skaters to remain athletes at any age. Take Sandusky, who helped make skate poles mainstream after he appeared on “Shark Tank” in 2013 with Hamboards, he and his cousin’s “super bitchin’ skateboard” company that produces longboards and the SUPSKATE poles. The former sports equipment product engineer had played sports his whole life. “But I never realized I had an endurance athlete inside my body until I was 54 years old and I tried [SUP skateboarding],” he says. “I can tell you right now, I'll look my mother in the face and say, ‘You know what, I am actually an endurance athlete, and I never could have done that without this.’ And I’m just one guy.”
Take a look at a recent 24-Hour Ultraskate event, and you’ll see plenty of men in their 40s, 50s, and 60s with “dad bods,” says Sandusky. “Guys like me in their 50s still have a little piss left, and we like to compete, especially in endurance types of things,” he explains. “But we can't run, we can't do a triathlon, we can't physically do it. And we couldn't skate around either by pushing on our feet. But man, you get this [pole] in our hands — it's transformed many people's view of themselves.”
I never realized I had an endurance athlete inside my body until I was 54 years old and I tried [SUP skateboarding].
The patented poles are available in two flexibilities and three adjustable lengths to ensure a perfect grip and ease of use while climbing up or soaring down hills. They all taper toward the rubber tip, allowing for energy to be smoothly loaded and released, says Sandusky. For the serious skateboarders, SUPSKATE also offers custom, cut-to-length poles, many of which Sandusky churns out for competitors at Ultraskate events.
Skating with a pole is a lot like paddleboarding. You can get into a rhythm, maintaining the same stroke rate, though you’ll likely hit slower speeds. (Your lower body is generally more powerful than your upper body.) It’s low-impact, saving your joints from the usual repetitive stomp on the ground. There’s more stability and control, minimizing any worries of losing your balance as you push. And it trains your upper body without the need for traditional gym equipment; Sandusky says the sport has strengthened his shoulders, pecs, back, and core. “It really forces you to exercise,” he adds. “For me, I feel exactly the same after going skate poling as I do if I'm doing a rowing machine. But a rowing machine, it bores me to tears.”
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Along with keeping people fit in their middle age and beyond, skate poles can help young folks get active in the first place. For example, a child can stand on a skateboard holding one end of the pole while their parent pushes them along the pavement with the other end, says Sandusky. When the kid’s ready to fly solo, the parent can let go of their pole end and coach them through their strokes.
“Learning to ride a bike is an indisputable rite of passage for most kids, in America at least,” he explains. “Most kids have at least tried to skateboard, but most of them can't do it. You know, it's one and done. This [pole] right here is going to keep kids riding skateboards.” And that opens a gateway for them to confidently explore other outdoor recreational activities, whether it be snowboarding, waterskiing, or windsurfing, he adds.
Regardless of age, ability, or experience, Sandusky hopes SUPSKATE’s poles help people realize they’re capable of participating in sports — and they shouldn’t let fear keep them out of the game. “If you try this, there's a good chance you're really going to have some fun. I've created opportunities for people to get perma-grin: They don't stop smiling,” says Sandusky. “People can do it, all ages, all body shapes, even people who have prosthetic limbs can do this. Sports are invented by humans for humans. You can do these things, and you should try if you want to.”
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Photo Credit: SUPSKATE