By PETER DAY
Editor
A Lucerne Valley teenager is going on a cross-country summer trip — on a freestyle scooter.
Seth Groce, 19, and his 20-year-old friend Adam Amick, both professional freestyle scooter riders, will leave from Oceanside on Aug. 3. Five weeks later, the two are hoping to arrive in New York City.
The duo will travel a route used by “Race Across America” during bicycle treks.
But the two scooter riders aren’t doing it just for the fun of it. With the help of sponsor District Freestyle Scooters and Keep A Breast Foundation, Groce and Amick are hoping to raise funds for the foundation and to bring awareness to breast cancer.
“Cancer has affected a lot of my friends,” Groce said, “and my aunt is a 13-year survivor.”
During the ride, the two will have family, friends and fans observing progress from their homes across America.
In Lucerne Valley, Groce’s grandmother Connie Lambrix, father Samuel Groce and brother Sean will be keeping up on the progress on Facebook, Instagram and other social media sites.
Another grandmother will be rooting for her grandson from Merrill Gardens Retirement Communities in Apple Valley, which last Thursday hosted a cancer awareness event. Groce was on hand to sign “I love Boobies” T-shirts to help raise money. Donations also can be made to the Keep A Breast Foundation website.
“We’re trying to raise $50,000 on the trip,” he said.
If the two are successful, Groce and Amick, who is from Apple Valley, could set two Guiness Records.
"It’s never been done before.”
A lifelong resident of Lucerne Valley, Groce attended Lucerne Valley schools and graduated from Options for Youth last year. He was involved in motocross, BMX and skateboards, and 4-1/2 years ago he got a Razor freestyle scooter.
"I've doing it, and I guess I got good."
Soon he began developing a repertoire of tricks — scooter foot maneuvers, grins and a back flip.
Groce wants to go to college to study video editing. Groce also wants to become a photographer.
During the transcontinental scoot, the two will have a support crew and an RV to sleep at night.
But on the roads of America it will be two simply scooter riders on scooters with just two four-inch wheels each.
“It’ll be just us and two camel packs on our backs for water.”
To see Groce in action, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2nCVivxPXo. For more information, or to donate, go to Facebook/ScootAcrossAmerica.