1.) Read up on your discipline. Check out Amazon for good books on the subject, check out Inline Planet E-Zine &  www.aboutskating.com and see what other skaters are doing with their talents. You’ll find new moves, new technique and likely an enjoyable time reading about skating.

2.) Watch videos on Vimeo and YouTube. In the previous post I found a skater doing a one footed spin on inline skates and it was because of that video, I could do it. I am still working on it, trying to sneak up on that spin, but this kid inspired me. When I started inline skating at 34 I’d like to think I would have tried it before I saw it but at 51 I’m a tad more cautious. To be fair, I’ve done a ton of one footed scratch and sit spins with about 10 revolutions or so, but they were on PicSkates, and I’d like to replicate the spin on rockered skates.

3.) Try the moves in shoes. (As my friend Stacy learned, it’s not appropriate to do them in your socks). From aggressive to artistic, Racing to Slalom, Derby to rink skating, getting a sense of what the body feels like, or should, it very helpful.

Take time to study skating, as well as to enjoy skating.

For me the answer seems to be that I need to scare the hell out of myself, even if I don’t have health insurance.

I am now trying a one-foot spin on my SEBAs.  Success?  Sort of. I’ve only been working on it for a week but I got two revolutions out of it and I did it on the second wheel, not the first one. It makes more sense but it’s a tricky balance. It goes without saying that I’m on rockered skates. Two revolutions, WooHoo!  But my heart is in my throat and I don’t think I breath the whole time.

Eleanor Roosevelt said we should do one thing every day that scares us.  I think that 20 attempts at the spin is good for a week.

Tom Grosspietch (foreground at left, Philip Graff behind Tom)  is an amazing skater and community builder. I had the chance to be in Chicago for a Skate Instructor Certification for three local skaters. I arrived early enough to do the Friday night skate which the NSP (National Skate Patrol) heads.

Tom has long been the person who develops the “themed” Friday Night Skates which in the past have included the Chicago Fire notable locations and The “Inline” Skate where the skaters toured all the hotspots which were so busy you had to stand “in line.”  Clever, for sure.  I think there have been some 55 different skates which occurred in passable weather .

My first Friday Night Skate was a tour of the momentous locations of the St. Valentines’ Day Massacre.  While some of the exact locations are in question, Tom did his best to verify the details which included calling an author of one of the books he was reviewed for our tour. Tom located conflicting information on the address of the garage where the ‘fake’ police car caught on fire so he researched and contacted the author to confirm the correct address  (1723 Wood Street.) We saw the hospital where one of the gangster was taken to (sadly died just outside). Along the way we learned additional details of the robbery that Tom had gleaned from his research.

Joining us on the skate were two other patrolers Philip Graff (my host in Chicago) and Gerard who picked up the rear to insure all was safe. Dan & Bachi, non NSP-ers joined in as well. According to Philip there were quite a few people absent as they usually enjoy 15 or so skaters.

Because it was my first trip to Chicago the leads veered from the map a bit to show me other parts of Beantown. As we meandered through the streets I couldn’t help but see the strong nightlife, the refurbished areas which offered a cool factor and true pride for the city by my rolling hosts.

The skate was easy in my “90s” and a brake was a good idea even though it wasn’t too hilly. We went over bridges, through the industrial area, under trains and along sidewalks. We stopped to regroup, often for a history lesson (e.g., which gangster lived where) and waited at lights which offered a chance to chat. It is of note that Tom skated the route twice before Friday to insure we had the best pavement possible and that it was a safe route.

These types of skates happen pretty much everywhere there is an NSP chapter.  I am not, as I sit on the plane, entirely clear how many NSP chapters exist, but given their success in getting weekly skates together, I think it suggests that a push should be made for more NSP chapters.  (13 Chapters, I’m told)

While I run educational programs for a living, it is not the only way to build our community.  If you live in a city with an NSP chapter, consider joining it. If you don’t, consider starting one.

Thanks to my fellow skaters for reminding me that the reason to learn to skate is to be able to spend time in the company of talented and terrific skaters.

I couldn’t find an actual link to an NSP site as it appears it run chapter  by chapter. Here is the Web/meet up for Chicago: Windy City Meet-up NSP

I couldn’t attach the copy of our map, but email me if you are interested in reviewing it.  My first trip to Chicago, but for sure not my last.

Here is a map of the route:  St-Valentines Day-RR-r4

Determined to skate with his friends, Mario purchased skates that fit him well and protective gear, all of it, and found himself a space mostly out of the public eye and practiced his skating. He fell a lot but each fall taught him a better balance position (what not to do) and eventually the falls came less often and subsequently, his form improved and he could join his mates and skate comfortably with them.He had taught himself to skate.

A decade later, or more, he still enjoys skating and stretches his legs skating fast on local trails. He’ll finish a skate and, as he explains to me, he felt exhilarated, efficient, and the legs were pushed to the point that they hurt in a muscle-yummy kind of ways (my description, not his).

While I live in the world where people take lessons to learn, there is easily an equal amount that learn on their own.  I am sure it is done in a variety of ways but the drive it requires to learn to skate is no small feat, especially for the self-taught who are more likely to fall, more often.  I certainly remember my own learning to skate on ice–my mom finally bought my sister and I ski pants with cushion which allowed us to slide more (we also learned by having butt sliding contests). There was definitely a learning curve.

Skating is not intuitive and therefore is hard won. Biking is usually done learning from a parent and running is a good example of intuitive and easy to learn.

Skating isn’t that easy, so for all of you who learned, one way or another, you are in an elite club for which you cannot buy your way in, unless you can put a cash value on falls.

Laterskaters, Trish

Thus, I am finding I must be crafty in finding ways to get or stay in shape. The long winter and poor spring has helped me ‘pad’ myself a bit more than I like and I’ve fallen off the exercise wagon… what is a Seattlite to do?

Friday, Saturday & Sunday I skate at the rink (Bellevue Skate King) and although I can get in great skate sessions, I am far too efficient in skating to do much good for my cardiovascular & muscle development. I know there is some, but not a lot.

This past Monday, even though I woke up with the local strain of influenza, I decided that seven days a week of exercise was necessary so I began by walking around Greenlake, a man made lake which is 2.7 miles (about) around and it is the busiest park in Washington state. With walkers, joggers, strollers, long boarders and even skaters, it gets plenty of use.  After the walk, right after, I was a bit sore as my body was made neither for walking or running (including missing the menisci in both knees). After that walk I felt a bad kind of sore, the kind of high-impact-not-good-for-my-body sore so I grabbed my Nordic Walking Poles  and went Tuesday. No pain, and I walked much faster with the poles. On Wednesday I clipped on my pedometer and the distance was 4,500 steps in 38 minutes. And it felt good. And it was pouring rain, even the turtles were hiding. I mean pouring. The feeling of being outside to exercise in the rain, was magical. As skaters when it rains we just look out the window and look wistfully at the smooth pavement, but I’ve found something I can do every day.

For other types of cross training, I put a P90X DVD in the player (occasionally) and enjoy the weight workout. I wish I would do it more. And some days I get on my Stairmaster (bought on Craigslist for $75, $10 delivery) but when I’m tired or sick it’s really hard to talk myself into getting on that taskmaster.  I just got a Total Trainer on Craigslist too but I need to set it up in my spare room so it’s available anytime.

What I like about the Nordic Walking is that it’s easy to do (trust me, 90% need a lesson or two but after that you are good to go) and I can do it in any weather, anywhere.  And I’m likely to do it. If I’ve got a good movie from Netflix on the computer then I can get on the Stairmaster, Total Trainer or simultaneously watch P90X . It all works.  I just gotta do it.

Why do the exercise?  It’s an easy answer: because I don’t skate as well when I weigh more. I know how much to weigh because my skating feels effortless. When my abs are solid my form is better. When my cardiovascular system is running well, then I adore trail skating.

It’s easy to get out of shape, hard to get back into shape. I think the Nordic Walking is my consistent ticket and the other forms of exercise I need to do more consistently will be picked up because I’m enjoying the fitness again.  Anyway, it’s a plan, and I love a good plan.

[In the name of full disclosure, I should say that I am a Nordic Walking Instructor  http://www.NordicWalkingJourneys.com ]

Slalom Skating practice was the goal. I’m crappy at it, especially in comparison to  Jeremy and Naomi who live nearby (not to mention all the Skate Journeys Slalom skaters). Further, I just watched the entire “Mini Battle, Miami” and even the skaters who didn’t win were far beyond my skills.

So, okay, I’m not good, but I still enjoy it and from time to time I work on it. I like it because it’s difficult. I have to technically think about what I am doing: balance, rotation, edging, pressure.  I concentrate on one fundamental and another needs to be added but my brain is slow to follow two of the four fundamentals simultaneously.

I skate for about 45 minutes, small victories that no one could have seen but me. Skating is personal and learning for me is about the swoop of my edge, the effortless rotation if only lasting a nano second, the balance hitting my ‘block’ for such a short time even I almost missed it.

The small victories compel me to skate, my joy is found in my small victories. Learning. That is what I love, skating is the vehicle.

I am sitting just 25 yards off the beach in Hollywood, Florida and I spent the day finishing up certifying another awesome skater to become an instructor, took a nice stroll, er, roll on the boardwalk and then took off my skates and laid in the late sun for an hour.

I know how fortunate I am and I encourage you to become fortunate as well. Plan a trip to a sunny place and skate. Miami is handy because it really has a wonderful beach trail that goes on for miles. Too often we get hooked into the usual places we skate whether it be rinks, or a specific trail or a specific tennis court.

Step out and roll the world. Zephyr Tours has trips to Amsterdam, Paris & Hilton Head. A bunch of skaters in the northwest organize a trip to the Coeur D’Alene Trail in Idaho. There are highly organized social skates in NYC, Boston, Philadelphia, Miami and Washington DC, to name a few. There are races in Texas, Atlanta, Duluth and well, many more. A good place to find all the events is InlinePlanet

Just consider skating somewhere else. You can skate the world, where do you want to skate?  Not only will see new places differently as you roll around, you will also meet new and wonderful people.

I forgot that my world could be bigger, but my trip to Miami for the Great EsSkate reminded me that I get to skate differently. And, the new people I met this week reminded me of the true wealth of the world.

For new instructors, I encourage you to stand far enough away to start looking for balance issues starting with the helmet. For the self taught skater, when working on a move, set yourself up for success by checking the direction of your helmet (eyes), where your shoulders and arms are, and what type of flex you have in your hips, your knees and your ankles.

Drop your head and your legs will open wide.  Chin up!

Keep your shoulders rolled forward and you will bend at the waist. Roll ‘em back and lift the ribcage!

Keep your hands either down or swinging to and fro and you’ll fall backwards.  Arms in front of the lateral line of your body and keep ‘em QUIET!

Bend forward and your legs will be straight and you can’t do anything. Stand tall, bend your knees softly.

When you skate, maximize your skating by doing a quick checklist: head up, shoulders back, arms in front, lift up your ribs, flex in all the right places and none of the wrong places.

Set yourself up for success. Make every stroke excellent, every rotation perfection, make every glide feel like you are flying. Start with your head and work your way down. And when you get to the feet go weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! as your skates whirl like an angel’s wings flap when happy.

1.       Helmets: These cheery helmets are so fun, so crazy, from a watermelon to “Danger!” they are  silly and will make you want to go skate. Nut Case Helmets

2.       EZeeFit gloves: and er, well there are numerous products worth mentioning. The gloves are awesome, I love mine. But, they also have ankle booties if your skates are digging into your skin. Full foot booties which would work perfectly for those of you who have too much room in your skates and dang if the cushion shorts don’t look tempting after my fall last week.

3.      Gear guy alert:  A bearing puller. It won’t fit in your bag, but it will pull them out effortlessly when you mount it on the table. Awesome find at Fast Girl Skates

5.       Shirt (I still Rollerblade) Found it on Ebay, Perfect. Unfortunately it does show the down slide of our sport but what better way to let everyone know we are still here. The perfect shirt.

6.       Skate Bag.  While I have the one which holds your skate on the outside and I LOVE it, Love it and actually just love it, I thought I’d point out this funky one…it works great if you want to hang them up in your closet or have several pairs of skates. I think for those of you who are super tidy, it is the perfect way to keep track of them. Skate Carriers

6a.)  I can’t leave this product section without adding that I love my skate bag. I saw a similar one in 2000 at Duluth as the Hyper Skate Bag where you carry your skates on the outside I didn’t buy it. When I saw someone with a similar one made by SEBA I glommed onto it. I love it. I couldn’t find you a pic on the web, but skate crazy might have a few…..

7.       Skate Lace Puller. For those of you who require tight laces, this is your new best friend and you can find it Inline Warehouse: 

8.       A trip to Miami on February 4th for the Great EsSkate to warm up from all this cold. Even if it isn’t as warm as usual there, it’s better than ‘here.’ The Great EsSkate!

9.       Grease/oil/cleaner: Tiodize makes the very best Speed Skate Lubricant. You can spray it on while you still have your skates on. It goes on as a cleaner and then evaporates leaving the perfect amount of oil. I used it all the time when I skated outside and it was threatening rain. It cut down on my bearing cleaning sessions by half. (Okay, I rarely do it.)  Anyway, can’t find the stuff so it would really make a GREAT holiday present.  Maybe we can launch a campaign to get Inline Warehouse carry it. Stan, are you in?

10.   Slalom Cones. These travel easily and lay them out and you instantly have a party and an audience. Even if you don’t slalom skate, they are fun. Look out for those cones!

11.   New skaters.  We need more skaters to skate with. Question is, how can we wrap them up and get them under the tree?  Do your part to build our sport, invite, teach, share, cheer.

12.   Skates. You knew I was coming to this: All I want for the Holidays is four new pairs of skates:  If you feel the same way then maybe consider these models:

Riedell, build your own skate, your colors, your way.   I have some with pink on one side and black on the other. Still trying to learn to skate as well my Reidell’s as I do on inline. Darn, I only have my lifetime to get better. Weeeeeeeeee. If you don’t quad yet, you are surely missing something fun.

SEBA Skates, the Seba High, almost every part is replaceable with a Phillips or regular screwdriver. Replaceable lining, priceless. The ones shown are the IGOR Pro model which run a bit more expensive. No matter which ones you get, get some!

K2 Skates has a new feature, the “skate of the month” and it offers one for each gender. Very cool sporty tennis shoes on wheels. How fun is that?  

Rollerblade And just because I can, I want to share with you that Rollerblade makes ice skates, so for those of you who think you have too many skates, think again. Check out their line.

Just for fun, a bakers dozen: K2 Cruiser, The REVO KICK. Why not?

Here’s hoping that I’ve listed at least one thing you need, want or drool over.  Enjoy the holidays and remember, there is great value in giving than in receiving. Maybe give someone a pair of skates in just the right size for you.

Later, skaters, Trish

I wrote the ad campaign, “We know you can fall, but can you skate?” to address the biggest issue. With a bit of whiplash going on in my neck due to a fairly spectacular fall it is of note that falling is inevitable and it’s often, although not always, painful.

Pain is THE demotivating factor in getting new skaters to skate and often caused skaters who already knew how to skate, to quit.

But what about the pleasures of skating?  Grace on skates: crossing the finish line, weaving three slalom moves together effortlessly so you can’t tell where one move began and another ended, a hockey score after three players passed beautifully between themselves and the puck slid in like the puck in an air hockey game. What about the simple stroking done around a rink, a spiral that almost seems to have airtime.  The joy of a pace line of social skaters, laughing, smiling and simply skating well?

What will help us move potential new students from thinking about the pain and moving into the pleasure? I think the posters are a good start. Suggesting that pain occurs without a lesson, that with a lesson you will actually learn how to skate instead of just learning how to fall.

Another suggestion is that each of us get out there and skate in places where more people can see us, on trails, in parks, in very visible venues, even if all you do is drive through. In NYC you have Central Park, but you will need to go to locations you have not before. You will need to show off, strut your stuff. I skate at the public sessions and it’s embarrassing, but I just do all my dance stuff. I get asked if I am a professional, and I laugh and say no, but that I’m a teacher. I often wear my instructor shirt. Although I feel like others will think I am egotistical, I really believe that sharing skating with others, the grace of it no matter what discipline, is more important than my perception.

The pain is falling, the pleasure is the grace. Show the grace, teach them how not to fall and get them over the belief that skating is bad. It’s not, it’s like Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.