On Sunday, January 21 Brian Patch sailed across a 58-foot expanse to break both the official and unofficial world's records for the distance jump on a skateboard. The previous records were set by Andy Macdonald--56 feet in a personal attempt, and 52 feet officially for the Guinness Book Of World Records.
Guinness had constructed the ramp at a Van Nuys, California airport hanger where film crews were capturing record-breaking feats in several non-skateboarding activities. The starting ramp was 48 feet high with a landing ramp positioned approximately 30 feet away. Patch spent the entire day waiting for the crew to finally set up.
Around 8 p.m. he was allowed to start practicing, and witnesses say he made a 56-foot jump within a few minutes. At about 10:30 that evening, the cameras were finally in place, and Patch quickly landed a 53-foot jump, breaking the official record. Intent on going further, he soon landed a 56-foot jump on-camera. When the producer announced it was time to pack up, Patch talked him into filming two more attempts, during which he landed a 58-footer.
The footage will be aired on the Guinness Book Of World Records television program, though the date has not yet been announced.
