Issue 153

BoardFree

26th February 2007

"So how is Elsa?" Elsa being the yellow longboard on which Dave spent many hours during his journey and is now, as one would expect, a close friend of his - a soul mate perhaps. "A little muddy" he replies. After all, a five month journey on a longboard, skating a total of 5823km in aid of charity, is no small thing; especially when we remind ourselves that Dave only took up the sport barely a year before that world record journey began.

After all the interest taken in this unusual trip, Dave talks about the book contract that he signed just a few days earlier. And what a story it is! With the hope of being published in the UK between six and nine months time, Dave hopes that it will be ready by the time he starts his motivational speaking tour on March 10 in London, so he can not only promote the book but also sell some copies. "You can never get the whole picture across in interviews, but this book is the full story - warts and all. Plus it's for charity."

As I chat to Dave about the challenge as a whole, his obvious passion for the sport is clear. Despite everything having moved so quickly, so much has also been achieved - more than Dave imagined. He referred to it all as a "baptism of fire" which changed his life. The huge amount of money raised - £17,500 so far - is a big achievement but something Dave is still pushing in the hope to increase that sum in the coming months. However, he is a down to earth man who realises that it's hard to get people to part with their money these days unless you know them or you're a celebrity, and as Dave admits, "I don't know a huge amount of people and I'm not a celebrity... It's difficult."

When asked how it feels to be a world record holder, Dave simply says, "It's nice. It's nice!" Here is obviously a man who's overwhelmed by the media interest that the world has taken in his journey around Australia. In terms of personal achievement it was great and there was also the media coverage that went with a record-breaking success story.

However, Dave remarks, "personally, it didn't mean as much to me as it probably should have." He rightly points out that world records come and go and someone will break his records - and soon! He does still go on to say that no one can ever take away the fact that "I'm the only person to skate across Oz and that I'm the first person to skate the length of Britain."

He insists that despite all the attention he is trying to keep level headed about it all, as he reminds me "I'm just a normal bloke who's just done something unusual - and I believe everyone is capable of that." Even though he is a guy not seemingly seeking the press attention for his own personal satisfaction, he always wanted a lot of publicity for the journey in order to raise awareness for a number of causes, as "if you don't get publicity then no one will know about it so what would be the point?" he remarks. He comments on the fact that there was always a risk in doing something so unusual, as you can never tell with something like this how it will be accepted. Due to its nature it could either be the "quirky back story at the end of the news or people could really take to it - luckily, especially in Oz, they did and it was enormous" says Dave. With an interview with Richard and Judy coming up, along with appearances on The Johnny Walker show on BBC Radio 2 and with Jonathan Ross, it seems that it is still early days and that things have only just begun - something Dave is more than happy about. "It's nice to share the story with people now that it's finished and it's been a real achievement and a success" he says.

From the start it was Dave's choice to do this whole adventure. "I know it would be very tough," he admits, going on to add "probably about 25% physical, 75% mental." It really was a case of mind over matter, as a strong mind is what Dave believes is the key. "It's amazing what your body can achieve when your mind wants it too, and from the very beginning I believed wholeheartedly that I could do it no matter what anyone said." Dave believes also that if you think you can't do something then you won't do it, simple as. What he kept in mind on the long journey was the fact that he counts himself as a "very lucky guy" who was "in a position that I think a lot of people would kill for and I wasn't going to let myself or anyone who was supporting me down."

The recognition side of things provided some of Dave's most memorable experiences. Of course there is the big one in terms of breaking the world record, but then the little things along the way such as email messages of good luck from Ellen MacArthur, Tony Hawk and even Rod Stewart, who also added that his children were big fans of him too! Neighbours Dr Karl Kennedy and his band, along with a few other big Ozzie stars, were also big fans of the journey and even wore 'Boardfree' T-shirts in their gigs and got Dave up onto the stage. Little gestures such as the time when a passer-by stopped the car, got out and left a $10 note under a stone for Dave to collect as he skated past made all the difference to spirit levels too. "The people and everything they did along the way made the journey" said Dave.

It was a valid question to consider whether Dave actually still enjoys getting on his board after all this! "Of course" was his reply, adding that although there were some days during the journey that he just wanted to stay in bed rather than skate 50 miles, now that it's over "it's a pleasure to be back on it." Even more encouragingly, he says that his "passion for the sport hasn't waned at all - if anything, it's increased." He thinks of it as a great way to get around and an incredible life style, something that he wants to promote to anyone because "it changed my life and I don't see why it wouldn't change someone else's life." The journey obviously personally affected him and matured him in some ways also. One of the things it has taught him is that there "are really no limits - that if you are willing to push yourself...ultimately it's an amazing achievement. It is possible to achieve what is in you to achieve."

"A rush of complete excitement" is how Dave sums up how he first felt when he crossed the finishing line. This was excitement for the fact "that I wasn't going to have to put my foot through any more pain for a little while but also heart-warming that so many people were inspired by the journey and also got involved with it." With all the supporters, TV crews and photographers there to greet him on that day, Dave called it "the ideal end to an unbelievable epic journey."

Dave's next steps are physically to have a break but that doesn't mean sitting around doing nothing - that's just not Dave's style. In his words, "I've always got to be moving... with a cause and a direction... doing something worthwhile." He is currently working on a documentary to be aired in the near future; carrying on doing Boardfree as an initiative for people to get into board sports, along with supporting other people who are now embarking on long journeys on their boards. Dave is planning to attempt another world record - the longest distance travelled on a board in 24 hours. He wants to do this before the end of the year but is still undecided whether that will be done in the UK or in Australia. Dave would also like to return to Oz quite a few times in the future as he loves the country and the people. He realises that through his journey he has been blessed to see an awful lot more of the country than most people. He classes his mode of travelling then as "just a different way of travelling - it's sight seeing with a difference! It's an amazing experience."

He says that it obviously took a leap of faith to do something like this and to take that step away from the comfort zones and the security blankets of everyday life. Dave just felt that it was the right time in his life to do something like this and went ahead with it after quitting his day job as a graphic designer. "Going back to it?" I ask. His reply "No chance!"

As Dave collected his belongings, including Elsa of course, it was clear to see that he meant his closing statement - that his day job is no longer an ordinary nine-to-five office job - and that he and Elsa would be off on many more adventures to come. That's a promise.

The skate across Australia may be over, but you can still donate to BoardFree. Give securely at www.justgiving.com/boardfree.

Kimberley Davies