Gladin'
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What is Gladin'?
Gladin' started out with the best intentions in mind; to traverse the everglades in search of alligators and to take their pictures. This basic purpose did last quite sometime, however, over time gladin' evolved into its present day style of driving (or off-roading) in extremely remote places of the world in rental cars with the purpose of bouncing from one puddle, pothole, or dip to another and bringing the rental car to the brink of destruction, without actually destroying it.
Original Gladers
The "founding fathers" of gladin' as they've come to be known are James, Dave, and Lance of Palm Beach Florida. They were the first people to gather 'round the proverbial campfire and round up others to go on their gladin' expeditions in the middle of the night. The term "gladin'" was, in fact, coined late one night by James, somewhere on the Indian Reservation in South Florida. This motley group of individuals are now known, in certain circles, as Original Gladers, or just "OG". They are pictured below, after a long night of gladin' in a hummer that barely survived the journey.
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| OG's Pictured (left to right) Dave, Lance, and James | Car after a typical day/night of gladin' somewhere in AK This vehicle did NOT survive the entire journey. The transmission locked up. |
Master Gladers
Aside from the Orignal Gladers, the next group of inviduals to embrace this "sport", have given themselves the name Master Glader. This group, too, has limited membership and they are still considered to be contributing members to the event. Master Gladers are mostly in Souther Florida (where this sport originates) and include Dmitry, Jay, Brent, Chad, and others, too numerous to mention.
Types of Gladin
Egergladin: The very first form of gladin' is nown known as "Evergladin'". Evergladin consists of driving out into the everglades, either on the Indian Reservation or in one of the many Wildlife Preserves in Southern Florida and driving off-road or even in places where there are no roads with the sole intention of exploring. This flavor of glading is still enjoyed by some of the OG and Master Gladers still in Florida.
Arctic Gladin: This flavor of gladin' was poineered by Jim and Bob in the Yukon Territory of Canada. To acheive this form of gladin you must drive down the Alaskan Highway at high speeds (100+MPH) bouncing from one dip to another. They say its very easy to "get air". The best location is between Destructon Bay, YT and the US/CA Border. The dips are conveinently marked with little red flags and easy to hit.
Texi-Gladin: The majority of the OG have left Florida and ventured into Texas where they have devised their own form of gladin to suit the local culture. Mexi-Gladin involves off-roading in the desert and running over anything that gets in your way, including cactuses and gigantic bolders (destroying your transmission in the process). Lance and Brent have perfected this form of gladin.
Ozark Gladin: Ocasionally the OG or Master Gladers venture away from South Florida to explore other parts of the country. Recently on a trip to Missouri, James and Josh (a regular glader) had the pleasure of perfecting Ozark Gladin. Missouri is a perfect place to glade as the number of secondary and gravel roads is awesome and there is very rarely any traffic. The roads in MO were designed during WWII when the technology was limited so they follow the ridge of the mountain, making the roads very curvy and hilly. In a mustang or camaro or some similar car that "hugs" the road, these highways at high speeds provide quite a thrill.
LasGladin: This type of gladin was actually popular well before even Evergladin, but never really caught on until the most recent gladin craze swept the backroads of small town America. LasGladin is popular in the deserts of Nevada and California and entails bouncing from one hill to the next while trying not to get car-sick on back country roads that no sane person would ever travel. This type of gladin was originally attempted by James (one of the OG) and Jamie (not an active Glader).
UpSate Gladin: The gladin craze is recently popular in Upsate New York. Reports state that teenagers have taken up this dare-devil sport in Adirondack Park where the terrain and lousy road conditions are a glader's dream. Park rangers are baffled and unable to keep the "youngsters" under control.
CityGladin: Gladin is no longer limited to the backroads and dirt roads of small town america. David (OG) and Margward have fabricated this newest form of gladin. To CityGlade, you drive down city streets at high speeds and along the street car tracks, again at high speeds all the while looking for prositutes to annoy. Currently this sport is only practiced in Toronto, Ontario.
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| Arctic Gladin | EverGladin |
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| LasGladin | Ozark Gladin |
Vehicular Damage
Vehicles are often damaged while gladin' which is why insured rental cars are usually used. Damage can be very extensive or minor depending on the glader's skill level and terrain. Some common damage seen from this type of activity includes:
Transmission: Damage to the transmission can occur from a veriety of gladin' activities such as excessive accelleration on rough terrain. High work load going up hills and improper gear usage is another possible cause of such damage.
Body: Body damage is very common and happens to even the best gladers. Rocks, animals, vegitation and rough terrain can all cause body damage.
Suspension: The suspension takes perhaps the highest toll out of all other parts of the vehicle no matter how careful gladers are. Even when driving an off-road vehicle the damage from hitting potholes and hills at high speed is almost guaranteed.
Wheels & Tires: Cut and chipped rubber from rocks and rough terrain happens often. Damage to a vehicles wheels can occur in many forms ranging from scratches to dents. Dents have occured several times to the members of the master glader crew and also to original gladers from hitting large rocks at high speeds.
Gladin Media
link OG - Gladin in the forbidden neighborhood
link OG - Gladin at LOX in FL
link OG - Website
References
Teslin Star, Newspaper, Teslin YT, 10/20/2006
Urbandictionary.com, Gladin, 5/4/2006
Immokalee Chronicle, Publication, Immokalee FL, 2/14/2006, Pg. 2
Consumer Advisory, Publication, Ford Motor Company, Detroit MI, 08/18/2006, Pg. 7
WKBW News at 5, Short Story, WKBW TV, Buffalo, NY, 06/22/06
