Chad Caruso Kicks-Off Cross-Country Skate At Venice Skate Park

VENICE, CA — Skateboarder Chad Caruso hoped the winds at Venice Skate Park Friday morning would help push him along on his 3,000-mile cross-country journey ahead of him.

Caruso is headed to Virginia Beach over a two-month-long journey he has planned for two years. With just one backpack filled with sparse supplies, Caruso took to the streets of Venice to begin the journey to the U.S.'s first JACKALOPE fest in June.

"I had the idea two years ago and since then, there's just been research and, more recently, practice skating long miles every day," Caruso said. "I'm psyched to start now. It's been such a build-up for so long that I'm ready to get going."

In connection with Caruso's voyage, the skateboarder is raising funds for his journey as well as addiction awareness. Caruso himself has been sober for six years and he said that decision has changed his life for the better.

Caruso's GoFundMe campaign has a goal of $10,000 with $8,604 already raised as of Friday. According to the skateboarder, 25 percent of the money raised from the fundraiser will be donated to a drug prevention nonprofit named Natural High.

"Skateboarding has been an invaluable asset in helping me stay on track after a difficult period in my life,” Caruso said. “Without the vigor and concentration sobriety has allowed me to nurture, I wouldn’t have been able to attempt this skate across the country."

On his way to Virginia Beach, Caruso said he's looking forward to having exciting experiences and meeting people as he travels. With the excitement, though, comes obvious challenges that Caruso is set to face.

Caruso is traveling incredibly lightly, with just a single set of clothes and backpack on his back carrying basic hygiene products, extra wheels and bearings and some pepper spray. The skateboarder said he is not looking forward to fending off any coyotes or wild dogs that he may encounter while traveling.

"It's very minimal because it's two months by yourself, you don't want all that weight on your back," Caruso said.

At the end of the trip, Caruso will get to celebrate with JACKALOPE, the biggest sports action festival in Canada. The festival will take place over three days from June 2 to 4 and attendees will be able to see a variety of competitions as well as an "off-the-chain" demo from Tony Hawk and his crew.