Larry Peterson attended Western Oregon University to become a dentist. But while he was working hard to get his degree, another passion was lingering in his mind: longboards. Little did he know then that this passion would lead him to a multi-million dollar company.

What exactly is a longboard? A longboard is a type of skateboard that looks more like a surfboard or snowboard with wheels. It is longer, more flexible and more fun, according to Larry, who’s also known as “Longboard Larry.” Longboards are used for cruising, downhill racing, carving hills, and transportation.

Peterson’s journey began during college when he started building longboards for his brothers, friends and himself. Although longboards existed at the time, they were hardly noticed and often confused with skateboards. Peterson then started an online forum to let people know about his passion for building longboards. Soon enough, many different people started asking him to build them boards.

At this point, Peterson had a decision to make: If “I was going to continue to pursue my degree or continue to build longboards.”

“I was tired of school, so I tried the longboard route,” Peterson said, in a phone interview from Salem, Ore., where he lives.

Soon after the decision to pursue his passion, Peterson launched his company, LongboardLarry. Peterson says his job is thoroughly enjoyable, the best part being “designing new boards and coming up with something that no one else has done.” Although Peterson gets to create his boards based off his own inspirations, he also enjoys customizing them to fit the needs of his customers.

“What makes us different (from other longboard companies,) is that the boards are all being handmade by us in the shop,” Peterson said. If a customer wanted their board to be re-shaped, the company would be more than happy to tweak the shape. If a customer wanted the painted design on the board to be different, LongboardLarry would have the design customized. Larry thinks that the key differentiation between his company and other longboard companies is that “it is not a big deal for us to customize boards.”

Peterson believes that the sport of longboarding “has grown a lot and is still growing.”

“There are so many different types of boards for different styles of riding,” Peterson observed. “Someone might just want a carving board, and there are many different boards for that. Someone might want a board for downhill racing and there are different boards to do that.” If someone wants a board that they can just throw on their backpack, there’s a mini longboard for that. Due to all of the varieties of longboards, there is really a type of longboard for just about anyone. Peterson’s customers range from teenagers to adults. “The older guys want to have fun and cruise around too,” Peterson said.

The sport of longboarding has grown tremendously in the past 10 years, yet still remains unfamiliar to Urban students. Of 100 students responding to a Legend survey, 34 students did not know what a longboard was. Out of those who knew what a longboard was, 48 students did not own a longboard. However, some are familiar with the growing sport of longboarding, and 18 students own a longboard. Out of those 18 students, four students use their longboard daily.

Max Berman (’11) is one of those avid longboarders who uses his longboard to travel to and from school every day. Berman owns two longboards, one of which he made by himself. According to Berman, longboarding is all about “speed, distance, and most of all, voyaging.”

Berman has found a deep connection to the sport of longboarding: “As a middle schooler, I was maturing to a larger world, a San Francisco with more destinations and locales. I would find myself yearning to explore San Francisco on my own and it was through the carving of hills with my longboard that one could say I grew up,” said Berman. He believes that “unlike skateboarding, longboarding is a much more introspective activity.”

Back when Larry was a teenager, longboards did not exist. And now, teenagers across the country use longboards to travel, race, or even for some, like Berman, longboards involve “some form of soul searching.”