Two lifelong skateboarders rolled into New York City’s Times Square on Saturday, completing their cross-country odyssey that started from Los Angeles’s Venice Beach, and traveled all 1,600 miles exclusively on their boards.
Jason VanPorppal, who goes by Jay, and his friend Orio Ramirez, both 25, kicked it off September 30, with VanPorppal posting daily updates to his TikTok and Instagram accounts as well as on YouTube. Gaining the attention of hundreds of thousands of people who were following their daily adventures, the two decided to turn the trip, which they originally called the Push to NYC, into more of a money-raising mission: Skateboarding Across America, in which 100% of the money would go to donating skateboards to kids who can’t afford them.
Pushing through 110-degree heat one week and freezing 20-degree temperatures the next, they would shoot to travel in 14-hour stints. Between the high winds, near-vertical climbs, extreme heat, rain, and even snow, some days they were able to cover only 30 miles, other days 60 miles. In Arizona, the punishing heat forced them into a nighttime skate schedule, VanPorppal said. They realized they could cover more ground when it was cooler, so they put on their headlamps and pulled more than a few overnighters.
Yet the challenges weren’t only weather- and terrain-related. By Day 10, Ramirez had developed such severe blisters, he could barely walk let alone board, VanPorppal explained in a video; they were forced to take some rest days. Day 23 saw a hospital trip: VanPorppal’s brother, who’d come to join them for a few days, sustained a head injury. And all throughout the journey, there were plenty of cracked wheels and other board breakdowns requiring repairs and replacements; not to mention, the occasional run-ins with local police.
And still, they pushed on.
@jaayfilms WE MADE IT! ❤️🇺🇸 GOD BLESS YOU GUYS! LA➡️NYC
♬ Hinoki Wood – Clavier
VanPorppal described the challenge as life-changing. On Day 67, overwhelmed with emotion, he reflected in a video, “I just can’t believe the things I’ve done and achieved,” adding, “Thank you guys so much for helping me change my life and finding myself again.” While he mentioned they stayed in various hotels throughout the trip, the fact was, it was a simple skateboard—and their amazing perseverance—that got them from coast to coast. “I’m kind of sad this is coming to an end,” VanPorppal admitted.
As the two exhausted skateboarders made their way into Times Square, their final destination, an excited crowd of supporters were already there to greet them. “Thank you, God!” VanPorppal shouted as fans swarmed the pair. Some who’d been following the journey had gathered to celebrate with them, while others offered their congrats in the comments. “I’ve literally got chills!!! You made it!!” one wrote. “Freaking awesome man!! Thank you for taking us on the journey with you,” wrote another.
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