Ron Aggs has taken his love of skimboarding to new heights, claiming an Australian Record.
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A regular rush of blood to the head is a good healthy thing, according to Ron’s doctor.
And the 62-year-old says he feels extremely well after sliding 50.45 metres to create a new category Australian Record - the longest distance headstand on a skimboard.
The Ulladulla Times journalist and self-taught headstander set the record on a low tide slick of water at Lake Tabourie Beach.
“It’s the ultimate sprint thrill, run flat out then see everything upside down and back-to-front for about 10 to 15 seconds, get your breath back, go again,” he said.
“The leap to get onto my head, then the sand a few inches away and seeing and hearing the spray from the wake spitting out behind the board is pretty wild.”
The Australian Book of Records required independent scrutineers unknown to Ron to measure and verify the headstand.
By coincidence a group of Year 9 and 10 boys from Lyneham High School in Canberra was visiting Lake Tabourie Holiday Haven on a team building and leadership trip.
Two, Tommy and Pierce videoed the record, their mates Grayson and Jack stuck front and back markers in the sand, then a bunch of them and teacher Brad helped to measure the slide.
“The distance did not include the sprint and they measured from where I lifted my foot off the board and rolled onto my head,” Ron said.
John and Helen Taylor at The Australian Book of Records accepted the students’ scrutiny and announced the verdict.
“Well done on your record Ron, spectacular to see and an inspiration to youngsters globally,” John Taylor said.
"Spectacular to see and an inspiration to youngsters globally.”
- John Taylor, The Australian Book of Records
After the Times reported his practice sessions during December, Australian Age Discrimination Commissioner Susan Ryan commented on behalf of the opposite end of the age spectrum.
Posting Jess Clifford’s Times video on her Facebook page the Commissioner said “a stunning performance showing that older people can surprise and impress us”.
Ron said “I always hated jogging. Really loved hearing some sports scientists recently say they had proved a sprinting regime was an effective cardiovascular workout for the time poor”.
“My time poverty is all around not getting on my head for long enough, so now I’m up for trying to break the record.”
He learnt to ride skimboards as a teenager and returned to the sport in his late 20s to stay fit.
An experienced instructor, he says skimming upright is pretty easy, but “you could sand some skin off” trying headstands without tuition.
And if too much activity by the water’s edge seems barely enough, Ron recently turned the right way up long enough to qualify as a pool lifeguard.
Watch the video here:
