Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Anybody Want to Skate in Switzerland?

The organizers of the low-cost SkateFresh recreational skating tours of the Netherlands are thinking about organizing a skating tour of Switzerland in 2007. Who wants to go?

ABC-TV is Auditioning Roller Girl Moms

From ABC Casting: "ABC is looking for Roller Derby-playing moms and their families to appear on our hit reality show, "Wife Swap". The program takes two different families and has the wives switch places to experience how another family lives. "

A 24 Hour World Record Attempt in Singapore

A group of male and female skaters in Singapore will try to set a 24 hour relay world record at an Inline Skate Carnival September 8-9, 2006.

A Fun Night Skate in Beijing China

The Beijing 66 Show Club organizes a night skate every Saturday evening, in the Chinese city of Beijing, from April to November. The skate usually begins near the Beijing Zoo at 7:30 pm and it has a fun carnival-like atmosphere. Everybody is invited!

Best Wheels for Skating in Rain?

From Jonas: "I plan to do the Berlin Marathon this September and I want to be prepared for bad weather. Anyone have a suggestion on a good rain wheel to ensure as good a grip as possible if it happens to be a wet surface? "

Cracked Boot

From Seung Ho: "Lately my left boot has been acting weird. I couldn't get on my edges properly. First I thought my muscles were not strong enough. Finally I checked the boot and frame...and wow, the boot is cracked. The carbon fibre has cracked and the metal plate inside is loose..."

Cracked Frame

From ChuckBoucher: "While changing my wheels from outdoor to indoor, I checked my frame mounting bolts to make sure they hadn't loosened up. Upon inspection of the area surrounding the frame bolt, I gasped... There it was, the first crack I have ever put in any of the 7 inline frames I've owned..."

Photos of the 2006 Saint Paul Marathon

Here are some photos of Saint Paul Inline Marathon, which took place on August 20, 2006.

Photos of the New York City 100K

Photos posted by two different skaters and results of the New York City 100K and marathon.

Inline Grand Prix in the Czech Republic

On September 2nd there will be a skating event for speed skaters and recreational skaters at the Brno Exhibition Center in the Czech Republic.

Skate Shopping - K2 Radical 100 vs. RB Lightning TF

From BarrySVT: "100 millimeter wheels and a mid-rise cuff seem to be the way to go for me. I am looking at the K2 Radical 100 and the Rollerblade Lightning TF. Any opinions or reviews of these skates? Any other models to consider?"

Heart Rate Monitor Recommendations?

From rmwaller: "I am looking at buying a heart rate monitor, hopefully no more than 150 bucks. Does anyone use one? Can an HRM tell me how many calories I'm using during the day?"

How to Make a P-Rail

From ndragon88: " I can make a base easily but I need to know how people put the PVC on wood and make it stay"

Slalom Competition in Singapore

Just added to our calendar: The first event in the next season of the IFSA Freestyle Cup will take place November 24-26, 2006 in Singapore. IFSA is the International Freestyle Skaters Association and they organize freestyle slalom, speed slalom, and high jump competitions for skaters in many different countries.

Where to Buy Quad Skates in New York

Does anybody know about any skate shops or sporting goods stores that sell quad roller skates in New York City?

Short RollerSoccer Video Clip

SkillWilly shared a short video clip of himself playing RollerSoccer and he invites other skaters to share their YouTube skating video clips.

Saturday, August 26, 2006

Naked Skating With Sandy Snakenberg

From Sandy: "I'm thinking about organizing another naked skate. Any suggestions on a location? I kind of like the thought of doing one in Paris..."

Rollerblade Founder Will Skate Northshore Marathon

Scott Olson, the founder of Rollerblade, will compete in the Northshore Inline Marathon on September 26th...

Introduction to Our New Skating Calendar

We have two calendars in this forum that cover events from 2006 through 2012. One is a skating calendar and the other is a calendar that displays the birthdays of our forum visitors...

An Extreme Ice Skating Event in Boston

Ice skaters will race four at a time on an 1100 foot ice course with whoops, berms, turns, downhills, and one uphill segment. Here are some photos of a similar event in the Czech Republic...

Beginning Skaters - Share Your Experiences!

If you are just learning to skate, or even if you are only *thinking* about learning to skate, we would love to hear about your experiences and thoughts. You will get a lot of encouragement and moral support from our forum visitors.

Ankle Pain Caused Skater to Quit

From AskRock: "For the past couple of months the inside of my right ankle has been killing me when I skate. It was so bad yesterday, I finally decided to take a break for a month or two..."

New International Speed Committee Web Site

Dr. Roberto Marotta, President of the Speed Committee of the International Roller Sports Federation has announced the new CIC new Web site.

Any Skating in Sierra Vista Arizona?

Skater is looking for speed skating groups and skating trails in or near Sierra Vista or Tucson Arizona.

How To Jump High on Skates

From Fablemaker2: "Let's say you're trying to grind a handrail that is 30 inches off the ground. You really don't have to jump 30 inches. Stack some boards..." [Read More In Our Forum]

Meet Roller Girls In Our Forum

These All-Girl Roller Derby Teams are looking for fans and skaters:
  • Central Coast Roller Derby (California)
  • Angel City Derby Girls (California)
  • Inline Empire Derby Divas (California)
  • Dallas Derby Devils (Texas)

  • Thursday, August 24, 2006

    How to Pass on a Crowded Trail

    I always announce when I'm passing, but I have actually had people jump or roll INTO my path when I make my "passing on your left" announcement...

    No More Skating at the Ottawa Race Weekend

    This week the organizers of the Ottawa Race Weekend in Ontario, Canada announced they have dropped inline skating from their lineup of events.

    Dog on the Trail... What Would You Do?

    From skaterdog: "You are approaching a long leashed dog walker at the bottom of a hill. The dog appears to be under control and you have called out to alert the dog walker that you are passing. As you pass you see the dog dash in front of you stretching the leash across your path. You have a split second to decide what to do..."

    280 Skaters Form a Chain in Singapore

    Inline skaters in Singapore tried to set a new Guinness world record while a thousand bystanders cheered them on."

    When Should Wheels Be Rotated?

    From siowhonv: "I have been skating with the same pairs of inlines for over 2 years but not very consistently and not agressively. I am wondering when to change the wheels to swap the insides to the ouside edges?"

    Breaking Techniques for Aggressive Skaters

    Aggressive skates don't come with a brake but there are plenty of other ways to stop on skates.

    Is Street Hockey Legal In Your Area?

    From glick: "I am wondering if our police here in Jersey are the only ones who give problems about playing roller hockey on a small street?"

    Favorite Moments on Quad Skates?

    From Robin F: "What springs to mind when you think of your favorite moments on quads? Is it competition, with its camaraderie and excitement? Rollerdancing on a Saturday night? Practicing a new move and finally mastering it?"

    Free Online Banked Track Plans

    The Milpitas Speed Team has published a set of plans for a Roller Derby style banked skating track.

    How Hard Are SkateBall Wheels?

    From Conceptor1: "I have used the SkaterBall 50 millimeter skate wheel since the 1980's, but SkateBall is no longer in business. I have found 52 millimeter wheels on the internet but I am not sure of the hardness. Does anybody know the hardness of SkateBall Wheels?"

    Tuesday, August 22, 2006

    Sandy's Naked Skating T-Shirts

    Nude skate organizer Sandy Snakenberg has opened a t-shirt shop with shirts bearing a photo of Sandy and friends skating naked across the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

    New Excalibur Custom Speed Skates

    From ncspeed: "Here are some photos of my new excalibur customs made by two guys out of Winston-Salem North Carolina. I really like these boots. Very cumfortable, but the ankle is really stiff. I guess I will just get use to that..."

    Is Roller Skating Detrimental to Young Girls?

    During the 1880s roller skating became enormously popular among American children. But this physical activity was considered detrimental to the health of young girls as is evident in this letter published in 1885...


    Flat or Elliptical Wheels for Artistic Inline?

    From CHC: "I am artistic inline skating on 70 millimeter, 80A hardness elliptical wheels, but I have seen special artistic wheels, and I have also seen people using flat wheels. Which are better for edges, control, stability, and spinning?"

    Roller Hockey Player Wants to Slalom Skate

    From Glick: "Is there a site with videos that can teach me how to slalom skate? Is it usually done on a hill? Can i use roller hockey blades?"

    Meet the Inland Empire Derby Divas

    Take a look at the Web site of the Inland Empire Derby Divas of Southern California. Their site includes general information about the team and a list of questions frequently asked by potential roller girls.

    Monday, August 21, 2006

    New Jason McDaniel Custom Speed Skates

    From 6Appeal: "Got my new Jason McDaniel customs Friday. Skated the Saturday afternoon session at the rink. Skates feel great with only the cuff bothering me since itis so stiff..."

    St. Paul Inline Marathon Experiences

    From BuzzingHornet: "What a disappointing race for me. Same ankle problem, and this time it was even worse. I didn't recover until 14 miles into the race..."

    Australian Skater Doesn't Know Where to Start

    From Morrisonhk: "I have the blades and the safety gear but I'm just not sure where to start. I can't find anyone in Canberra to teach me..."

    Which Aggressive Wheels Last Longest?

    Park skater says his wheels wear out too fast and he's wondering what wheels other skaters use.

    Artistic Pairs Skaters in India

    This article about pairs artistic roller skaters Upasana Updhyay and Aaron Jayant Saldanha of India includes a photo of them practicing together.

    What Do You Enjoy Most About Quad Skating?

    From Rachel Ann Fournier: "A few months ago I decided to try quad roller skating again and became hooked. At first it bothered me that I didn't know anyone at the skating rink, but little by little, I began to make friends..."

    Slalom Championship Finals in Barcelona

    The International Freestyle Skating Association 2006 Final Championships will take place August 25-27 in the city of Terrassa, which is near Barcelona, Spain. More then 100 skaters from at least 10 countries will participate, and events will include freestyle slalom, speed slalom, free jump, and high jump.

    New Roller Dancing Movies

    Some of the newest movies to feature roller dancing include "Roll Bounce", "Eight Wheels And Some Soul Brotha Music", and "ATL".

    New Dallas Derby Devils Web Site

    The Dallas Derby Devils roller girl Web site disappeared for a while, but now it is back, according to Derby Devil "June Carter Crash".

    Sunday, August 20, 2006

    Show Us a Picture of Your Skates

    What are you skating on now? Share a photo!

    Roller Dance Competitions - Where and When?

    From Aruala8k: "Who can tell me about the locations and dates of roller dance and jamskate competitions?"

    Saturday, August 19, 2006

    Skateboarder Wants to Inline Skate

    From Jon: "I did skateboarding for 5 years and now I'm into BMX, but inline skating looks like so much fun. I need some advice about where to start..."

    Stretching Exercises for Skaters

    Is it a good idea to stretch before skating? Some people tell me it's very important to do so, and others tell me you should never stretch muscles before they are warmed up.

    Blue Cannibals Are Awesome

    From MotoSk8ter: "I have been using Rokdaddy's blue cannibals for a while now. Are there any better quad wheels out there?"

    British Freestyle Slalom Battle

    There will be a freestyle slalom competition in the United Kingdom on Saturday, October 7, 2006. The event will take place at the Victoria Leisure Centre in the city of Nottingham.

    A Roller Contest in Siberia

    There will be a skating competition in Novosibirsk, Russia August 25-27, 2006.

    Photos of Our Forum Visitors

    Take a look at who's visiting our forum!

    Friday, August 18, 2006

    What Water Does To a Bearing (Photo)

    A picture of what happens to the inside of a skate bearing when it gets wet. This photo was taken during the Rotterdam Wednesday Night skate in the Netherlands.

    Best Inline Hockey Web Sites

    Tell us about your favorite inline hockey Web sites.

    Description of a Bad Fall at a Skate Park

    From Skipper: "This ****head skated right in front of me. I managed to go around him but then I hit a ledge..."

    Skating the Great Wall of China (Video)

    From Seba: "The challenge was to be the first skaters ever to slalom on the Great Wall of China. We did it though the conditions were difficult..."

    When Should I Rotate My Wheels?

    From Siowhonv: "I have been skating with the same pairs of inlines for over two years but not very consistently and not agressively. I am wondering when I should change the wheels."

    Wednesday, August 16, 2006

    Confused About Cleaning and Lubricating

    Skater wants to know if the procedure they used to clean their bearings was OK. Did they skip a step? Should they have applied some kind of lubricant?

    An October Inline Marathon in Spain

    Here is some information about an inline skating marathon October 28-29, 2006 in the city of Gijon, Spain. I am not that good at reading Spanish, but it looks like there will be races on both days. The location looks beautiful!

    Artistic Skating in Australia and Italy

    An Australian ice skater wants to learn inline figure skating in Melbourne, and she also has a question about artistic roller skating events in Calabria, Italy.

    How Important is Backwards Skating?

    From CBeck: "My primary interest is in going forward and my free time is limited, so I'm trying to figure out where my learning efforts should be directed. How important is learning to skate backwards?"

    Tuesday, August 15, 2006

    How to Do Forward Flips on Skates

    From Lee McDonald: "How can I practice doing forward flips on skates? I don't have a trampoline..."

    Long Distance Skating Events

    Marcel reminded us the Inline One-Eleven is happening this weekend (a fantastic 111k event in Switzerland) so I thought this would be a good time to start a list of long distance skating events around the world.

    My First and Sketchy Front Flip (Video)

    From Mouse: "Last time I was on this forum I told people I could do front flips and no one belived me. Now I've got proof!"

    What is the Fastest Stride Frequency Possible?

    From Clemens: "I tried to find out the stride frequency of Luca Presti by watching a video. I had difficulty counting as fast as he made his skating steps, but I think it was almost two per second!"

    Monday, August 14, 2006

    What Aggressive Set-Up Are You Skating On?

    From Amy's Keeper: "Aggressive skaters - What setup are you skating on and have you done any "special" things to your skates?"

    Any Skating in Fairfax Virginia?

    From Clemens: "I am looking for a skate track or trail and people to skate with in Fairfax, Virginia. I will probably be there on 29th of October and some evenings the following week."

    New Frankie Morales Remz

    Has anybody seen the new Frankie Morales Remz aggressive skate? Is it any good?

    How to Train for a 100K Race

    From Clemens: "There are literally hundreds of training plans for running marathons, but I did not find anything on how to prepare for a 100k skate. Do you have any experience or advice?"

    Sunday, August 13, 2006

    Are Anti-doping Controls a Joke at Speed Events?

    From Our Forum: "They do testing (at world class speed skating events) but some skaters say 'nope i dont want to get tested' and walk off and there are no penalties. Skaters have proved positive and it has been covered up. Syringes have been found in the toilet blocks next to the world championship courses..."

    Seattle Eddy Matzger Workshop Photos

    Thirty-three pages of photos of an August 11-13, 2006 Eddy Matzger speed skating workshop in Seattle, Washington. Select the numbers at the top of the page to see all of the photos.

    Saturday, August 12, 2006

    Is There Any Place to Skate in Pasadena?

    From AndrewV: "I'm to visit Pasadena in October and would like to know if it's good idea to take skates with me. I'm a beginner at inline speedskating so desirable track is a lane with good asphalt..."

    Is Denver a Good Place to Skate?

    From BermudaSkater: "Does anyone here know about the skating scene in Denver Colorado?"

    2006 Artistic Roller Skating World Championships

    The 51st annual Artistic Roller Skating World Championships will take place November 27 through December 10, 2006 at the Murcia Municipal Sports Palace in the city of Murcia, Spain. Here is the official event Web site and some general information about visiting Murcia and Spain.

    Skater is Looking for Slideboard Surface Material

    From Crumppie: "Anyone know where I can buy the material you place on slideboards? I use to buy it at Rickels, where it came in rolls..."

    Friday, August 11, 2006

    Shoddy Treatment at U.S. Artistic Nationals

    From SpinJumpSk8: "Just wanted to comment on how shoddy the facilities were at the U.S. Artistic Nationals this year. Come on now, no dressing rooms to change in? I know most people spent big bucks on their outfits and I for one didn't want to have to lay mine on the grubby floor in a public restroom..."

    How to Improve U.S. Artistic Nationals

    From Pacificsk8r: "Regarding the 2006 United States Artistic Roller Skating National Championships in Lincoln: I don't feel the programming was very well thought out or very condusive to the advancement of the sport of roller skating..."

    OK to Skate With a Torn Rotator Cuff?

    From GBO: "Doctor diagnosed a torn rotator cuff. Surgery in 2 weeks. How long I'll be off skates after that is unknown. I would like to skate between now and then but if I swing my arms the injury gets aggravated... "

    Heat Molding Boots With the Wheels On

    From Skaterdog: "I tried to heat mold my boots with the wheels on and now the wheels seem wobbly..."

    Who is Skating the New York 100K or Marathon?

    From Dev Gnoll: "New York City 100K and skate marathon, Prospect Park, Aug 26, 2006. Who is in?"

    Thursday, August 10, 2006

    Actor Needs to Learn to Skate in 2 Weeks

    From JDL: "I need to learn to skate - on quads - in the next 2 weeks. I am going to be in a play and I will skate on the stage. Rehearsals start in a couple of weeks..."

    Live Coverage of the Speed Skating Worlds

    From Godzilla: "Bont Skates, in cooperation with PatinCarrera.com, is proud to bring you the official FIRS Speed Committee live coverage for the 2006 Inline World Championships in Anyang, Korea."

    Exploding Off the Start Line

    From Fablemaker2: "Can recommend some good drills for quick starts? Any hints to keep me from learning bad habits?"

    How to Do a 360 on a Half Pipe

    From Fablemaker2: "I'm ready to try a 360 in a half-pipe. Any tips? I'm prepared to crash. Please help me to avoid that!"

    Speedy's Training Log is Baaaaaaaaaack

    How far did you skate today? Did you encounter any problems or surprises? Did you do any off-skate training? Inquiring minds want to know!

    Skater's New Wolfe Alpha Racing Boots

    From Dev Gnoll: "My new boots came in. Wolfe Alphas. They are sweet - only a little hotspot. Been out for a total of about 60 miles..."

    How to Register for a Forum User Name

    Everyone can read messages in our new skating forum, but before you can post new messages or reply to other people's messages you will need to create a forum user name. To sign up for a user name, connect to the forum and select "Register" from left side of the blue bar at the top of the page.

    We Are Rebuilding Our Skating Forum Now

    To view the progress of the skating forum being built on this Web site, connect to the New SkateLog Forum. We are still trying to decide if we should attempt to import the data from our old phpBB forum or just restore that forum for reference, but lock out registrations and new posts. To be determined... more information soon...

    Wednesday, August 9, 2006

    The AskAboutSkating Forum is Being Moved

    The forum at AskAboutSkating.com is being completely transformed. It will open again, in the next few days, with some radical changes:
  • New Forum Software: vBulletin
  • New Web Site Hosting Service: Pair
  • New Domain Name: SkateLogForum.com
    We are trying to save all of the messages posted in the AskAboutSkating.com forum over the last five years, so keep your fingers crossed about that. But in the meantime we will have forum software that is not free, but is commercially supported and a Web site host that is more expensive, but very skilled, experienced, and reliable.