After Session Free_No_Direction Blog

[HoneyBeeoftheValley]

Six songs of backwards skating?! Wow. When we have a (sanctioned) backwards skate it's usually not even a whole song for beginners and then another not even a whole song for advanced and then it's back to all skate. We also do a little reverse skate sometimes, but not last time. Maybe she forgot. Not sure since I usually have to alternate which day of the weekend I go so I don't always get to go on Sat night. Sundays they play kids games instead. A sort of freeze skate (music stops, you stop, but with a twist. They roll a huge die and which ever number comes up, who ever is standing under that number has to clear the floor) A crab race (where you bend over and only propel yourselves with your hands pulling along the floor) and at the end they play line dance music (macarena, etc.) and cone off a small section (not small enough, imo) for people to dance without skates on the floor, but no one ever does them, they just keep skating. I prefer the backwards and reverse skates because they help improve my skills. Maybe I'll start going by myself on Sat nights and bring the fam on Sundays. My kids really do not like Sat nights lol

[oldspeedskater67]

Saturday night is different for sure. I took my 12yo boys, and it was a learning experience. Lol teenagers everywhere, Making out. I couldn't believe how many kids were there not wearing skates. Well about 10pm I figured it out. They let everybody without skates to get in the middle of the rink to dance. Last about 45 min. Never seen that before. Not to many adults around, and the floor was packed with skaters. Not much fun for a skater.

[oldspeedskater67]

Originally Posted by HoneyBeeoftheValley

Six songs of backwards skating?! Wow. When we have a (sanctioned) backwards skate it's usually not even a whole song for beginners and then another not even a whole song for advanced and then it's back to all skate. We also do a little reverse skate sometimes, but not last time. Maybe she forgot. Not sure since I usually have to alternate which day of the weekend I go so I don't always get to go on Sat night. Sundays they play kids games instead. A sort of freeze skate (music stops, you stop, but with a twist. They roll a huge die and which ever number comes up, who ever is standing under that number has to clear the floor) A crab race (where you bend over and only propel yourselves with your hands pulling along the floor) and at the end they play line dance music (macarena, etc.) and cone off a small section (not small enough, imo) for people to dance without skates on the floor, but no one ever does them, they just keep skating. I prefer the backwards and reverse skates because they help improve my skills. Maybe I'll start going by myself on Sat nights and bring the fam on Sundays. My kids really do not like Sat nights lol

They play one song at a time for backwards, and couple, but atleast 6 times for a 6 hour session. They play a dice game, hokey pokey, chicken dance, B-day. About 15 min Break for us. Usually adjust skates, or change wheels. My sons are getting picky.

[Mort]

Originally Posted by oldspeedskater67

They play one song at a time for backwards, and couple, but atleast 6 times for a 6 hour session. They play a dice game, hokey pokey, chicken dance, B-day. About 15 min Break for us. Usually adjust skates, or change wheels. My sons are getting picky.

I was speaking with a new skating friend at the local rink on Sundays family session. His granddaughter came up and "needed her wheels adjusted". Hs put the wrench to them all and faked turning the nuts as he was "adjusting" hew wheels. She skated away quite happy �� satisfied that he had helped her skates. We both got a kick out of it.

I may have found a guy to do some machine work as well. Like a CNC Arius out of w/e billet bar stock I want to use. I unbolted mine the other day to find that I had bent the plates. One of my axles is just a little bent as well. I'm guessing this happened at EWNB when I bent that zombie hub by checking the wall at a fast backwards pace with my heel. At any rate their aluminum is crap, which most of us here know. I have not tried to abuse that plate, and even though one is bent a bit from the wall check. The other one is also off a tiny bit.

I'll also know exactly what they are making that plate out of, trucks bolts axles, etc. Probably report back on a previous thread I made about the findings.

[oldspeedskater67]

i have friends with CNC too. They just want to do engine part stuff, or modifying parts. They like making big money, with the smallest amount of work. Lol you mention 300-500 they don't like that. Lol. They like letting a machine run for 8 hours and sell the parts for 1000. I don't blame them. They have a lot of money in the machine, and when things break it cost some $.
It is cool he is going to work with you!!!!

[Mort]

Originally Posted by oldspeedskater67

i have friends with CNC too. They just want to do engine part stuff, or modifying parts. They like making big money, with the smallest amount of work. Lol you mention 300-500 they don't like that. Lol. They like letting a machine run for 8 hours and sell the parts for 1000. I don't blame them. They have a lot of money in the machine, and when things break it cost some $.
It is cool he is going to work with you!!!!

Yea, I'm fortunate to have met such a nice guy. I'll pay him with skate knowledge, skills, and stuff I can get from my work. W/e it takes to get stuff done. If they get it in there, it would be easy to make a smaller version(wheelbase). Its all "lets see what we can do" right now, but hopefully things pan out.

Powerdyne really has a great product. It just needs better materials and components.

[MANY_SkatingDave]

Hi Mort,
First I might not get back to read your reply for more than a week. Got lots to do, so sorry in advance.

You have a Good Hope for Teaching.

Originally Posted by Mort

Yea. I was just going to make videos without commentary, then if someone wanted a in depth explanation on how I acomplished a move I'd write it out in more detail. I'm no art skater, while I can skate elegantly if I wish, its not really my style. I don't care either way, the important part is for people to learn how to manipulate their skates line of travel by selectively displacing weight/lateral forces- IE- learning how their skate carves. o - o

So far the best I have seen is Joe. He is an Art Skater teacher and has a YouTube Channel. Courtney has also done OK, yet Joe since Art is more complex, has done more. Look at both. Also Kathie has some stuff given to her yet it gets kind of hidden.

The thing about caving around others, learned by many seasoned session skaters, on all different skate types, and great Derby skaters on low cuts, IS that the moves are hard to teach and even explain.

How you watch all the traffic, and could be obstacles/problems is in itself an adaptive talent hard to teach. Yet give it a Go.

Originally Posted by Mort

o - o I'm not for or against any kingpin angle or plate setup, but you gotta know EVERY aspect of your situation, and to some degree almost every aspect of others before you give advice like its gospel. Lots of people like to bash on gear here too, like "if only it were 7mm". "if it wasnt a cobbled DA45 with press fit KP's" "if it had flips" the list can go on. o - o

"It's about the Skater" comes to mind.

Yep I finally decided to stay away from the Quad section due to all the horribly not knowing skaters. Hard to teach someone OnLine with a frozen brain. AND I GET MAD. Like me you too have seen skaters on everything. InLines (various types), Quads with low cuts, mid cuts or high tops, flat presentation or Art.
You get to learn more when you see more stuff, and do not have a Frozen Brain. Oops that reminds me of a personal story on SLF. Never saw anyone spin on their toes 30 plus times and said it was totally impossible TILL I saw it in person. and then found videos on line.

Originally Posted by Mort

o - o I hope If we can get such a video thread going that it stays entirely clean and informative. Maybe I can just get it started and get 1 post in it, have it locked and just edit things in as people send me links VIA PM, so there is no slandering. I don't want to be an admin here, I don't want to work where I play. o - o

That is a little bit difficult here, unless you do it under Roller Dance. Usually due to me the Quad crazies stay away. Yet that too can change.

It would be nice to have it inside of SLF rather than outside, yet clean management doesn't seem obvious.

Originally Posted by Mort

o - o Damn I wish I owned a rink :/ I'd probably host a lot of "learn to skate for free" classes 45 minuites before session if you came early/ signed up and skated that session.

Now Mort, you can do this and I could too. Yet Mort I don't want to lose my skate time, so I am reluctant to offer. Anyway, A young lady(40s), former Art Skater down in Bethlehem, PA at SkateAway gives or gave her time on kids open session to train young skaters.
That is right free advice with her showing them moves and how to skate. My wife said I should do this. Yet again it would cost me time. Anyway, you can offer your rink your services. AND if they know you are good they will accept them.

One Skater, in a Rink Far Away, teaches another good skater, from another and then another Good Skater.

Yours in Skating, MA/NY Skating Dave

[oldspeedskater67]

My weds session moved outdoors yesterday.lol I have been skating atleast 10k everyday this week. Yesterday my better half rode her bike, as I skated next to her. Worked well. She doesnt care for skating. When we ride bikes together I don't get much out of it. She can only ride 5-7 miles, and 10-12 mph. The road was so rough 12 mph was fast enough for me. Lol Anyway skating while she rode her bike worked purdy good.

[GraySk8ter]

Originally Posted by oldspeedskater67

My weds session moved outdoors yesterday.lol I have been skating atleast 10k everyday this week. Yesterday my better half rode her bike, as I skated next to her. Worked well.

Good for you! Companion time with exercise. Can't beat that. You did have a brutal winter though. So, watch out for potholes!

Keep rollin

[Mort]

Awesome. Your outside skating! Outdoor environments make for a much stronger base of balance than indoors. Outdoor skating in ever changing environments makes you more receptive to what's going on under your feet, and teaches you to adapt to random forces/frictions your very unlikely to encounter in a rink situation unless tripping over someone.

Its a "must have" skill if you ask me, and can be very apparent when I take friends outdoors. Even a great rink skater with little- no experience outdoors gets their skills severely nerfed due to the environmental change of the skating surface. Its quite a sight to watch someone your almost equal with indoors go to a "newbie" because of a couple gravels

[oldspeedskater67]

Originally Posted by GraySk8ter

Good for you! Companion time with exercise. Can't beat that. You did have a brutal winter though. So, watch out for potholes!

Keep rollin

Yeah I hope she sticks with it. Makes a workout so much better...

[oldspeedskater67]

Originally Posted by GraySk8ter

Good for you! Companion time with exercise. Can't beat that. You did have a brutal winter though. So, watch out for potholes!

Keep rollin

Yeah I hope she sticks with it. Makes a workout so much better...

Originally Posted by Mort

Awesome. Your outside skating! Outdoor environments make for a much stronger base of balance than indoors. Outdoor skating in ever changing environments makes you more receptive to what's going on under your feet, and teaches you to adapt to random forces/frictions your very unlikely to encounter in a rink situation unless tripping over someone.

Its a "must have" skill if you ask me, and can be very apparent when I take friends outdoors. Even a great rink skater with little- no experience outdoors gets their skills severely nerfed due to the environmental change of the skating surface. Its quite a sight to watch someone your almost equal with indoors go to a "newbie" because of a couple gravels

I agree. I skated outside years ago, but still is more challenging for sure. Using the zoombie mini road hawgs 84A. They are awesome. My normal coarse I do 5 laps 6.2 miles. 10k. There is about 1/2 mile of it that is rough. 100' where it has gravel from a play area. It has 18 turns. 5 of them about 45*. Really stinks you slow way down to make all the turn. Also have to cross the entrance road each lap too. So the stop watch times aren't as good as what I would like, but for the coarse they are decent. Always have to pass people, and a dog or two. Lol. It bothers my bad knee a little more outside. My left knee. Inside you done get to kick that left leg much. Outdoors your kicking all the time. Really enjoying it though...

[Mort]

I like it outdoors cause I can really open it up. Really shows if you got good form outdoors, top speeds are greatly affected by it. Those whipper snappers at the rink get their inertial advantage taken away when we aren't making constant turns. That 20-50 extra pounds puts the workload on us bigger guys, even worse if you don't have enough traction , say if the floors dusty.

[oldspeedskater67]

Originally Posted by Mort

I like it outdoors cause I can really open it up. Really shows if you got good form outdoors, top speeds are greatly affected by it. Those whipper snappers at the rink get their inertial advantage taken away when we aren't making constant turns. That 20-50 extra pounds puts the workload on us bigger guys, even worse if you don't have enough traction , say if the floors dusty.

You got that right!!!!! I'm not getting blisters outside either. That hauling butt, and crossing over super hard so you don't hit the wall is what gives me blisters. Those kids almost defy the laws of physics, but they won't out kick us outdoors. No Way.lmao

[GraySk8ter]

OK. New conversation. I skated an afternoon session today and it went well until a lady with a cell phone ran into me. She went down. I almost went down. But in the process of attempting to stay on my skates, I managed to twist my spine and get a nasty kink that hurt a lot for a short while. Caused me to end the skating early and hobble for home. After twenty or so minutes flat on my back resting and doing a few exercises I was taught at a recent stint with physical therapy, I managed to work the kink out.

She was apologetic (I appreciate that), but I told her she needed to be watch the floor and not the phone. I probably came off as a grump in a bad mood. But most of the session(2 1/2 hours) I was there, I was seeing Moms, Dads, teens, and tweens playing what ever on their dumb phones while rolling around.

AM I THE ONLY SKATER THAT IS ANNOYED BY PHONES ON THE RINK FLOOR? The only thing I can think of that is worse is those darndable SKATE MATES.

As rink patrons, we might be able to voice our opinions to the rink owners. Maybe some sense of reason might come forth. A new rule maybe? No cell phone usage on the floor. They ban gum. Most ban caps and hats(things that fall down and make other patrons go bump! Why not ban cell phone usage on the floor? They can do the videos from behind the rail. They can text the BFF back on the carpet. They can take selfies at the snack bar(stuffing their faces).

How about it forum members? How say you about cell phone usage on the skating rink floor?

Keep rollin

[HoneyBeeoftheValley]

While I haven't had a problem caused by a cell phone user (yet) it definitely shocked me the first time I saw someone skating and looking at their screens. I don't know about a ban. For some strange reason some people use their phones to play music with headphones while skating, even though there is music playing at the rink already. And tonight there was someone actually talking on their cell phone (GASP!) but they weren't looking at their screen so it was ok. I have my phone in a sport armband on my arm because I don't want to leave it with my coat, but I don't want it in a place that I might land on it (like a back pocket) but I don't use it on the floor. I'm still fairly new at my rink so I don't say anything.

[Mort]

%&*$ cell phones!

I have been known to snatch a phone from someone's hand, and when they look up I just tell the. " put this thing up when your on the floor or your not getting it back.". Firm voice, hold phone for 10 seconds after statement, give device back. Usually the kids stop... I don't do it to adults usually.

Cell phones being used(looking at them) is a instant increase in the likelihood of an accident occurring. If a rink doesn't care that people use cell phones on their floor they better prepare a retainer fee for a lawyer soon, chase they're gonna need it.

At our rink we have 2 corners and a lobby. I tell kids to get off the floor if they are gonna use their phone. Most of them know me cause I'm always there, and since I skate and am not just a "parent" I get a lot more pull to having their respect. So often I get results. Every now and then I'll have a defiant bratty ass kid (who is typically not a regular) tell.me "your not my boss" or "I'm going this way" when they are skating the wrong direction and I try to correct them. Ugh. When those super bratty kids tick me off its only a matter of time before one of the other regulars runs their wrong way butts over, and thats when I execute a hockey stop by them and say "THAT'S why you don't skate the wrong way! Your lucky it wasn't a big kid that hit you!"

I blame parents mostly. Theres way too many parents that automatically defend their children without knowing anything about a situation. Which teaches their kids that they can do no wrong. When I hear crap about my kid, I start asking her questions/ripping her ass first. I don't assume she's in the wrong but I don't dare let her think she's automatically in the right either.

[Derrick]

Originally Posted by GraySk8ter

OK. New conversation. I skated an afternoon session today and it went well until a lady with a cell phone ran into me. She went down. I almost went down. But in the process of attempting to stay on my skates, I managed to twist my spine and get a nasty kink that hurt a lot for a short while. Caused me to end the skating early and hobble for home. After twenty or so minutes flat on my back resting and doing a few exercises I was taught at a recent stint with physical therapy, I managed to work the kink out.

She was apologetic (I appreciate that), but I told her she needed to be watch the floor and not the phone. I probably came off as a grump in a bad mood. But most of the session(2 1/2 hours) I was there, I was seeing Moms, Dads, teens, and tweens playing what ever on their dumb phones while rolling around.

AM I THE ONLY SKATER THAT IS ANNOYED BY PHONES ON THE RINK FLOOR? The only thing I can think of that is worse is those darndable SKATE MATES.

As rink patrons, we might be able to voice our opinions to the rink owners. Maybe some sense of reason might come forth. A new rule maybe? No cell phone usage on the floor. They ban gum. Most ban caps and hats(things that fall down and make other patrons go bump! Why not ban cell phone usage on the floor? They can do the videos from behind the rail. They can text the BFF back on the carpet. They can take selfies at the snack bar(stuffing their faces).

How about it forum members? How say you about cell phone usage on the skating rink floor?

Keep rollin

Even if the dj allows it, I tell the kids, or occasionally adult, that it is not allowed. I imagine they figure a good skater either works there or knows the rules, so they gennerally stop.
It's often upt to the better skaters, that get some respect, to enforce stuff even when it's not our job.
Sometime it's just because the dj can't watch everything at once. If you ask them to make an anouncement they usually do. I don't do thst often, but I have before.

[oldspeedskater67]

Some of our rules.
No sun glasses.
No hats.
No cell phones.
No chewing gum in the building.
I have used my phone taking some video of kids Doimg some speed laps. I stand in the middle, and turn to take the video. I can show them what they need to work on. There our some Adults that use head phones with their phone. They don't care for the top 40 songs. I think all that is ok, but talking, and texting on the floor while skating is dangerous. I have seen a couple phones get a cracked screen from a fall.....

[Kassus]

Originally Posted by GraySk8ter

AM I THE ONLY SKATER THAT IS ANNOYED BY PHONES ON THE RINK FLOOR? The only thing I can think of that is worse is those darndable SKATE MATES.

Here's my take on cell phones on the floor: It annoys the crap out of me, but I figure if they get wrecked and/or drop their phone and someone else rolls over it and breaks it, they had it coming.

One of my more memorable wrecks was while going backwards during an afternoon skate. A kid on a skate mate came out of nowhere (cut diagonal across the floor to go off on the entrance). I got tangled up in the cart and took both myself and the kid out. The kid got up and went off (still used the entrance) and I didn't see her for the rest of the session... my guess is they probably left after that. I skated it out, but was sore for a good week afterwards.