Pathtek4
05-28-2008, 06:14 AM
http://www.hoosierhobbies.net/chicago-new_york_airline_files/image004.jpg
2 riders from Illinois decided to do something they thought ''crazy'' and are planning to skate from Chicago to New York! Both are inspiring filmmakers and are also planning to videotape the trip for a documentary film they are going to make called "Shred America."! I hope they succeed in their mission, and also making their film...Should be cool to see!!
Here's an artcile from the chicagotribune.com:
By JAMIE SOTONOFF | The (Arlington Heights) Daily Herald
6:08 PM CDT, May 27, 2008
NILES, Ill. - Mike Kosciesza woke up one morning feeling inspired.
Before he even got out of bed, he called his friend, Arthur Swidzinski.
"Hey, Arthur," he said, "let's do something crazy."
Then the two 20-year-old aspiring filmmakers came up with an idea: Skateboard from Chicago to New York City -- 850 miles -- and videotape the trip for a documentary film called "Shred America."
Here's the plan: They'll ride seven to eight hours a day (approximately 30 to 40 miles), eat fast food and then sleep on strangers' couches along the way.
"And if we have to sleep under the stars some nights, oh well," Swidzinski says.
Kosciesza and Swidzinski, who are more fanatical about moviemaking than skateboarding, believe this trip will make a great documentary with all the adventure and drama of a reality TV show: physical pain, unexpected obstacles, strange encounters and emotional ups and downs.
"There'll be drama. That's for sure," Swidzinski says. "(When we get to New York), I might cry. It's possible. There might be hugging, but we'll turn off the camera for that."
"No we won't," pipes in cameraman, James Lagen, 19, of Des Plaines, who will film them while following along -- on a bicycle.
Swidzinski and Kosciesza both have good senses of humor, which will come in handy on their monthlong adventure, which begins June 2.
"We're just going to be four guys with a lot of video equipment out on the road," Kosciesza said, counting in two cameramen. "A lot can happen."
While sixth-graders at Nelson School in Niles, Swidzinski and Kosciesza made their first movie together -- a short, homemade Batman film.
Since then, they've made numerous films with classmates at Maine East High School. A few have won awards. Kosciesza now studies film at Columbia College, and Swidzinski at Oakton Community College.
Aware of the intense physical challenge, they've been running laps at the gym and riding their skateboards for hours at a time along bike paths and skate parks when weather permits.
Lagen, too, has started training for his camera-carrying, bicycle-riding journey.
"The more I get involved in this trip, the crazier it sounds. But the more I wanna go," Lagen said.
Swidzinski and Kosciesza are still mapping out their exact route, and plan to carry a GPS device with them. They want to ride on as many bike paths, sidewalks and side streets as possible.
Skateboarding along certain streets is dangerous if not illegal, and while they plan to avoid busy roads, they don't seem fearful of a police encounter.
"That'll be good for the documentary," Swidzinski said.
At one point, they considered trying to live on nothing but tortillas and beans for their whole trip, partly because Kosciesza is a vegetarian and they're on a budget. But they decided against it.
"We'll just live on fast food. I'll eat salad and fries," Kosciesza said. "I think we're going to live like bums, mostly."
Not surprisingly, their parents aren't thrilled with this skateboard-to-New York idea.
Maria Swidzinski, Arthur's mother and a kindergarten teacher at Apollo School in Des Plaines, says the boys are smart, responsible young men but she worries about their safety.
"I'm not excited about this at all," she said.
Their trip won't be one for the record books. A Brit named Dave Cornthwaite holds the world record for distance skateboarding, having rolled 3,618 miles across Australia in 2006, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.
2 riders from Illinois decided to do something they thought ''crazy'' and are planning to skate from Chicago to New York! Both are inspiring filmmakers and are also planning to videotape the trip for a documentary film they are going to make called "Shred America."! I hope they succeed in their mission, and also making their film...Should be cool to see!!
Here's an artcile from the chicagotribune.com:
By JAMIE SOTONOFF | The (Arlington Heights) Daily Herald
6:08 PM CDT, May 27, 2008
NILES, Ill. - Mike Kosciesza woke up one morning feeling inspired.
Before he even got out of bed, he called his friend, Arthur Swidzinski.
"Hey, Arthur," he said, "let's do something crazy."
Then the two 20-year-old aspiring filmmakers came up with an idea: Skateboard from Chicago to New York City -- 850 miles -- and videotape the trip for a documentary film called "Shred America."
Here's the plan: They'll ride seven to eight hours a day (approximately 30 to 40 miles), eat fast food and then sleep on strangers' couches along the way.
"And if we have to sleep under the stars some nights, oh well," Swidzinski says.
Kosciesza and Swidzinski, who are more fanatical about moviemaking than skateboarding, believe this trip will make a great documentary with all the adventure and drama of a reality TV show: physical pain, unexpected obstacles, strange encounters and emotional ups and downs.
"There'll be drama. That's for sure," Swidzinski says. "(When we get to New York), I might cry. It's possible. There might be hugging, but we'll turn off the camera for that."
"No we won't," pipes in cameraman, James Lagen, 19, of Des Plaines, who will film them while following along -- on a bicycle.
Swidzinski and Kosciesza both have good senses of humor, which will come in handy on their monthlong adventure, which begins June 2.
"We're just going to be four guys with a lot of video equipment out on the road," Kosciesza said, counting in two cameramen. "A lot can happen."
While sixth-graders at Nelson School in Niles, Swidzinski and Kosciesza made their first movie together -- a short, homemade Batman film.
Since then, they've made numerous films with classmates at Maine East High School. A few have won awards. Kosciesza now studies film at Columbia College, and Swidzinski at Oakton Community College.
Aware of the intense physical challenge, they've been running laps at the gym and riding their skateboards for hours at a time along bike paths and skate parks when weather permits.
Lagen, too, has started training for his camera-carrying, bicycle-riding journey.
"The more I get involved in this trip, the crazier it sounds. But the more I wanna go," Lagen said.
Swidzinski and Kosciesza are still mapping out their exact route, and plan to carry a GPS device with them. They want to ride on as many bike paths, sidewalks and side streets as possible.
Skateboarding along certain streets is dangerous if not illegal, and while they plan to avoid busy roads, they don't seem fearful of a police encounter.
"That'll be good for the documentary," Swidzinski said.
At one point, they considered trying to live on nothing but tortillas and beans for their whole trip, partly because Kosciesza is a vegetarian and they're on a budget. But they decided against it.
"We'll just live on fast food. I'll eat salad and fries," Kosciesza said. "I think we're going to live like bums, mostly."
Not surprisingly, their parents aren't thrilled with this skateboard-to-New York idea.
Maria Swidzinski, Arthur's mother and a kindergarten teacher at Apollo School in Des Plaines, says the boys are smart, responsible young men but she worries about their safety.
"I'm not excited about this at all," she said.
Their trip won't be one for the record books. A Brit named Dave Cornthwaite holds the world record for distance skateboarding, having rolled 3,618 miles across Australia in 2006, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.