The View From Here

The New BEAT , 3/17/2010 12:05:43 AM

Sometimes, while I’m sitting in the van, waiting for Rob to arrive, I see a beautiful shot out the window or door. I know I should get up, unzip the camera bag and start rolling. It’s what I’m here for. But sometimes, it’s so hot, I barely have the energy to read my book let alone shoot some footage. Australia is a friggin’ hot place, and we haven’t even hit the outback yet.

The way it works, for those of us not skating, is that we drop Rob off at his last stop point, drive ahead 10, 15, or 20 kms depending on the varying conditions (roads, weather, traffic, rest stops) and wait for Rob to arrive. It’s during this waiting period that the heat can set in. And so can a serious case of feeling sorry for myself. But then, just as I’m starting to get really frustrated, Rob skates up to the van and rips open one of the sliding doors. Sweaty, tired, and with a huge smile on his face, he’ll make some comment like, “wow, it’s super hot today hey guys?” All of a sudden I don’t feel so sorry for myself. All of a sudden I’m looking at that camera bag and thinking I have it pretty easy. All of a sudden, I’m feeling inspired again.

I think, on some level, this is what Rob does to all of us. It’s easy to forget when he’s out on the road and you’re in the van, or watching the videos, or reading this blog, just how crazy what he is doing is. For example, just the other day Rob skated from dusk 'til past dawn in order to crush 100km in one day. But when you really think about, truly imagine every pump, climbing over every hill, hoping the van is just around that next corner with some fresh water waiting, the challenges we all face in our day to day lives don’t seem so bad. In fact, what he is doing has the power to inspire people who aren’t facing day to day challenges, like people who are fighting terrible diseases like cancer, to find some strength inside of themselves to over come their own obstacles. Rob isn’t just raising awareness; he is raising spirits, hope, and strength.

I’m lucky to be here with Rob, watching him do what does, and I’m happy to have the opportunity to help all of you get an inside glimpse into the intricacies of his journey. If even the slightest sense of the difficulty and wonder in what he is accomplishing comes across in these photos, videos, and blogs, then we have done our little part in helping this great cause called Skate4Cancer.

Jamie + The S4C Team
























Photography by The New BEAT

We'd also like to give a shout-out to Sam Barker, a friend from the UK whom we met in Sydney. He wrote a sick blog on our 2010 skate!

Check it out here!