Etnies accomplished its mission on Go Skateboarding Day when it claimed the world record for the largest skateboard lesson ever given. Over 300 Southern California skateboarders of all ages participated in skateboarding’s official worldwide holiday.

The event took place at the Etnies Skatepark of Lake Forest and it was not all about breaking records. It was also held in memorandum of Thomas Johnson, an eight-year-old local skater who passed away from cancer in 2010. Friends and family wore Thomas’s favorite color, orange, to help raise awareness and money for pediatric cancer research.

Etnies owner and CEO Pierre-Andre Senizergues said of the event: “Today was not only about learning a lesson in skateboarding and setting a record, it was also learning about inspiration. Skateboarding was Thomas Johnson’s inspiration to stay active and happy when he was ill and his positive persistence has inspired the hundreds of skateboarders that came out today. As skateboarders, we need to give back and inspire others who skate or want to skate. Thomas’s memory did that for us and helped us to set the Guinness World Record!”