Ted Coombs (born 1954) is an American technology author, futurist, artist, and scientist. He set a
Guinness World Record
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
for
roller skating
Roller skating is the act of traveling on surfaces with roller skates. It is a recreational activity, a sport, and a form of transportation. Roller rinks and skate parks are built for roller skating, though it also takes place on streets, sid ...
across the United States in 1979.
Work
Born on June 19, 1954 as Ronald Alvin Schlemeyer, he was adopted on July 11, 1956 as Theodore James Coombs. He was an early author of the "
...for Dummies" series as well as over a dozen computer books, and a portrait artist. He is a
futurist
Futurists (also known as futurologists, prospectivists, foresight practitioners and horizon scanners) are people whose specialty or interest is futurology or the attempt to systematically explore predictions and possibilities abou ...
for the web site Futuristyx (formerly known as Future News Network) and information security expert at Risk Mitigate.
Roller Skating
In early 1979, Ted was living and working in the Hermosa Beach Animal Hospital in Hermosa Beach, California. One evening, while practicing roller skating, he had the idea that he would like to roller skate across the United States to protest the
1979 energy crisis
The 1979 oil crisis, also known as the 1979 Oil Shock or Second Oil Crisis, was an energy crisis caused by a drop in oil production in the wake of the Iranian Revolution. Although the global oil supply only decreased by approximately four per ...
that was causing long gasoline lines and
gas rationing
Rationing is the controlled distribution of scarce resources, goods, services, or an artificial restriction of demand. Rationing controls the size of the ration, which is one's allowed portion of the resources being distributed on a particular ...
in 1979. He contacted
KZLA Radio in Los Angeles, then an adult contemporary format station, and told them about his idea. They contacted
United Artists
United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the studi ...
who was then marketing
Lorimar Productions
Lorimar Productions, Inc., later known as Lorimar Television and Lorimar Distribution, was an American production company that was later a subsidiary of Warner Bros., active from 1969 until 1993, when it was folded into Warner Bros. Televisio ...
' first movie, ''
Americathon
''Americathon'' (also known as ''Americathon 1998'') is a 1979 American comedy film directed by Neal Israel and starring John Ritter, Fred Willard, Peter Riegert, Harvey Korman, and Nancy Morgan, with narration by George Carlin. It is based on ...
'', a movie starring
Harvey Korman
Harvey Herschel Korman (February 15, 1927May 29, 2008) was an American actor and comedian who performed in television and film productions. His big break was being a featured performer on CBS' ''The Danny Kaye Show'', but he is best remembered f ...
and
John Ritter
Johnathan Southworth Ritter (September 17, 1948 – September 11, 2003) was an American actor. Ritter was a son of the singing cowboy star Tex Ritter and the father of actors Jason and Tyler Ritter. He is known for playing Jack Tripper on the ...
. United Artists saw this as a way to promote the movie and sponsored his venture.
He later learned that Clinton Shaw already roller-skated across both Canada and the United States breaking world records. He decided to skate further, returning across the United States. He left in May 1979 from a Hollywood gas station,
converted to appear like a restaurant attended by stars from the movie, including Harvey Korman, to begin his trip across the U.S. and back. He was followed by a van driven by Brian Douglas, his friend and musical partner.
Along the way he broke the record for miles skated in one day by skating 120 miles (139.121 kilometers) non-stop from Breckenridge, Texas into Dallas, Texas. He headed North and was given a parade in Chicago followed by
Playboy Bunnies
A Playboy Bunny is a waitress who works at a Playboy Club and selected through standardized training. Their costumes were made up of lingerie, inspired by the tuxedo-wearing Playboy rabbit mascot. This costume consisted of a strapless corset ted ...
skating in costume to greet
Jane Byrne
Jane Margaret Byrne (née Burke; May 24, 1933November 14, 2014) was an American politician who was the first woman to be elected mayor of a major city in the United States. She served as the 50th Mayor of Chicago from April 16, 1979, until April ...
, the mayor of Chicago. (
Dorothy Stratten
Dorothy Ruth Hoogstraten (February 28, 1960 – August 14, 1980), known professionally as Dorothy Stratten, was a Playboy Playmate and actress, originally from Canada. Stratten was the ''Playboy'' Playmate of the Month for August 1979 and Playm ...
,
Playboy's Playmate of the Month
A Playmate is a female model featured in the centerfold/gatefold of ''Playboy'' magazine as Playmate of the Month (PMOTM). The PMOTM's pictorial includes nude photographs and a centerfold poster, along with a pictorial biography and the "Playm ...
for August 1979 and
Playmate of the Year
This is a list of models who were chosen as a Playboy Playmate of the Year for the American edition of ''Playboy'' magazine.
List of Playmates of the Year
*1953: Marilyn Monroe
*1954:
*1955:
*1956:
*1957:
*1958:
*1959:
*1960: Ellen Stratton ...
for 1980, appeared uncredited in the movie ''Americathon'' as a stage dancer.) He headed East again through Columbus, Ohio and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He fell for the first time in the dangerous curve fronting the Pennsylvania restaurant Noah's Ark on a hill where you can view several states. With only minor injuries, he headed to Washington, DC, where he spent the day with Speaker of the House
Tip O'Neill
Thomas Phillip "Tip" O'Neill Jr. (December 9, 1912 – January 5, 1994) was an American politician who served as the 47th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1977 to 1987, representing northern Boston, Massachusetts, as ...
, presenting him with a pair of roller skates.
The biggest event on his trip was entering New York City. The New York Tunnel Commission closed the
Lincoln Tunnel
The Lincoln Tunnel is an approximately tunnel under the Hudson River, connecting Weehawken, New Jersey, to the west with Midtown Manhattan in New York City to the east. It carries New Jersey Route 495 on the New Jersey side and unsigned New Y ...
for his trip into the city. Accompanied by a police escort, he was the first person to roller skate through the Lincoln Tunnel. He was the guest of honor at a Central Park concert given by
Eddie Money
Edward Joseph Mahoney (March 21, 1949 – September 13, 2019), known professionally as Eddie Money, was an American singer and songwriter who, in the 1970s and 1980s, had eleven Top 40 songs, including "Baby Hold On", "Two Tickets to Parad ...
and later attended the premier of the movie ''Americathon''.
His trip was not complete. While he had fulfilled his agreement with
United Artists
United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the studi ...
to make it to New York, his goal was the distance record. He headed south to Richmond, Virginia and then west into Missouri, where on September 13, 1979 he broke the world distance record in the small town of Mt. Sterling, Missouri. That night, the driver of the van (someone other than Douglas who had left earlier in the trip) stole the van, abandoning Coombs in Mt. Sterling. Ted continued skating into Sedalia, Missouri, where roller-skate rink owners in Missouri and Leavenworth, Kansas, had skate-a-thons and raised money for his continued trip. Coombs continued until Yates Center, Kansas where he stopped his trip,
having skated 5,193 miles (8,375.33 kilometers). He took a bus to Las Vegas in order to retrieve the van and then returned to his home in Hermosa Beach.
Publications
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References
Further reading
*Guinness Book of World Records (1981, 1982, 1983, 1994)
*Rollerskating Magazine
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Coombs, Ted
Living people
1954 births
American forensic scientists
American technology writers
Systems thinking
People from Hermosa Beach, California