Quincy and Monica Jeffries
You’ve come a long way in one year, baby.
Pristine trails. Sponsors galore. A record number of riders. A city representative. A brand new hotbed on the Trikke carving scene in Southern California.
Those are just some of the headlines from the region’s Last Saturday of the Month Ride in February, 2012, an event that marked the one-year anniversary of the first LSM, held last February in Long Beach, CA.
Four people attended that first ride, braving brutal carving conditions along the way. One year later, nearly 40 people — 39 to be exact — gathered together at the spacious Santa Clarita Sports Complex to get their carve on at the first-ever LSM in the Santa Clarity Valley.
By all accounts, the event was an early highlight in the 2012 carving season. And in the eyes of the man whose energy served as a catalyst for bringing the popular event to northern LA county, the LSM in the SCV was nothing short of spectacular:
“It was like a big Christmas present for me,” said Quincy Jeffries, co-host of the ride along with wife Monica (and sponsors TrikkeWorld and SouthBay Trikke).
When asked if the event met his expectations, his response was an emphatic: “Far and beyond.”
Jeffries, a resident of nearby Canyon Country, wasn’t alone in his praise for the day. Rave reviews abound from the 39 riders in attendance, many of whom were carving the trails of the Santa Clarita Valley for the first time.
“I loved them,” said Lisa Hoolihan of Trikke OC in Orange County. “They’re nice and open and definitely beautiful.”
“They’re the smoothest trails in Southern California,” said Michael H. of downtown LA.
The trails are so praise-worthy because they’re part of a planned community, notes carver Rich Goff, one of the event’s key organizers:
Big day in the SCV.
“The great network of trails that have been developed as a result of this engineered approach are so unique. It is totally different than a beach ride. The beauty of the plan is the way it flows. There are hills and challenges that are not found on the sands of the Pacific.”
For a So Cal carving scene whose axis revolves around coastal cities, those unique inland trails are a game-changer, as evidenced by the LSM in the SCV.
Consider the following facts:
— The attendance: With 39 riders, the SCV-LSM set an attendance record for a So Cal carving event outside the city of Long Beach. Additionally, the ride tied for fourth on the list of the top five So Cal carving events, in terms of attendance.
1. 45 riders. LSM, May 2011, Long Beach
2. 44 riders. LDR, Sept. 2011, Long Beach
3. 41 riders. LSM, June 2011, Long Beach
4t. 39 riders. LSM, July 2011, Long Beach
4t. 39 riders. LSM, Feb. 2012, Santa Clarita
5. 33 riders. TNT, Oct. 2012, South Bay
— The sponsors: In addition to TrikkeWorld and SouthBay Trikke — creators and sponsors of the LSM — an unprecedented amount of corporate sponsors participated in the SCV-LSM, thanks to the efforts of Quincy and Monica. Those sponsors included Coca-Cola (which donated Dr. Pepper t-shirts), Live Nation, Dove Chocolates, Cold Stone Creamery, Submarina California Subs, iPic theaters and others.
— The two firsts in So Cal carving event history: a city official and media coverage.
Santa Clarita City Arts and Events Supervisor Pat Downing showed up with his son, who tried the Trikke during the demo hour. Earlier that week, Downing had talked with local carvers during their efforts to secure a permit for the gathering.
Also present: local media in the form of the Santa Clarita Signal, which was on hand with a reporter and two photographers. To see their article and slideshow of the SCV-LSM, go here.
Quite possibly, this is the first time a So Cal carving event has been attended by both a politician and a representative of the media (other than TrikkeWorld) — undoubtedly another symbol of the growth of the local scene.
Trails for days.
— The milestone: One year ago, the So Cal carving circuit consisted of a handful of rides in a couple of locations. Twelve Last Saturday of the Month Rides later, the So Cal carving circuit is bursting with rides of some sort nearly every weekend.
On top of that, the circuit has evolved from a group of roughly 20-30 riders into a community of 80 or more riders from nearly every nook and cranny of Southern California.
And that community is connected beyond the rides. In fact, the So Cal carving community is in the process of forming its own club — a club that didn’t seem necessary only a year ago.
The Last Saturday of the Month Ride is the needle and thread that sewed the fabric that blanketed an entire region, creating a tight-knit community, ready to stand on its own under one common banner: So Cal Carvers, a club you’ll hear much more about very soon.
The club and the fact that the LSM movement has carved its way from the southern regions of Southern California, to its northern regions — the Santa Clarita Valley, the emerging San Gabriel Valley community — it’s all a testament to the growth that is transforming, not only a region but the entire Trikke world, as evidenced by the fledgling global LSM movement.
And for people like Quincy and Monica Jeffries, things have only just begun:
“I had a dream of 100 people at our rides,” said Quincy. “We’re almost halfway there. I believe next year, we’ll hit 100, because we’re getting new people at every ride.”
That’s a long way from a cold and windy first LSM, attended by four riders in February, 2011.
For more photos from the SCV-LSM, check out these images from Sean Tice of SouthBay Trikke.
About Randy Boyd
