Stephen Jepson first tried skateboarding at age 25, in the spring of 1965, on a trip from Iowa City to Sycamore, Illinois. “I had gone to visit my girlfriend’s parents,” he says, “and their son was on his board outside of their house. He let me try it, and before I had the chance to think about it, the board went out from under me.” Stephen wound up with quite a bruise on his hip.
Seven years later, Stephen was teaching at a university. Several college students were going down a steep concrete ramp that led to the main entrance of the library. Stephen watched for several minutes as time after time several young male students shot down the ramp and attempted to negotiate a very sharp left-hand turn at the bottom of the ramp. On each occasion, the skateboard shot into the street and the rider jumped off. Despite his earlier experience, “I asked for a try on their board,” he says. “I zipped down the incline and leaned into the sharp left – and, wonder of wonders, I nailed it.”
Stephen recalls that he acted nonchalantly, but inside he was amazed. “The young college students could hardly believe it,” he says. “I was a good water skier and I knew what it feels like to lean real hard on a slalom ski to make a sharp turn, and that’s what I did: leaned on the board real hard and rounded the corner.”
Still, it would take another 36 years before Stephen would step back on a skateboard. “I started longboarding when I was about 68 years old,” he says. “I had learned to tightrope walk at age 55 and walk on a loose rope at about 63. So at this time in my life my balance was quite good. However, longboarding has contributed substantially to my balance.
“I think anybody that wants to start skateboarding at any age can do it,” he continues, “but I do believe it is important to start slowly and to be careful.” He admits that a few times in his life he has started going so fast downhill that he was unable to stop and had to bail into the grass. “I made a definite effort to learn to speed check. Now I am able to slow down the board by sliding a foot.”
Stephen says he now skates as far as 20 miles at a time and will push with both feet. “I go out regular and come back goofy foot,” he says. “I push half the distance with my left foot and half the distance with my right foot so my hip doesn’t get too tired.”
He admits that he has taken some fairly nasty falls but has never been badly hurt.“Once I ran over something that I did not see, which caused the board to come to an abrupt stop. I went down instantly.After that I got the biggest wheels for my board I could get. The Abec 11 90 mm Flywheels run over almost anything.”
Stephen has also created his own unusual decks using a vacuum press. But beyond this, his entire life’s philosophy is about movement. He lectures around the world on the concept of “never leaving the playground.” His zest for life is infectious, and both his mind and body are razor-sharp. I had the opportunity to hang out with Stephen at Surf Expo this past September. He has more energy than people a third his age. Stephen’s plan is to keep skating and exploring the many trails in Florida for as long he is physically able – which, by my estimation, should lead him well past the year 2040.
Thank-you to Michael Brooke and Concrete Wave Magazine Issue Nov/2015