Smorgasboarder_11_May-2012

BOARDS WITH WHEELS
M.I.Y.
(MAKE IT YOURSELF!)
31-year old Todd Berecz recently dropped us a line and gave
us a look back to his childhood. He’s fortunate enough to still
have a board made by his dad when he was only 15, and he
was kind enough to share the story with us.
Inspired by a Ren Noll cruiser longboard, Todd’s dad got the
widest piece of maple he could from the hardware store.
“He shaped it using a electric planer, measured out
the truck space, drilled some holes and sanded it back
smooth so we could glass it up. My dad is great and
longtime friends with Jim Lucas of Force 9 Surfboards so
we gave it to him to glass.”
“We didn’t want to use clear grip tape, ’cause it doesn’t
look natural. We wanted to keep it looking like a malibu
longboard, so Jim suggested pouring raw sugar on the deck,
then resin over the top to give it grip. It worked a treat.”
“I used to bomb hills in the Sutherland shire areas, then
when my parents moved to Nelson Bay near Newcastle, I’d
bomb hills there. My favorite hill was to start at Gan Gan
Lookout, down Lily Hill Road, onto Stockton Steet then onto
Government Road all the way down to the Marine.
Todd says the board is still seeing plenty use, either by
him, or his stepdaughter.
“It’s great to see I’ve passed the love of longboard
skateboarding to my girls.”
MAIN: Todd showing his stuff
at Glenbrook Skate Park.
TOP: Handmade and signed. MIDDLE:
Getting some footage with a nosecam
ABOVE: The next generation hops on board
ARBOR COMP!
Want some cool Arbor gear in the form of a skateboard, t-shirt and even some fame in an Arbor ad? Last chance to send us some photos of you
showing your skating skills! Send submissions to competitions@smorgasboarder.com.au by June 1, 2012. www.arborcollective.com
may/jun 2012
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