“When Karl Floigraf first volunteered at a long boarding competition, he knew that he would one day become a racer. Now five years later, with an amateur championship under his belt, he hasn’t forgotten his fellow Guilfordians, as he plans to skate along-side them every week in what he calls a ‘Campus Cruz’.”Guilford junior Karl Floitgraf has skated his way to a nation-wide number two ranking. The sport is called “downhill slalom longboarding.” Relentlessly pursuing his dream, Floitgraf has already left his imprint on the young, extreme sport.

In a motion that resembles slalom skiing, skateboarding, and surfing, skaters race through cones at speeds of up to 45 m.p.h.

If a cone is knocked down, which one commonly is, one tenth of a second is added to the skater’s time. In these sprint-like races many wins are decided by fractions of seconds, making accuracy and speed crucial.

In July, Floitgraf competed in the North American Amateur Championships in the hybrid downhill slalom. Nearly fifty of the continent’s best amateur long boarders accompanied him in Hood River, Oregon.

In elimination-style head-to-head competition, hopeful participants began skating down a steep cone-filled road two-by-two. Floitgraf’s objectives were clear and simple: Move fast and knock down as few cones as possible.

Floitgraf swept through the course swiftly and precisely, weaving his way through the competition. After a plethora of trials and runs, Floitgraf emerged the 2008 tournament champion.

“It was so satisfying knowing that all of my hard work and training had paid off,” said Karl, reflecting on crossing the finish line in July.

The impressive win escalated Floitgraf into a second place ranking among the sport’s best amateurs. Though noticeably excited, he remains humble. He knows the next jump, to professional status, will require even more rigorous training.

“It’s interesting, in this sport, becoming a pro is a personal decision,” said Karl. “You can race amateur as long as you like, but once you go pro, you can never race as an amateur again.”

Without getting ahead of himself, Floitgraf eyes his next tournament, the Canadian/American Cup in Antrim, New Hampshire. The Can/Am will provide another opportunity for Floitgraf to test himself and sharpen his skills.

With Floitgraf having aspirations of turning professional in the next six months, a good tournament in Antrim would bring him breathtakingly close to his dream. Though he would like to turn professional today, the benefits are mostly internal.

“Downhill slalom longboarding is a fringe-sport right now, so there is not much money in it,” said Karl.

Since starting long boarding he has managed to obtain two sponsors; Ocean Frog skate shop in Malden, Massachusetts, a local shop near Floitgraf’s hometown, and Ego Energy Drinks.

“This summer Ego sent me two giant cases of energy drinks at once, it was kind of ridiculous!” said Karl.

Before being stockpiled with energy drinks, Floitgraf remembers his first contact with the sport.

“I went to a tournament as a volunteer,” he said. “I realized immediately that this was something I could see myself doing for a long time.”

Though Floitgraf’s determination was about to be seriously tested.

“It was five days after I volunteered. I was skating down a hill and got hit by a car,” said Floitgraf, reminiscing on his career’s worst accident. “It was a Ford Taurus; had it been an SUV I would have been in trouble.”

With a slight smirk Floitgraf said, “I went straight from my crutches back to a board.”

Floitgraf was not intimidated, but he had learned an important lesson from his wreck. Safety must come first. With this principle he has committed himself to teaching beginners proper skating safety.

Locally, Floitgraf hosts a “Campus Cruz, Skate Jam,” every Wednesday. Skaters meet at the Milner Hall gazebo at 4 p.m. Anyone is welcome, no matter what skill level.