(Beet Juice with Apple, Carrot, Greens, Ginger and Lemon)

Prep time: 5 minutes. Cook/juice time: 5 minutes.

In the summer of 2010, the Berrics posted a series of videos called “Writing Paper.” In each of the videos Rob Dyrdek approached one of skateboarding’s finest and discuss the format of a revolutionary contest circuit he had engineered.  Pros like PJ Ladd, Eric Koston and Greg Lutzka would sit down with Dyrdek to discuss—with both ambition and trepidation—the logistics of a new contest circuit involving a combination of individual runs, allotted attempts and, most importantly, an indoor plaza-style course.

Ingenuity in skateboarding comes and goes (sometimes seemingly without justification), but when an idea sticks and gains millions of followers, it’s not by accident.  In my Battle at the Berries post, I lamented the fact that most contest circuits, entertaining though they may be, are by nature poorly calibrated to appreciate the intricacies of skateboarding.  My point was not that contests are inherently good or bad, but rather that any attendant scoring system is inevitably subject to wide disagreement.  All that said, if we accept that no scoring system can be perfectly calibrated, Street League is undoubtedly the high-water mark.

In examining the widespread saturation of Nike SB and GoPro logos at Street League Skateboarding, I think we can all agree that skateboarding’s overflow into what might be cautiously referred to as mainstream was inevitable (hello, 2020 Olympics).  But somehow Street League makes this seem much more like the street rat’s manifest destiny, rather than a bastardization of something pure.  I watched both installments of The Motivation and truly felt inspired, rather than skeptical.  Any development that can convey the kind of heart that skateboarding’s elite pros put into their craft is welcome in my book.

While the format of the contest may have changed, one thing has not: These. Guys (and Gals). Go. Hard.  When I watch P-Rod and Chris Cole tear up the park in an arena with thousands of fans cheering at the top of their lungs, I feel a whole lot more sheepish for launching my “I’m old” excuse when my legs start to cramp.  I’ve never really paid attention to most mainstream sports, but a friend of a friend once told me that I should watch the Super Bowl merely for the fact that it is the best football I’ll see the whole year.  Whether it’s the Super Bowl or SLS, it’s hard to argue against that logic: when the stakes are this high, so is the preparedness and the willingness to go for broke.

While skateboarders have a reputation for trashing their bodies, it’s obvious from (1) the level of skateboarding at SLS, (2) the behind-the-scenes footage in The Motivation, and (3) my conversations with a few pros that these guys take care of their bodies.  They don’t dick around: they stretch, they eat right, they warm up.  Watch a circuit and you’ll see that endurance is just as important as moxie.

On the topic of endurance, many endurance athletes are beginning to swear by beet juice.  Runners, cyclists and football players have all promoted this juice as a boon to the body’s ability improve blood flow, build tolerance against high-intensity exercise, and replenish electrolytes.  Indeed, beets are high in potassium and can support nerve and muscle function by fighting weakness, fatigue and cramps.  To boot, beets are also high in vitamin C, betaine (supports liver health), and nitrates which can help lower blood pressure.  See http://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/beetroot-juice-benefits#lower-blood-pressure2; http://www.active.com/cycling/articles/can-beet-juice-instantly-improve-your-endurance.

While not everybody may be skating as intensely as the SLS pros, it stands to reason that adding some beet juice to your pre-skating routine can help to keep you pushing just a little bit longer.  Let’s make sure we’re on the same page: when I talk about beets, try not to envision that blood-red block of gelatinous substance that slides lethargically out of a can around Thanksgiving; instead, imagine fresh beet roots coming from the ground, juiced with carrots, apples, greens, ginger and topped off with a squeeze of lemon.  Though I quantify the ingredients below, feel free to add as much or as little of any ingredient as you like (for instance, not everybody is crazy about ginger).  Additionally, I hesitate to say that this recipe is “inspired by” or “modified from” any other recipe, but I imagine there are plenty of other companies out there that are putting bottles of beet juice out that have similar, if not identical, ingredients (for instance, I just googled and it looks like Naked has something very similar).

Enough talk, let’s get juicing.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 fresh beets with stems/roots cut off
• 2 medium red delicious apples
• 3 medium carrots
• 2-3 cups of fresh greens (I prefer a kale/spinach mix)
• 15-20g ginger root (about the size of a thumb)
• squeeze of ½ lemon

DIRECTIONS:

1. First, cut up your ingredients as necessary. If you bought the beets in bunches, cut the stems and leaves off and slice off the tops and bottom slightly just so you’re not juicing stems or roots.  Cut the beets and apples in half for easy juicing.
2. Start juicing all of those ingredients except the lemon. The order doesn’t matter, just juice ‘em up until you’re done.  Squeeze in the lemon and then stir it up to create a delicious red elixir.
3. If you don’t have a juicer, it is possible to make this with a blender. Blend all of the chopped ingredients and then, using a strainer cloth, strain the juice from the blender, pressing on the pulp to get any extra juice out.  Obviously, the juicer works better, but either method will do.
4. Guzzle it down and go skate.

Per 8 fluid ounces: 80 calories; 0g fat; 19g carb; 1g protein

Happy shredding,

Johnny