From the east to the west coast in 61 days - on skates!
To raise awareness for inline hockey throughout Africa and collect funds for the development of the sport, Clementine Ruel, a teacher at St Paul’s College, and Eric Baldwin, who was a coach or assistant coach at various Namibian inline hockey clubs, set themselves a special goal. They planned to travel from the East Coast to the West Coast of the United States on skates and pedals.And lLast Thursday they finally reached their destination.
They kept going for 61 days without a break. Clementine had originally planned to skate the entire route, but for logistical reasons they decided she would ride a bike and carry their gear so that Eric could skate freely each day.
They shared their journey on Instagram under the handle @skateacrossamerica, posting clips filled with humor, sweat and team spirit. Some reels showed Eric cooling off with a garden hose in the yards of friendly strangers, always with permission, or soaking in an ice bath after skating 100 miles, which is about 160 kilometers.
The response was incredible. The Namibian and international inline hockey community eagerly shared their videos, helping Clementine and Eric reach their fundraising goal.