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Video by Staff Sgt. Natasha Stannard

World Record Holder Carries Skateboarding Values into Air Force

Joint Base Langley-Eustis

April 2, 2018 | 1:30

U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Nicholas Whitehurst's parents thought it would just be a phase when they bought him his first skateboard as a Christmas gift.

Fast forward seven years, and Whitehurst, a client systems technician with the 633rd Communications Squadron, is not only still skateboarding, but he’s also in the Guinness Book of World Records for completing the most Ollie 180s in one minute.

The Ollie 180, which involves popping the board completely into the air, then turning 180 degrees and landing, is a trick Whitehurst knew he could dominate within a minute, checking off his personal bucket list item of making a world record.

Whitehurst completed the record in his hometown of Hampton, which is also home to his duty station, Joint Base Langley-Eustis. However, he didn’t have witnesses or enough footage to prove he actually beat the record.

For Whitehurst trying again and again is an integral part of skateboarding, and to others like his mom, Amy, and dad, Bill, that never-give-up attitude is a defining characteristic of their son. It came as no surprise to her when Nick gathered a few of his friends to help document the second attempt and send it to Guinness.

“Nick is straight-forward; he knows what he wants to do and just does it,” said Bill. “He always sets goals.”

Months after sending the footage in to Guinness, Whitehurst’s mom received the plaque in a package while Nick was skating in Richmond for Go Skate Day, June 21, 2014.

“I opened it up and was like ‘by-God there you go; this is just crazy all in itself,’” said Amy. “He and his buddies had a grocery list of things they wanted to do: sky diving, Guinness Book of World Records and so on, and damn if he didn’t hit them. I mean it’s awesome; he sets out goals, and he reaches for them and he does them.”

For Whitehurst, the practice of not only reattempting the record, but retrying other tricks, is something he feels he can relay to everyday life; now, specifically to his job in the U.S. Air Force.