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Are you tough enough to wear pink? |
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Written by Sierra Countis/Tahoe World
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Tuesday, 03 October 2006 |
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 Are you tough enough to wear pink?
Skate the Lake 2006 hosts its second annual longboard skate fundraiser winding along Lake Tahoe and Truckee - all to increase October’s breast cancer awareness month and proudly pin on those pink ribbons.
The 27-mile relay race, with a goal to raise more than $10,000 for Boarding for Breast Cancer, came about when event organizer, Curt Sterner, wanted to find a way to say “thank you” to his mom for surviving cancer.
Sterner says he plans on pushing his mom’s wheelchair in the first leg of this year’s Skate the Lake on Saturday, Oct. 7.
“It’s really a good way to meet quality people who have either experienced breast cancer or who are survivors,” he says.
His mom, Joan Sterner, found out she had breast cancer at the age of 69, after facing other health problems in the past. He says he’s proud of his mom for fighting the cancer.
 Sterner’s original idea was to have longboarders skate around all of Lake Tahoe, but Caltrans wouldn’t allow that to happen, so the course was modified to ride from Sugar Pine Point through Tahoe City following the Truckee River to Squaw Valley, and then a turnaround to finish back in Tahoe City to party at Pierce Street.
The course is broken into 11 legs, each leg about two miles long, that skaters at any ability level can choose to ride. Skaters can ride the whole 27 miles with rest stops along the way, sponsored by Clif Bar, he says. Get a good night’s rest because the ride starts around 6:30 a.m. to avoid too much traffic on the roads.
Last year about 50 athletes participated in Skate the Lake, even after postponing the scheduled day because of snow, Sterner says.
“Everybody just joined together,” he says. “The camaraderie with everybody is just really cool.”
 Skate the Lake, sponsored by Tahoe Longboards, boasts a line-up of bands to entertain skaters after Saturday’s ride. Playing an all-ages show at the Tahoe Biltmore Casino is Left Alone, Another Damn Disappointment, 5 Days Dirty and Rocket. Sterners says there’s a $5 minimun donation for the concert. Last year they raised almost $1,100 during the show, he says.
Thrasher magazine will be on hand for the day, snapping some shots as skaters pass by. Sterner says Skate the Lake is looking to expand beyond Lake Tahoe to Tempe, Arizona and maybe even further.
 To register to participate in Skate the Lake, check out the entry form on the Web site, www.skatethelake.com. or www.tahoelongboards.com. The entry fee is $20, but that fee will be waived with any riders with sponsors willing to contribute more.
Click the map at left for a larger version of the route map.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 03 October 2006 )
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