Men Skate Through Athens Raising Money, en Route to D.C.
October 2005
The Athens NEWS
It's nearly 9 p.m. on a Wednesday evening when Adam Colton and Byron Levy glide down Court Street, their boards clacking over each crack in the sidewalk. They're roughly 400 miles from their destination, tired, dirty, and looking for a free movie or ale.
"We haven't seen a movie for two months," Colton said, his face half hidden by a curly brown beard that didn't exist at the start of his journey. That's because since August, he and friends have been traveling east from Oregon on their longboards (a type of board longer than typical skateboards by about 15 inches), raising money for charity.
Their journey has taken them through the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, across surprisingly not-flat Kansas and now into the green hills and red-brick streets of Athens--all in the name of the GreenSkate Laboratory (GSL).
GSL so far is a skate park built in one of the rougher areas of Washington, D.C. The park opened in July after volunteers constructed it from reused and recycled materials. Now, with Colton's help, the people behind GSL want to add a learning and arts center to the space.
"My dad thought I'd be crying after the first state," Colton said about the trek. Yet as he stood outside Casa Nueva, 4 W. State St., tears seemed far-fetched. Instead, he and Levy spoke with excited anticipation about the welcome party that awaits them in Springfield, Va., the $6,000 they've raised so far, and the friendly people they've met along the way.
"We're just trying to take it all in, man," Colton said.
Their journey began in late July when Colton and two of his friends--all in their early- to mid-20s--drove the aging school bus they had bought for $5,000 in southern Virginia to Newport, Ore. They reasoned that traveling east toward home would give them a "nicer goal."
The bright blue bus is painted on all sides with the group's sponsors (various skating companies) and Web site, who is adam colton. The words on the bus's back sum up the journey: "3 Friends, 3 Months, 3,000 Miles."
With white tape, they changed the "3 Friends" to "4" when Levy joined in Salt Lake City. He had grown tired of the corporate job he took immediately after graduating from the College of William and Mary in May, and stepped up to the cause.
He said he was glad he made the decision. Upon quitting his job, Levy said that taking the opportunity to raise money for the GSL benefits the kids who use the facility and himself, too. Under a mop of curly, blonde hair, Levy's blue eyes lit up when he spoke about what he's seen on the trip. He has met people in parts of the country he said he never would have seen otherwise, and in doing so has gotten to know the land better.
Levy's favorite place was Poudre River Canyon in Colorado, where, under uncontaminated skies, the group followed a winding river surrounded on both sides by canyon walls. Upon entering Missouri, however, Colton and Levy said they could smell the pollution.
Now, the group is back to three after one of the originators, Shayne Rivers, returned home in early October. Colton and Levy's third companion, slept on the bus as they explored Athens. "He only speaks 30 words a day," Levy said, because he misses his girlfriend.
To get by, they eat wherever they can find a place that will donate food. "Pizza Hut has been great. They haven't turned us down yet," Colton said. Nature has become their bathroom, and the bus--equipped with a television and electrical outlets--provides them with the basic necessities.
Early last Wednesdays, the guys left Chillicothe and skated down U.S. Rt. 50, with Levy driving the bus a few miles ahead. They've met scores of colorful characters in their two months on the road.
Stopped in Athens for the night, they remembered the woman out west who pulled a red wagon with barely any wheels, picking up food she'd find along the way. Colton said he offered her food when they met, but she turned him down for the peanut butter-and-jelly sandwich she'd found roadside.
There was also the man in Kansas. According to Colton, the man believes some people are born with microchips in their brains, and "one day his woke up." Through the microchip, the man said he could hear government officials communicating about him, and they chased him out of Arkansas, Missouri and finally into Kansas where he currently resides under a bridge.
"I wanted to stay with him, just to figure that out," Colton recalled.
However, Colton moved on, collecting a dollar here and there from individuals for the cause and enjoying the freedom he gained from skating, one push and glide at a time, across the United States.
Leaving Athens early Thursday morning, they began the 30-mile trip to Parkersburg, W.Va. From there, they will continue until Oct. 22, when family and friends will welcome them home, and they will present the fruits of the nomadic lives they've lived since July to the GreenSkate Laboratory.
To read more about their journey and the cause or to donate visit: who is adam colton or Green Skate Lab.
"We haven't seen a movie for two months," Colton said, his face half hidden by a curly brown beard that didn't exist at the start of his journey. That's because since August, he and friends have been traveling east from Oregon on their longboards (a type of board longer than typical skateboards by about 15 inches), raising money for charity.
Their journey has taken them through the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, across surprisingly not-flat Kansas and now into the green hills and red-brick streets of Athens--all in the name of the GreenSkate Laboratory (GSL).
GSL so far is a skate park built in one of the rougher areas of Washington, D.C. The park opened in July after volunteers constructed it from reused and recycled materials. Now, with Colton's help, the people behind GSL want to add a learning and arts center to the space.
"My dad thought I'd be crying after the first state," Colton said about the trek. Yet as he stood outside Casa Nueva, 4 W. State St., tears seemed far-fetched. Instead, he and Levy spoke with excited anticipation about the welcome party that awaits them in Springfield, Va., the $6,000 they've raised so far, and the friendly people they've met along the way.
"We're just trying to take it all in, man," Colton said.
Their journey began in late July when Colton and two of his friends--all in their early- to mid-20s--drove the aging school bus they had bought for $5,000 in southern Virginia to Newport, Ore. They reasoned that traveling east toward home would give them a "nicer goal."
The bright blue bus is painted on all sides with the group's sponsors (various skating companies) and Web site, who is adam colton. The words on the bus's back sum up the journey: "3 Friends, 3 Months, 3,000 Miles."
With white tape, they changed the "3 Friends" to "4" when Levy joined in Salt Lake City. He had grown tired of the corporate job he took immediately after graduating from the College of William and Mary in May, and stepped up to the cause.
He said he was glad he made the decision. Upon quitting his job, Levy said that taking the opportunity to raise money for the GSL benefits the kids who use the facility and himself, too. Under a mop of curly, blonde hair, Levy's blue eyes lit up when he spoke about what he's seen on the trip. He has met people in parts of the country he said he never would have seen otherwise, and in doing so has gotten to know the land better.
Levy's favorite place was Poudre River Canyon in Colorado, where, under uncontaminated skies, the group followed a winding river surrounded on both sides by canyon walls. Upon entering Missouri, however, Colton and Levy said they could smell the pollution.
Now, the group is back to three after one of the originators, Shayne Rivers, returned home in early October. Colton and Levy's third companion, slept on the bus as they explored Athens. "He only speaks 30 words a day," Levy said, because he misses his girlfriend.
To get by, they eat wherever they can find a place that will donate food. "Pizza Hut has been great. They haven't turned us down yet," Colton said. Nature has become their bathroom, and the bus--equipped with a television and electrical outlets--provides them with the basic necessities.
Early last Wednesdays, the guys left Chillicothe and skated down U.S. Rt. 50, with Levy driving the bus a few miles ahead. They've met scores of colorful characters in their two months on the road.
Stopped in Athens for the night, they remembered the woman out west who pulled a red wagon with barely any wheels, picking up food she'd find along the way. Colton said he offered her food when they met, but she turned him down for the peanut butter-and-jelly sandwich she'd found roadside.
There was also the man in Kansas. According to Colton, the man believes some people are born with microchips in their brains, and "one day his woke up." Through the microchip, the man said he could hear government officials communicating about him, and they chased him out of Arkansas, Missouri and finally into Kansas where he currently resides under a bridge.
"I wanted to stay with him, just to figure that out," Colton recalled.
However, Colton moved on, collecting a dollar here and there from individuals for the cause and enjoying the freedom he gained from skating, one push and glide at a time, across the United States.
Leaving Athens early Thursday morning, they began the 30-mile trip to Parkersburg, W.Va. From there, they will continue until Oct. 22, when family and friends will welcome them home, and they will present the fruits of the nomadic lives they've lived since July to the GreenSkate Laboratory.
To read more about their journey and the cause or to donate visit: who is adam colton or Green Skate Lab.
