BOARD MEET!

Photo By Johnathan Nuss

It’s the beginning of September and all through my body the stoke levels are rising. I can feel it running through my veins at a speed comparable to that of light. The Toronto Board Meeting is upon us, this coming Saturday the 8th the biggest event in Ontario is going down so I ask you, how many people are you going to bring?
Having some spare time in the last week I had the opportunity to throw some questions at Smooth Lion, one of the events amazing organizers and a main man on OLF. Here’s what he’s got to say about this years board meet

1. For someone who hasn’t been to the board meet how would you describe it? Is it a race?
For someone who's never been to a Board Meeting before, the best way to describe it is organized chaos, or a school of fish. Hundreds of skateboarders in business attire ripping down the street. Not because it's a race (it's not), and not because we've got a political motive (we don't). But because we purely want to get out and skate with some friends. Just so happens, a lot of people know about the session.

2. How many people are expected to show up this year?
Every year we grow by 50-100%. Seeing as we had around 1,000 people out last year, give or take a few, my estimate is 1,500 people. Every year my estimate is low. I'm hoping this year is the same. If it's not, more prizes for everybody else!

3. What have been some of the challenges with putting on the biggest event in Ontario?   Getting a bunch of skateboarders to follow directions is like herding cats, it's impossible, and is never going to happen. The largest challenges we've had to deal with over the last 

10 years have been safety with growing numbers, keeping riders on the route, and police. We used to start the ride up at Eglinton, but changed it to St. Claire so that we could be just outside of the jurisdiction of some metro police that didn't like us.

4. Is finding sponsors for this type of event difficult or are companies just throwing themselves at you now? By its very nature, Board Meeting is about community, and I think that most of the longboard companies out there want the same thing we do, a solid core. Getting sponsorship for the event isn't hard. Although, getting money is.

5. Did you ever imagine that the board meeting would turn ten? I was 16 when this all started, so like most things, it's hard to believe that it's still going on, and that the fad hasn't fizzled out yet. Although, longboarding wasn't considered "cool" by the mainstream until really 4 or 5 years ago. For the first 5- years of baord meeting, we were always looked at strangely.

From something that began as 30 skaters being the subject of an art project about contrast and community, to an event that bleeds stoke from every possible orifice. Board Meeting continues to surprise me, every year. Every year we figure we've hit the ceiling, that we're going to start seeing fewer people, but every year it just keeps growing. Every year I meet people who've,"...been coming to this event since it began, and wouldn't miss it for the world!"It's you people that keep this fire burning brightly. We make sure there are some prizes, but at the end of the day, if nobody were here to "organize" it, there would still be people in the park on the second weekend of September, waiting to shred.

6. What have been some of the changes that have happened over the last ten years? (other than attendance)
Mainly the changes have been route based. For the first few years, we had a different route every year. Sometimes we'd go down russell hill, one year we had a small race in the old ryerson parking garage ,RIP. We've gone through the Eaton's Centre before as well, but some things never change. We always go to the horse at Queen's Parkd, we always go to city hall, and we ALWAYS lie down in the road. 

Why do we lie down in the road? 

It's simple. Because we can.

7. Every year there are rumours of a police escort. Is this something that’s going to happen? What are your thoughts on it?
The Board Meeting, at its core, is an outlaw event. It's going to stay that way. The police will be notified of the ride this year so that they can better distribute police to some of the major intersections that we occupy during the event, but we won't have an escort. We're not a parade. We're not a protest. We're nothing but a bunch of people meeting up to go for a skate. 

8. Is there going to be an after party this year?
 There is, as always, an after party. This year however, we won't be at the usual space. We will be occupying The Annex Live! It is located just south of Future's Bakery. The event is 19+, sorry youngin's. There will be live music on the stage, DJ's, local board builders showing off their wares, and a wicked Green Room style patio in the back. I'm expecting to still see the Switchback bus and Comet van parked outside the next morning!

9. Any final comments?  BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRDDDDDDDDD MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEETTTTTTTTTIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!