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Planet Interview: Taking it to the Streets, the Hills and the Pit Bulls Urban Adventurer Talks About his 25-Year Skate Through the Urban Wilderness of Oakland (Page 4 of 6)
IP: Have you ever been bitten? TM: Luckily, no. IP: Let’s talk a bit more about your equipment. What’s with the Ohio State jersey? TM: When I added the shoulder pads to the mix, I needed to move to a jersey that would fit over them. The decision to go with Ohio State gear was a no-brainer. I was born in Columbus, Ohio, home of Ohio State University. In fact, I lived very close to the University and the stadium. As you might know, college football is very big in the Midwest. Moreover, when I was growing up, Ohio State was one of the college football powerhouses. For instance, they won the national championship in 1968 (I was an impressionable 13 year old) and were really good for that entire era. I guess you can take the Buckeye out of Ohio, but you can’t take the Ohio out of the Buckeye. IP: But unless I’m mistaken, that is not a football jersey. What is it? TM: You are quite right. It’s the jersey of the Ohio State ice hockey team. When I went looking for a suitable jersey, I needed white. That’s because I used to do all my skating at night, and I wanted white for maximum visibility. The OSU colors are scarlet and grey, and all the available OSU football jerseys were scarlet, which is terrible for night skating. I chanced upon the hockey jersey, which is white. So I bought it. You’ll notice the helmet is reminiscent of the Ohio State football helmet, right down to the buckeye stickers that the coaches give out for exceptional plays. IP: Why did you use to skate at night? TM: For several reasons. First, it’s usually cooler at night, which matters if you are wearing all that gear. Also, and just as important, there are fewer cars at night. And fewer people, which usually means fewer dogs. So it’s just a better situation all around. IP: Are there any drawbacks to skating at night? TM: Yes. The main thing is the reduced visibility. It’s harder to see bad pavement or rocks and anything that could cause you to lose balance. So you tend to fall down more at night. IP: Speaking of night skating, have you done the Friday Night Skate in San Francisco? TM: Yes, I used to do it quite regularly. But once I got started with Tristo, I did it less and less often. I haven’t done it for about the past year, mostly so I could finish Oakland. IP: Tristo? What’s Tristo? TM: Tristo is an acronym for “Tim’s Radical Inline Skate Tour of Oakland”. It’s the name I’ve given to this project. You’ve heard of Christo’s Gates? This is Tristo’s Skates. Tristo is really athletic performance art. IP: Nice. Tell us some more about handling hills. TM: Yes, some people seem intrigued by that aspect. Going uphill is really no problem — it’s just a matter of pushing the skate outward so you go up the hill. The hairy part is descending. For that, since I usually do not know what lies ahead, I typically slalom down a hill, just like a skier. That tends to really chew up your tires, but it’s by far the safest route down.
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