With Go Skateboarding Day riding wild in the streets worldwide on Thursday, shoe giant etnies rallied hundreds of skaters to its Skatepark of Lake Forest in Southern California to set a new world record.
Spread out across the newly expanded 60,000-square-foot concrete skatepark, 311 helmeted skateboarders attended the largest skateboarding lesson in history. With a green light from the Guinness Book of World Records, cameras rolling and an independent notary on hand to verify the turnout, Skatepark Coordinator Nick Gates -- with a hand from etnies owner Pierre-Andre Senizergues -- headed up a 30-minute crash course, covering the basics, from skatepark etiquette to simple ollies. Guinness is expected to review the footage and ratify the world record this summer.
"It was an awesome event," Gates, 36, told ESPN.com. "I've been working here for 10 years, always trying to think of cool things to do at the park. And I just sent the idea over to Guinness and they approved it."
Leading up to the event, etnies and park staff spread the word of the record attempt, stressing that any official world record attempt would need to draw at least 250 participants to qualify. The afternoon event also included an amateur best trick contest, free food, and a show of solidarity in memory of Thomas Johnson, an 8-year-old local who lost his battle with cancer in 2010. Gates said the event raised awareness and about $500 in donations for the Pediatric Cancer Foundation.
Go Skateboarding Day, conceived by the International Association of Skateboard Companies, started in 2003 and falls annually on June 21.
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