Page 33 - THE ENDLESS WAVE | Skateboarding, Death & Spirituality

THE ENDLESS WAVE | PART ONE
Sudden Death
I’ll never forget the first time I met Noel Korman. It was March 11, 2011, and I was at Bustin Boards new longboard shop in New York City. The shop was about to open and it made for the perfect venue to host the world’s first longboard expo. We had close to 60 different skate companies show up and it was quite the experience.
It was total pandemonium getting this expo set up. Around 10 o’clock in the morning, in strolled a guy who I’d never seen before. He put out his hand and said in a big, booming voice, “I’m Noel Korman with the Schralper’s Union. If you need anything, just let me know.” I was floored. Noel had a presence that absolutely lit up the room.
Little did I know what an auspicious moment this would turn out to be. The Schralper’s Union was Noel’s club for those who did stance sports — skate- boarding, snowboarding and surfing. It was all about “spreading high fives and positive vibes.” The Union also followed something Noel had developed called “The “Code of the Shralper.” It included tenets like, “A Shralper does the right thing because it is the right thing.” and “Be prepared to sling stoke in whatever you do, however you do it.”
Noel was the kind of person that wouldn’t just give you the shirt off his back but a spare bearing, some food and drink and anything you needed. The truth was
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