Three boys armed with a baseball bat, a tire iron and boundless potential gave Ben Warner his revelation to longboard 2,400 miles across the country.

It was last summer when the Tacoma native recalls being confronted while riding his board at South D and 96th Streets. The boys, all gang members, were looking to jump him.

Before trouble started, Warner reached out to the teens. One of them revealed how he grew up with gangs.

“He looked at me with a real sincere look in his eyes and said, ‘My dad’s a Crip. That’s how I’ll end up one day,’” Warner recalled. “I told him, ‘You’re better than that.’”

Although the standoff ended peacefully, it stuck with the University of Washington Tacoma student. Warner remembers asking himself that night: How could kids succeed when the streets tell them they can’t?

He pondered the question as he rode his longboard another 12 miles.

Then it hit him. He’d show kids that every one of them has potential. He’d show them that there are places – such as their neighborhood Boys & Girls Club – where the prospect of success is championed, not shot down.

And he’d show them by longboarding, an activity the Franklin Pierce High School graduate has done since he was 15.

Today, Warner is 25 and preparing to make good on that revelation. In March, he plans to ride his board from San Diego to Savannah, Ga., stopping along the way to talk to communities about the importance of after-school programs.

Warner’s goal is also to raise $100,000 for the Boys & Girls Clubs of South Puget Sound.

Growing up, he was a regular at the East Side Boys & Girls Club in Tacoma. Both his parents worked, so he’d spend hours at the club. He recalls playing football, and how his coach opened his eyes to sports. He also learned about college for the first time. Those were all opportunities he wouldn’t have had otherwise.

“It’s a shame. There are a lot of kids who think they’re useless and have nothing to contribute,” said the UWT senior, who’s studying self and society. “But there are places out there that want you to find your potential.”

“I tell them, ‘The most important resource we have is just ourselves,’” he added.

Gary Klein, director at the East Side Boys & Girls Club in Tacoma, said Warner’s trip sends a powerful message to local youths because he’s local himself.

Warner is also a regular; he plays dodgeball every week at the club and knows the conditions some of its youths face.

“I’ve heard his story several times,” Klein said. “It’s kind of a testament to these kids that you can say, ‘Hey, you can have dreams and goals. Here’s one guy who did it.’”

Warner hopes to lead by example. Starting March 21, he will ride a grueling 80 to 100 miles per day, which takes between four to six hours. Few people have longboarded such a distance, he said.

A longboard, Warner points out, is similar to a skateboard but is longer and wider. It will provide an easier ride. Its wheels are softer, so it won’t flip the board if it hits a rock. It’s also easier for “carving,” or turning.

Warner said his board will be only 2 inches off the ground, which is lower than a skateboard but easier on his body.

He will be joined by two other longboarders, a cameraman and a road manager who will follow in a van. The video will be used to make a documentary about the importance of after-school programs and community involvement.

The trio of riders – Warner; Ryan Donahue, 20; and Jerry Craker, 19 – are training to build their stamina for the long trip. They practice riding on Five Mile Drive at Point Defiance Park when it’s clear. Otherwise, they’re at the local YMCA doing kickboxing aerobics, working out on elliptical machines and doing other exercises that improve their cardio fitness.

Warner said he plans to switch his stance – one foot pushes while the other is on the board – every five minutes or so during the cross-country trip.

They will stop at 14 Boys & Girls Clubs along the way, including an event at the national organization’s headquarters in Atlanta. Warner will be a speaker.

The trip is scheduled to end in Georgia in May, two months after it begins.

Craker, a student at Pierce College, said the trip is symbolic of how young people can accomplish much, even if the road is difficult.

“We kind of want to be like, ‘Believe you can do anything,’” he said. “The only thing stopping you is you.”

Warner says he isn’t longboarding across America for individual accolades. He heard that the world record for the longest longboard trip belongs to someone in Australia.

“He can have the world record,” said Warner, who’s looking at a career in the nonprofit world after college. “I am just bringing attention to this issue.”

Brent Champaco: 253-597-8653