After Session Mini Blog

[Rollerkingdom]

It would be interesting to see what some people have to say after they skate a roller skating session, anything new, fun, or even tragedy happened? We are all into skating anyways so why not

[slhallford]

I posted in the art forum yesterday. Got taken out by a psycho teen art skate wannabe on rentals. Came at me from behind and knocked me down. I had knee pads on under my jeans which saved me.

I think it's safe to say that if you can't maintain an upright stance without flailing your arms, you probably ought not try doing spins and turns.

Other than that, a fun session.

S

[TattooDani]

The only thing I can say is that I really wish management at our rink would do a better job of enforcing the posted rules and that parents would teach their kids basic rink etiquette before setting them loose. I know that comes with the territory of braving the Friday night session. Personally, I could do without it but my boyfriend likes it and we could use a little more time to spend together without our little girl (who goes with us to every session except Friday nights and the monthly adult night), so I just try to deal with it. Meh.

[MANY_SkatingDave]

They now have an entire cart line up of beginner training carts they have been using for a few weeks. Looks like a Grocery Cart or Buggy Stack since they bought so many.

These carts are shaped like an L and have wheels on the bottom. When you get 3 or 5 kids or even adults using them to hold themselves up and kids going cross floor to go to mommy they create a brand new hazard. When the kid falls they take up more than twice as much room with a tipsied cart. . YUK I just hope I never see 6 to 10 or more on the floor.

They should be outlawed. (Yeah like a get a vote.

Yours in Skating, MA/NY Skating Dave
P.S. Couldn't find a photo of these things.

[funkysk8r]

Originally Posted by MANY_SkatingDave

They now have an entire cart line up of beginner training carts they have been using for a few weeks. Looks like a Grocery Cart or Buggy Stack since they bought so many.

These carts are shaped like an L and have wheels on the bottom. When you get 3 or 5 kids or even adults using them to hold themselves up and kids going cross floor to go to mommy they create a brand new hazard. When the kid falls they take up more than twice as much room with a tipsied cart. . YUK I just hope I never see 6 to 10 or more on the floor.

They should be outlawed. (Yeah like a get a vote.

Yours in Skating, MA/NY Skating Dave
P.S. Couldn't find a photo of these things.

I know of these 'carts' you speak of, called Skate-mates by our rink. Only allows non-skaters to go even faster in the wrong direction-Uuggh!

[MANY_SkatingDave]

Thanks

I hate them, and I truly believe they don't help anyone learn how to skate. I mean a parent holding a child is NOT learning so these are even worse.

Why the Rink Owners bought into these is beyond me (OK maybe I understand). It gives the impression of skating to make newbies feel like Wow! my kid can skate.

Yours in Skating, MA/NY Skating Dave

[MANY_SkatingDave]

Hi Again Adam,

Continuing with RollerKingdom's mini-blog.

1)Well it was fun last night to see several young gals from a family I haven't seen in maybe 2-3 years. They used to be regulars. One now is 19 and can almost still do her art stuff with leg to the sky, and two of her sisters are now around 14. Thank goodness the younger girls faces didn't change too much otherwise I wouldn't have recognized them.
2)As always the Derby gals are fun and some are once again showing up early. Cat told me about breaking in her new high quality boots in particular spots on the side edges. She did well before getting them mounted.
3)Petered out a 30-40yr old mom who looks like she used to rhythm skate since she had the moves. She followed me for as much as she could handle a few time and knows she is going to have to give up smoking.
4)Only 3 of those blasted carts on the floor tonight, and dang it they removed someone with a stroller as if the strollers are more dangerous. I will have to ask why.
5)Darn Left Knee still isn't full healed so had to take it easier than I enjoy

Yours in Skating, MA/NY Skating Dave

[SDRollergirl]

We only have Adult Night once a week at the rink here in San Diego, and it's the most fun ever. The only drawback is that adults will have their birthdays here, and believe me, the regulars don't do that. It's always a bunch of amateurs dressed up like fools, trying to kill all the regulars out on the floor.

This past Tuesday, there were a bunch of amateurs and they kept skating terribly in the fast lane! Ugh so frustrating. You'd think they figure out that the people going lightning fast stay on the right. But no. I don't go around them, I stay hard right and push them when needed. It's the only way they will learn. I've had to jump on the carpet many, many times to avoid a crash.

Tuesday was awesome, though. The DJ was hittin it, and the amateurs usually leave by 9:30, leaving us a blissful hour of 'regulars only'. No falling and everyone can go as fast as they want. Priceless.

[MANY_SkatingDave]

Hi Again Adam, Tim, Ben, , ,
and whomever those other buddies were

1)Well we didn't have the newbies hugging the walls (fast lane) like they often do. That is we in the Boston area sometimes have the same experience as SDRollerGirl . We also only had a few, maybe 4-5, so that makes it easier. Newbies that hug the wall two abreast can be a pain.
Sometimes one in the chain becomes 'The Caller'

2)Adam and Ben one foot spinning and doing backward rolls in the center
3)Knee still recovering so couldn't get in line for the Chain Skate yet they were having fast fun with most keeping rhythm. OK not some of the Bladers, that I like, yet never seem to get in sync (synchronization. I did co chase the line a few times hugging towards the center circle so I could go a little slower.

4)Toward the End as one long group Chain Skated, Adam, Ben, Tim were doing the Coffin aka 'Shoot the Turkey' around the Rink. Neat!!

5)Skate Lights in Laces: One older skater had them on and they have a battery compartment that sits just above the toe on top of the boot. At least two rinks in our area sell these light up laces for 6$.

6)Music OK, Have had better (for my taste, milage_varies)

Yours in Skating, MA/NY Skating Dave

[Tuesday Girl]

I could have written the same entry that SD Rollergirl did! I skate every Tuesday, which is kinda the regulars adult night and always fun. Love skating with my guy skate partner, trailing the 3 sisters and synchronizing their skate patterns, dancing in the middle, doing patterns with another big guy, etc.

About once a month I might get a bonus to be able to go again on the Friday adult night. My skate partner goes every Friday and says it's been getting crowded. Usually there are adult birthday parties with people dressing up (I don't mind that, I do it too for special nights!), newbs, mental-rentals, or orange-wheelers skating in and blocking the fast lane, falling, making the deadly right turn off the rink, carrying their purses on their shoulders (WTH?), and just generally skating snail slow and being in the way and totally unaware of anyone else's whereabouts! I realized Friday nights aren't all that fun, except that you can show off your skill to those that aren't regulars!

My skate partner said, "I will be glad when summer comes and the rink attendance will be lighter (no AC in there) and we'll have room to skate." And he's an expert skater that weaves in and out backwards with no sweat! I guess it's a good thing that attendance does pick up so that the rinks stay open.

[MANY_SkatingDave]

Hi Again All, Adam, Tim, Tuesday, SD, ,

Originally Posted by MANY_SkatingDave

Continuing with RollerKingdom's mini-blog. o - o
3)Petered out a 30-40yr old mom who looks like she used to rhythm skate since she had the moves. She followed me for as much as she could handle a few time and knows she is going to have to give up smoking. o - o

Shoot the same mom was here again with her sons and guy. She chased me a bit longer this time, completing an entire song and we had fun being a twosome chain team. Others where there also including an Older(past 30) Art Gal who is starting to look more fluid in her moves.

The Derby Gals(many) and the Guys got a bigger room for their gear and were having a grande moving up day. I guess the Rink Owners are really starting to appreciate the Derby Team.

My long time champion art skater buddy showed me his little magnet attached lights that he bought decades ago that just magnet on to the jump bars. One green, one blue. One even worked and he hasn't used them in years.

Left Knee still not 90% so I did turns the opposite way to protect the MCL on the Left Knee.

Yours in Skating, MA/NY Skating Dave

[7Skaters]

I learned a few things at today's session.

1. I'm FINALLY getting used to the way my newest skates react! I'm used to an art boot (SUPER stiff heel/sole that I'd skated for 20-ish years) but as many of you know, about a year ago, I mounted the old plates to my shoes...no plywood between soles and plates...so the soft sole really threw me off. We haven't been skating much recently, but about halfway through the session this morning, I was crusin'! I'd forgotten how much fun it was to go so fast. Cheesy, I know, but....*proud of self*

2. If you have light up wheels, EVERY kid in the building will eventually come up to you at some point...and often their parents. One girl (on inlines) even thought I made the wheels! ("How did you make your wheels do that??") So precious. LOL Even if they're not coming up to you, they're pointing you out. *giggles*

3. Tweenagers/Teenagers should be banned from family session unless they've got good parents to teach them the rules of the rink!! We had a group of 3-5 who loved to link hands. Hubby and I both came close to running them over - "accidentally on purpose" - several times. They finally figured it out and stopped linking up. With 3 it was bad enough, but all four (and sometimes even the 5th!) took up the ENTIRE space from the center of the floor out to the edge. My rink is tiny and these twits insisted on skating, hands held, with arms STIFF out to their sides. If they'd at least have bent their elbows (hence, being closer together), there may have been room to get around them.

Finally...

4. The is NO greater joy than seeing your reluctant child(ren) with a devilish grin on their face the whole time they're on the floor skating! Had to force my youngest (6) out there a few times, but even when forced, the smile on her face as she rolled by everyone else...PRICELESS!

[slhallford]

We had a really nice group of several returning and new adults in the advanced beginners class before the morning session today. It is so nice to see so many 20-30-40 year olds coming back to the rinks and bringing their kids. I didn't get to stay for the session but it was a very fun class.

S

[Holiday Guy]

Roller Jam going there you think you just walk into a night club awesome awesome session.

[MANY_SkatingDave]

Hi all,

Missed a few sessions on this BLOG that Adam is Absent Adding yet what the hey I still like Adam's (RollerKingdom's) Idea.

Tonight was I guess quiet. No group skate parties so only regulars or returns that are striving to learn, and my buddy Derby gals coming early before Wednesday practice.

1>Derby Gals being shooed to the New Rink side was I guess the biggest event on a non event night. I don't at_all like the accommodations for their skate bags and stuff on the other side yet I do understand both sides (Derby/Rink Owners). I hope the rink/derby works out something better.

2>InLine 100/110 Skaters: Well we had a few tonight which is abnormal for my Wednesday skate. It seemed like a family thing. The kids who still can't skate so well all had on their racing swim suits and the one mom was quiet proficient backwards on her big wheels.

3>More about people and skating, yet all fun
3a>Even congratulated are two world champion married skater teachers with kids for just hanging out for a spell and just skating for a spell. Teaching is not all that skating is.

4>Left Leg still a Pain and can't do all my routines

Yours in Skating, MA/NY Skating Dave

[KMA]

Had a great retro night last night. I played, talked wove in and out of people but did not do any real practice. During the weaving time I was trying to stay on the "speed track" but in my quads.

I will pay for it I know the next time I see one of my coaches. I haven't really practiced any kind art skating in about a week. I went skiing. I wonder if it counts that I can do a mowhawk and two foot spins on my skates? OK, OK probably not. but that is as close to practice as I have come lately.

Tonight, I am going to jump and spin, do some dance patterns if it is not too crowded. I was thinking maybe I might put on my speed skates.

Katy

[Elysarian]

Started tonights session by having to cut down my plate mounting bolts after finding purple dust all over my plates (my wheels are purple) - borrowed a hacksaw from the pro shop and it took me twice as long as it should have due to all the people wondering wth I was doing!

next hour and a half were incident free (still amazed that there are so many skaters at a midweek session compared to how it was in the 80's).

Speed skating time: After the last session a couple of weeks ago where I got pulled off the "experienced" speed session for being too slow I thought I should have a go on intermediate... Big mistake, I am massively too fast for them and had to keep slowing down to avoid collisions with other skaters - guess I need to get back up to speed for the experienced class

[BlackLace]

First session on my quads. Nice Friday night session at the more popular rink about 30km away. Floor was great, at least for being cracked painted concrete anyway. Lots of grip and not too much rubbish on the floor. Not too many insane tweens tonight.

Took me most of the session just to get comfortable balancing on my new skates. They feel insanely short after inlines, even short frame ones. The forward-back balance felt really critical. Petrifyingly so at first. But got more used to it as the night went on.

Apart from that, they don't feel too unlike unrockered inlines. Once I got the balance point sorted and the knack of exaggerated pointing of knees to steer, they skate mostly the same as inlines. I managed to do crossovers, but I'm still struggling to get it continuously flowing. My current technique makes my inside foot turn inwards too much, mostly because I instinctively lean that foot over too much, because that's what you do on inlines.

Surprisingly enough that two-feet-on-the-floor-crossover/criss-cross-around the-corners shuffle move (discussed in the Crossovers Fear Or Futility thread in the beginners forum) proved to be utterly trivial. Exactly the same as on inlines. Criss-cross in general was slightly easier to balance through, but certainly nowhere near as snappy.

My feeling on quads so far, after *2 whole* sessions!, is that they are slower, less forgiving to balance mistakes and floor crap and less maneuverable than rockered inlines. But I remain open to having any of that updated as I get better on them, and find a set of blue cushions for them.

Having said that, there's something unidentifiably charming about them. I didn't suddenly feel like I'd had a style injection or anything, but mmm, something.

[jotson]

This past Wednesday at the local Adult Night, I was able to touch the ground with my fingers while doing a sideways split - first time in over 20 years! Yeah, I probably look pretty silly, but hey, I'm out for my own fun...

[BlackLace]

Session #2 on quads.

Borrowed some quite soft black rubber cushions (only replaced the barrels, had to stick with the purple cones, due to not having any barrel retainers), and *woh* ZOMG, I see why you need to work up to softer ones. Tightened it all up a bit and it's starting to get somewhat turny. I'm beginning to see a little more potential here than yesterday. Plus I discovered turning with the front of the foot which starts making exciting things happen too.

My crossovers still suck. Slowly training myself to turn the inside foot outwards, so I can underpush on it, but it's not flowing yet. Softer cushions certainly set me back a bit there.

My Rebel boots aren't giving me any problems anymore, since I put a permanent bend in the tongue. All perfectly comfy now.

Sports tile floor at this rink is *horrible* on quads, clickity clack clickity clack.... But the 92A fugitives were easily grippy enough for it.