Sara Skates!

I Am Right Here, Skating Beside You

2012-02-25T18:02:00.000-08:00

Ugh I am like the most remiss blogger ever! I cannot believe I missed an entire month of posting for the first time since I started this blog in 2009. Oh well, what can I do. Hello blog world! It's not that I haven't been writing because I haven't been skating, not at all. I have been doing my thing. I have been skating as much as possible. Every Adult Night without fail, of course. That would kill me to miss a Tuesday. I've been having a pretty damn good time.

I fell about three weeks ago. Of course since I have such a major fall under my belt, everything else just pales in comparison. I was skating in a tight pack and when we went into the turn, this guy kicked my wheel and I went straight down. It was so fast. I somehow managed to beat up the side of my hip/leg, maybe I was in the middle of a crossover. Anyway, it was instant all-consuming take-your-breath-away pain. The guy was fine and wanted to skate off but I made him walk me to the bench. Wtf man, where is the chivalry. My poor leg was hurting so bad. I took a few minutes to shake it off and then got back on the floor cautiously. But after 30 minutes, my leg was just throbbing and I had to go. I had an epic bruise lol, I felt very derby. Now three weeks later it looks much better than the gray/purple/green/blue/pink loveliness I had going on there for a minute.

I have been making some tiny inroads with my backwards. Up in Cerritos, I have skated the all ladies backwards a couple times. I'm more confident up there, plus it's not many people when it's only the women on the floor. I am very cautious though, I keep my speed way down and focus on staying in the moment of what exactly I am doing with my feet. It's very easy to zone out because the steps feel so natural. I have also been learning backwards crossovers, something I have never really known how to do. It's hard and challenging but exciting when I see improvement.

Carey Grant and the lovely Marilyn Monroe get their couple skate on

Been skating at the Bay on Sundays; it's still considered winter right now in San Diego so the weather has been difficult. Sun but icy cold wind. I brave it for the most part, unless it's too gray out. Hoping for blue skies this weekend.

In other news, Back to Cali is coming up Memorial Day weekend at Skate Depot in Cerritos. As you know since you have been reading my blog since the very beginning, it is the premier skating event in Southern California. This year I am aiming to attend all three nights so I can soak up every little bit.

Happy 2012 from Sara Skates!

2011-12-26T10:31:00.000-08:00

Happy holidays my readers! I hope the holiday season is treating you well. It can be stressful, and also limits skating opportunities <-- dislike I have been getting it in wherever I can. I think I told you I've been going to Skate Depot on a more regular basis, it's been incredible. Saturday is much more mellow than Thursday but it's what I can attend so I am used to it now. The crowd is getting to know me and I've had lots of new partners, which is so exciting. To me it's more about being accepted up there than the act of couple skating. The music can be frustrating because it's so much slower than San Diego. But I have found ways to skate to it that work for me. Side Note: Check out this awesome image circa 1937

Backwards couple skating in Cerritos has been a trip. That is very different from the way guys skate down here. Plus backwards skating is a big hot button for me right now anyway. I am nervous from the minute I get asked to backwards skate until it's over. But I have to do it, can't look like a chicken. Sometimes my nervousness gives my partner the jitters, just because I'm so jumpy. I focus on doing my step and a lot of the guys up there do all sorts of fancy stuff behind me, not sure exactly what they're doing. But I've always been taught to keep doing the step, no matter what. That's what I do. All while trying to relax hahaha. The way we couple skate is not unlike the picture below.

I skated at Skate World for family night this past Friday and it was a mess. I think I've been going to Cerritos too much. I couldn't stand the music, it was just painful. It seemed like all they played was Kesha and LMFAO, no joke. I know it's for the kids but that crap is hard to skate to. I was hungry for a super slow Cerritos jam. Plus the kids, I am not used to skating with them anymore. I used to skate with them all the time back in the day when I was coming up. Now I only attend Adult sessions. Man they were just all over the place, going the wrong direction, cutting across the middle of the floor suddenly. I found that super annoying. I could only tolerate two hours and I know I didn't get a proper sweat on. I just couldn't really go at my top speed with those nutty kids everywhere.

Trying so hard to get up to Cerritos to ring the new year in. I want to so bad! Hopefully I can get my ride situation worked out. It will be such a disappointment if I'm not on my eights when the ball drops. Working it, I can make it happen. I hope you have a nice farewell to 2011. 2012 is going to be off the chain. Thanks to all my faithful readers for the past three years. Check out this roller girl, I've come so far! The best is yet to come. ♥

In Love with my Eights

2011-11-25T09:50:00.000-08:00

Hello out there in the blog world! I am absolutely thrilled to be writing a regular old blog post. No more off topic entries or horror stories about my injuries. In short, I took two months off following my accident in September. It sucked, I hated not skating. But I was messed up and needed the break. Now I am finally working again and yes, skating again. People close to me are alarmed and concerned. My doctor's advice was to "please, please never roller skate again". Sigh. Where's the sense of adventure? I am so passionate about skating, there's no way I can stop. Sorry, worrywarts.

It's hard to describe just how great it is to skate again. I guess it's because of the forced break, it's made me appreciate it so much more. Feels JUST AMAZING. The first few weeks were understandably shaky. I definitely have lost some of my confidence. But it's not scary - what is scary is backwards skating since that's how I got hurt. Session skating and roller dancing, I haven't hurt myself doing those things so I have no fear. But after the initial few weeks, my confidence is back where it was and I feel like a million bucks when I'm on my wheels.

As for backwards, I am really afraid of it. In some ways, I just want to forget how to do it so I can relearn the skill. Obviously I was doing something wrong. My friends want to help me. I have done some very, very slow and careful stuff. What I have done is backwards couple skating, lots of that. It may sound silly but I feel safer with a partner. If I were to fall back, I would land on them. Of course I only skate with highly competent skaters that know how to make sure we don't fall. We haven't. Just doing the couples skating has made me feel better about backwards altogether. I know I will do it by myself again one day. It's just too soon right now.

I've been going to Adult Night at Skate World, of course, but what's even better is I've been able to get up to Cerritos almost on a regular basis! It's so completely awesome. Fingers crossed that my ride stays solid. I've started doing downtown with the skaters up there and they are welcoming me with open arms. I love it. They do the same roller dancing we do but with different names and slightly different moves. It's a trip. I go up there and pick up new steps and then I show my crew when I come back home.

That's about it, and of course skating at the Bay every weekend. Been doing a lot more teaching there, I like it. We are always trying to recruit new skaters to learn roller dancing. It's a dying art! You know you want to learn. Hit me up.

Me and my buddy, Paul, getting our Halloween roll on

Interview with Skate Lisa

2011-11-07T09:24:00.000-08:00

Hi out there, I know I have been quiet but I am busy recuperating. It's almost been two months so I am totally getting there! In the meantime, enjoy a piece about one of my very favorite skaters, Skate Lisa. :)

Skate Lisa. You may have heard about this dynamic quad skater, seen her videos on youtube, or even had the pleasure of skating with her at Venice Beach (she's only been skating there for over a decade). Everyone should know more about Lisa, so this blogger asked her to take a few minutes out of her busy day and answer some questions. She was completely gracious, willing and helpful.

Sara Skates: Talk about your earliest roller skating memory.
Skate Lisa: My earliest memory was opening my first pair of roller skates on my 10th Birthday, I had the biggest smile on my face, it was like magic shoes.

SS: I am so excited to interview a pro like yourself.
SL: I don't consider myself a pro, I just worked very hard for years and got noticed by TV producers etc., Riedell spotted me all over Europe, America, etc. and decided to sponser me, to which I am eternally grateful.

SS: I know you're from London, is that where you live?

SL: I am on the road quite a lot but not normally for months at a time. London is my home but my heart admittedly is in California as I lived there for several years.

SS: Talk about a day in the life of Skate Lisa.

SL: A day in the life of me involves training at the gym, checking all my emails, and I quite often stretch and skate a bit at home too. I always make time to visit my parents who have been wonderful in supporting what I do.

SS: Are there any skate moves you don't know how to do?

SL: I am always up for learning new stuff. You will quite often see me at Rinks alone practicing new moves.

SS: What is your diet like?

SL: My diet is clean most of the time, lots of fish, rice, protein, vegetables -CHOCOLATE sometimes lol

SS: What is your greatest accomplishment thus far?

SL: My greatest accomplishment to date is having skated in so many different places and met so many different people.

SS: Do you have a motto you live by?

SL: BE A FIRST RATE VERSION OF YOURSELF AND NOT A SECOND RATE VERSION OF SOMEONE ELSE!!

SS: It was such an honor to meet you and get a little insight into who you are. Do you have any last words you want to leave my readers with?

SL: So many girls are scared to let go and be themselves, I have been told that this is what makes me stand out as a skater. When I was 10 years old, I never dreamt of doing what I do now, but something inside always pushed me. GO FOR IT GIRLS!

Big thanks to Skate Lisa for allowing me this interview. Can't wait to see her again soon in Cerritos or down here at the beach.

I Got Hurt

2011-09-18T18:51:00.000-07:00

Hi blog world, it's with a heavy heart that I write this post. I have not been able to update my blog because I suffered a brain injury roller skating on September 6, 2011. First off, don't be freaked out. If I wasn't okay, I wouldn't be writing this post. I did get hurt but I don't want anyone thinking extreme stuff. Let's face it, you can get yourself killed roller skating. And walking outside, and riding in a car, etc. So with that disclaimer, my story. September 6 was Adult Night and it was a great, fun night. I remember lots of awesome moments. Nero was there and we did plenty of couple skating. 9:30 is the normal time for the beginners backwards special. I remember going out. They were playing "Lovely Day" by Bill Withers. I was doing my usual backwards step, I went around a few times.

Then the worst happened. I took a normal step back and somehow completely lost my balance. It's hard to describe because I don't really know what happened. I fell back and basically landed completely on my head. My skates somehow flew from under me. I didn't hit my butt, my elbows, not any other part but my poor head. I completely blacked out. Friends have described the sickening sound of my skull hitting the wood as being difficult to erase from memory. The next thing I remember is being on my stomach, looking at the lines painted on the rink floor. My glasses were off. One of my best friends, Wonder Boy, was laying next to me, trying to get me to wake up. He helped me to my feet. My head was in terrible pain and there was blood on the floor. It was obvious I needed medical help. I felt completely disoriented and confused.

The next few days after that pass in a blur. I was admitted to the ICU at the hospital. I had fractured my skull and had bleeding on one of my frontal lobes from the jarring to my brain. Although I had cracked my head open, the crack was not deep and I luckily did not need stitches. If they had done stitches, they would have shaved my lovely blond tresses. Thank goodness for small things.

Anyway, it's been 12 days sicne the injury. I feel a little better each day. I'm eager to skate and also completely terrified. I really can't believe I got hurt like this, this is not a usual roller skating injury. It's fairly common to hear of broken wrists, bruised tailbones. Normally if I was backwards skating and I felt like I was losing my balance, I would turn around. I would take a step back. Why I didn't, I will never know.

I sure as hell am not quitting skating. But I have to take my time getting back into it. Obviously I have a new found fear for when I'm skating. Never worried about cracking my head open before! Imagine if I was at a rink with a concrete floor. Shudder. But I do need to make sure I'm good before I go back. The biggest side effect for me is dizzy spells. I also have completely lost my sense of smell and taste. Absolutely bizarre. I taste absolutely nothing, I have no clue if I have bad breath, I don't know if the fruit is ripe or not. I can't even taste bacon for pete's sake. The doctor said to give that a year to return. Brain injuries are no joke.

So the blog will continue, but not as often. And I can't do the pretty pictures right now, I'm sorry. My home pc is kinda janky. I will still be skating, I will get back to the level I was at and beyond that. I can't wait to get to Cerritos. But I have other things I must consider, like my job and family. Yes I have a real job that I'm not able to go to right now. And I have a family that means more to me than anything in this world. I never really thought a three hour session at the rink could end with me in the hospital, or worse. Definitely a new perspective.

I love you guys and thank you always for your support. You'll hear from me again very soon.

Skate Love

2011-08-22T10:51:00.000-07:00

Good morning out there in the blogosphere! I have a bunch of news to report so I will get down to it. First off, I was up in Skate Depot a couple weeks ago as I had told you. Oh man, it was just so wonderful. I know I say that everytime but I can't help it, it seems like it's better each time I go. Anyway, I went up with Nero and we worked a lot on our couple skating. Yeah we are totally doing awesome, we didn't fall the whole night and we are perfectly synchronized. It's awesome. Now we are doing a lot of backwards couple skating, it's super exciting. But beyond that, with my solo skating, I just had so much fun. There is a different calibre of skating expertise up there and it feels amazing to keep up.

In other news, we had a roller skating celebrity visit Skate This at the Bay a few weeks ago. Skate Lisa appeared out of no where and showed us her awesome moves! It was pretty awesome. She is something else. She's like this little tiny lady but she has mad swag. Totally amazing jam skate moves which she puts her own twist on. She was very down to earth and took a bunch of pictures with us. Apparently she travels all around the world for Riedell, promoting roller skating. She had these crazy skates on that she said cost $1000! Nuts. Anyway, I am very excited to annouce that she has granted me an interview for this blog! Is that cool or what. I am super excited. I'm interviewing her next week so stay tuned for a great piece on Skate Lisa!

I did a roller skating photo shoot with Edwin Real. I wanted to have pictures of me skating since I am so passionate about it and it means so much to me. It's such a big part of my life and I don't even have any evidence of it, except for the videos that I did recently. So we did that last week and let me tell you, the pics came out great! He did an amazing job. I will be honest - I didn't take a lot of chances during the photo shoot because I had a grip of people watching me and I seriously did not want to fall. But he still got some really nice shots of me. The reaction to the photos has been really heartwarming, sort of like a new rush of support from my friends and family. <3

Exciting stuff going on with the blog! I really appreciate any one that takes a minute out of their day to read my ramblings. Pretty cool.

Photo Credits: Miss Magnolia and Sushinadi

See Sara Skate!

2011-08-11T10:09:00.000-07:00

Hello out there in the skating world! I have been having the absolute best time skating. I know I sound like a broken record, but I can't help it. Roller skating is too awesome! I have some new skating adventures to report on.

I skated up in Cerritos last week. I went up with Nero so it gave the two of us lots of opportunities to practice our couples skating. We did a fantastic job and neither of us fell the whole night. We did a bunch of backwards couple skating, which was really exciting because I have only done that a couple times before. Once we established the steps, we were golden and our steps were perfectly synchronized. Being up there at that rink, the music and people were as incredible as ever. I saw tons of awesome skating. I was really in the zone the whole night, and my confidence was way up. I skated over in the fast lane a good amount of the time and held my own. Some of my friends that do downtown were also up there and it was super fun to do routines in the middle. We got a lot of kudos.

After doing this blog for more than a year, I actually have some video of me skating. Now calm down, because it's not like a proper skating vid or anything. But Paul and I did make some instructional videos to teach downtown, and this is them. Shooting the video was a good time. It was a gorgeous sunny day. I wish I hadn't been chewing gum, but I can fix that next time around. I was honored that Paul asked me to do the videos with him.

Roller Dance Instruction #1

Roller Dance Instruction #2

Adult Night at Skate World has been great, as usual. No place like home. Last night the power went out in the middle of the session. What a trip! Absolute darkness. Luckily no one got hurt as it was towards the end of the session. I was in the middle of the rink with Paul doing routines so I did hold on to him for dear life for a split second haha. But of course your eyes adjust after a sec. And everyone in that place had their cell phone to use as a flashlight. Then they told us to leave and the excitement was over. But a memorable night for sure.

I'm going back to Cerritos in a couple weeks *excited* can't wait to do it again.

Photo Credit to Fashion Edit

Eight Wheels of Happiness

2011-07-23T10:34:00.000-07:00

Happy weekend out there in the blogosphere! It's a gorgeous, sunny day in southern California and I can't wait to get out and skate in it. I have been having such a blast skating lately. Not to say it isn't always good, I've just really been in my zone in the past week or two. I skated up in Cerritos last week, and..drum roll please....I didn't fall! Woo hoo, yeah me! Thank God. That fall last time was awful. Anyway, it was a great Adult Night. The DJ was playing slow music pretty much the whole night. He seemed like he was in a romantic mood. I had to make the most of it, even though I prefer more upbeat stuff. The crowd was awesome, as always, perfectly in time with the music and grooving all night.

I skated the Trios special with a couple of my friends, and it was pretty damn terrifying lol. It is only my second time doing it. There were lots and lots of people on the floor and being in the middle of the trio, it really feels like you are going to completely whack into the people you are coming up on. It's a bit hard to explain. But up in Cerritos, all the specials are for three songs and that felt like an eternity when I was out there skating the trios. I was so ready to quit after one song, but I hung in there. It's terrifying but also very exciting. I would definitely do it again. And check out this awesome 1922 postcard I found online. This is exactly how trios are done!

I recently learned this new backwards step, it took me FOREVER to master it but finally, I have! Such a good feeling. Everyone knows how to do it and it's so awesome to be able to join the others and follow the step correctly. We always do this step to that song "Forget Me Nots" and they play that at the rink every week. I also learned how to do the cha cha recently, another type of skating line dance. It's so cool!

I've been watching some roller skating movies lately. I watched Hell on Wheels, which was a very good roller derby documentary. Most roller skating movies out there are about roller derby, but I did watch Xanadu. I hadn't seen it since I was a kid. Pretty dated but I liked the skating. I watched a ridiculous movie called Kansas City Bomber, starring Raquel Welch as the Bomber! Very 70's and silly.

I'm going to Cerritos twice in August, it's so awesome! I can't wait. Until then, see you at Skate World.

(Photo Credits to Style Me Pretty and Foxy's Antiques )

Hello Summer

2011-07-07T09:48:00.000-07:00

Hello out there in the blog world! It's a hot sunny day in San Diego and I am behind on my blog, as usual. I'm a very busy girl so please bear with me. I am home from my trip to Vegas last week. Man that stuff goes so fast! I shouldn't complain about the 85 degree heat here since it was a cool 115 in Vegas. Vegas was awesome, I had such a great time. I did all sorts of non-skating things so I won't go into that. I was so tempted to put on my skates and skate the Strip and at the same time, not tempted at all. The hordes out there were pretty frightening and I would imagine that it is illegal to rollerskate on the Strip. But a girl can dream.

I did hit Adult Night at Crystal Palace on Sunday. Their Adult Night is strange because they have an all day session on Sundays from 10-10 or something like that. They just stick the Adult Night at the end, from 7-10. So the kids can stay, which is annoying. There were some tiny kids there and yes, they could skate but not good like the adults. The music was hitting it but the crowd was tiny. It was the night before the 4th of July so it may not always be like that. I made the best of it and saw many of the same regulars as previous trips. I saw some very cool shuffle skating going on and of course I did my downtown thing. San Diego style, yo.

It's so hot now in San Diego, it couldn't be more perfect weather for skating at the beach. Love it! The awesome thing is that I just got my boy some roller skates of his own so I really want to help him get his skating legs this summer. As a small child, being able to roller skate well brings you so much clout. I know he will like it more once he gets better at it, plus skating at the beach will probably be more fun for him than being at the rink. I will bargain with him - one hour of skating equals one hour of sand play.

Cerritos next week, baby! I am so excited already. I cannot wait to roll up there! It's going to be the bomb. I haven't been to Cerritos for over a month and all my injuries have healed. I am ready to get re- injured lol! Every time I skate up there, I pick up a little something else. So here's to picking up a little something else. Now put on some skates and get your roll on out there! It's a great way to stay cool.

Skate, Don't Hate

2011-06-22T13:43:00.000-07:00

Hey Skate Team! How is everyone doing? Happy Start of Summer! I am so happy the summer is finally here. Lots of opportunities to skate outside and enjoy the sunshine. Went to the rink last night for Adult Night. It was quite dead, looks like that is going to be a trend for the summer. Who wouldn't want to hang out inside a boiling hot building, skating as fast as possible? Yeah I guess I didn't mention that the rink is not air conditioned. I know, it seems like medieval times or something. In Cerritos, the rink is air conditioned. Sometimes I need a jacket when I'm warming up, it's downright cold on the floor! Once you get all hot and sweaty though, how wonderful to feel that icy cold air on your face. Anyway, I digress. The rink was dead which means super fast hardcore skating, utter exhaustion by 9:00 pm (rink closes at 10:30). When there are more people, you have to be more cautious so it causes you to skate slower. Man this dead rink is tearing me up!

I have been feeling a little stagnant lately. Need to mix it up a bit. I still love doing all my regular stuff like downtown and all, I just want to go to the next level. I am back watching my how to videos again. Lately I have been trying to learn to spin. The only spin I know how to do is a downtown spin, which doesn't even really count as a spin. You seem some skaters doing some amazing spins, 10 times around. I am just trying to do one spin and stop. Then I will go on from there. I am working on the heel toe spin at the moment. I am also trying to skate more on my front wheels. All these things are challenging so it's much easier to fall back into my regular movements. Have to keep pushing for constant improvement.

My birthday is coming up in a couple weeks. Man I just keep getting older. But with my skating, I honestly feel younger than I have in years. So happy birthday to me, bitches!!

For my birthday, I am going to Vegas. Yeah baby! So excited. I am going to skate at Crystal Palace on July 3 for their Adult Night, hopefully they will have a 4th of July special skate. I am looking forward to luxuriating at the hotel, lounging in the pool, getting drunk on cheap drinks, kicking ass on the slots, and not sleeping. That's the plan!

You Ain't Ready for Cali

2011-06-06T14:44:00.000-07:00

Hi friends! How is the beginning of summer treating you? Couldn't be better over here. I have many skating adventures to report on so let's get down to brass tacks. Last week was the awesome, incredible and impossible to forget Back to Cali Skate Jam at Skate Depot. Where do I start to describe an event like this one? Although I went last year, since then my skating has grown in leaps and bounds so it was a completely different experience.

I had heard that there were supposed to be 300-400 skaters in attendance for each night of the four night event, but STILL! Being out there is so different from reading about it. This year I went on Thursday and Saturday. Thursday being the kick off, it was quite crowded. The music was off the hook. Once I got out in the crowd and started grooving with them, I felt like a million bucks. Correction: a million petrified bucks. No matter how many times I have skated in Cerritos, doing Back to Cali is on another level all to itself. The floor is just so packed, but everyone is respectful of everyone else's space. But when a fall happens, it truly is scary because three or four skaters inevitably end up tripping on the fallen ones. I had a guy bump into me from behind and felt myself begin falling back. OH MY GOD! There were some terrifying seconds there, and then he grabbed me and I got my balance back. Phew.

My blood was pumping so hard after that near miss. I was shaking all over! And although I perfected getting off the floor last year, it was like being a beginner all over again up there. I was too scared to get off the floor! Haven't felt that in a long time. So no choice but to hang in until they call for a special and the floor clears. Back to skating with my heart in my throat. This guy runs into me and it looks so grim - I'm flailing all over the place, falling forward. I really thought I was going down, but he (rightfully) grabbed me and I managed to not fall. I grabbed on to his arm and sweater so hard that I partially bent one of my fingernails back. Ouch! But not too bad if that's the only injury you take home from Cerritos.

They called for Trios (I described these on my very first trip to Cerritos back in February 2010 awwwww) and this is my cue to get off the floor, but a couple of my buddies talked me into doing it with them. Wow. I thought I was terrified before. For a special event like this, there are dozens of skaters that can skate trios, so it wasn't like the floor was empty or anything. There has to be 15 groups on the floor, and some had as many as seven skaters. We mostly did this thing where we linked our arms together, and I was in the middle getting pulled back and forth like crazy. We also tried holding hands and going in circles, which involves a lot of a backwards/forwards skating. Much scarier. Plus I felt like one of them was going to break my wrist. So we went back to the other way. I was so frightened but I felt like I grew as a skater in those moments. I'm proud of myself for conquering trios.

Thursday was so incredible that I decided to go back up for Saturday as well. Also crazy packed, with people pouring in by the minute. I felt empowered from my successful Thursday night, and hit the wood hard. Feels so good to roll with folks like that, true skaters getting their roll on. Man I would love to go every week! There were many different times where a skater would put their arm around me to let me know they were passing me, or take my hand to pass in front of me. So natural. I wasn't able to escape unscathed, however. I ended up falling on my ass a few hours in. Really don't know what happened, these falls tend to happen so quickly. I found myself on the ground, that much I knew. In the fast lane. I got up in a crouch position in about two seconds and a friend helped me away. But man my butt is still sore 10 days later. [Side note: my subject line is taken from one of the comments the DJ would often make as we were skating around "Ya'll can't handle Cali" "You ain't ready for Cali" it was hilarious!)

Simply cannot wait until my next Cerritos trip. Unfortunately I don't have one on the books right now as my birthday is coming up next month. I'll be heading to Vegas to skate at Crystal Palace, woo hoo! Looking forward to that. Should be able to hit a rink or two on the way over as well. Yeah baby, skating road trip!!!

Odds and Ends

2011-05-24T16:41:00.000-07:00

Hi Skate Fam, today is Tuesday and it’s simply my favorite day of the week! Adult night tonight, I just can’t wait! This week is even better because I am going to Skate Depot on Thursday WHAT WHAT yeah that’s right. I can’t believe it’s been a month already. I keep having flashbacks to when I was there last. Such a blast until…it wasn’t. Falls really sucks for me because they haunt me for awhile afterwards. I get all gun-shy and afraid to take risks. It’s been four weeks though and I’ve skated many times in between.

I still have my injury. One of my derby friends told me she waits two weeks for every injury she gets, and then she goes to the doctor. It’s been four weeks for me. I feel like I should probably wait it out, then I’ll pull my arm in some weird way that is so painful. Still waiting it out. I never really thought I could get so hurt at skating, I guess I am learning my lesson.

I’ve been doing all this couple skating, which is awesome, but the step gets boring after awhile. One of the most fun things about going to Cerritos is checking out other couples and the steps they take. I have been learning one new step called the shuffle. Fun but hard. One leg always weaker than the other. I have also been trying to do better about skating on my toes. It’s the sort of thing you are supposed to learn when you first start skating, but I did not listen to my teachers. So now here I am two years later, not having much skills with skating on my toes. Funny how that stuff comes back around.

I have been advised to take smaller steps when I’m skating and doing cross overs. Ha, easier said than done! It really is scary to bring your skates closer together. Plus I have learned habits with the way I take my steps. I don’t even really know how to pick up my speed unless I am in my usual stance. Everyone says I have to unlearn my bad habits. Um okay, working on that.

With my backwards skating, I have my all consuming fear of turning around. It’s so ridiculous but I must get over it. When I hear the music getting towards the end of the song, I’m already dreading the turn around that’s coming. At the rink on Saturday, I worked on turning around over and over. I felt like I made a little headway. The fast backward skaters, you should see how effortlessly they turn around at top speed. I want to get their.

On a completely unrelated note, how awesome are my pictures for today’s blog? Check out Olivia! Funny that they redacted her name from the cover. The internet is amazing in that it continues to yield good images, some two years later. Keep calm and skate on, skaters.

The Harder They Come...

2011-05-09T13:59:00.000-07:00

Hello skate fans! I hope this greeting finds you well. I have been a very remiss blogger. Sometimes life gets in the way, but of course there is always time for skating.

I went up to Cerritos a little over a week ago. I did not eagerly go to my computer afterwards for one main reason – I fell again. Part of me says “why do I keep falling all of the sudden? I thought I was doing better in my skating!” Ultimately my falls have been related to the falls of other people, so I don’t think it’s a reflection on my skating skills at all. Also, I now skate at a much higher speed, so when the fall occurs, I have a lot more inertia to send me flying and falling much harder.

Still, it was a bummer of a fall. My first mistake was I cut to the left to avoid some slower skaters. To the right is always, always, ALWAYS the safest. I cut left and these two old guys (yes they were very old, at least 60 if not 70) fell directly in front of me. I saw it coming and cut even further left to avoid them. It totally looked like I was in the clear, and then one of the old guys flung his arm out in my path as he completed his fall. All of this happens in the span of a second. I tried to step over but I was going much too fast. I rolled over his arm, which I’m sure felt great, and it took me down. I went flying, face first. Came down first on my right elbow – yes the same elbow injured only one week earlier – followed by smacking both knees, and then I flopped down on my belly. Yes I cleaned the rink floor for a few feet. I immediately curled up in a ball to avoid the people behind me but they skated expertly around me. Then one of my friends came and helped me up. My body was aching.

That really took a lot of joy out of my night. Injuries always suck. I didn’t even clean my skates on their fancy skate cleaning machine, or buy new nuts like I was supposed to. I didn’t even do any backwards skating. Sigh. But still, before that happened, I was having such an amazing time. Nero didn’t go, which rocked my world. I felt so disappointed, I had to give myself a pep talk and remind myself I came to skate – period. Not with anyone, not any certain way, not with any certain music. The point is to skate. After that, I was good. I was jamming along with the crowd and staying in the far right lane. My new wheels were complete love on that floor.

My best defense against all this falling is: 1. Fall better, and 2. Learn how to jump. I skated with one of my teachers on Tuesday and he was all over my “bad” form. He wants me to bend my knees practically to the ground (I’m a short girl as it is) and pull one skate clear around to the other side of the other skate. The way he does. Ugh time for more at home practice. Skate on, dear friends.

Keep Calm and Skate On

2011-04-11T12:46:00.000-07:00

OMG I can't believe it has been nearly a month since my last post! I am the worst blogger ever. Well then, this post might be long. :) So how have you been? I hope you've been skating as much as me. I have had plenty of family and adult nights in the past month, but I will focus on just the good stuff. CERRITOS! Went to Cerritos last month on the 31st, and it was out of this world! How could this rink get better every single time I go there? I swear I wish I could go every week. The people, the music, it was just the best time.

What made it even more fun is my new skating partner. We shall call him Nero to protect the innocent. I have been couple skating with Nero for a couple of months here in San Diego, but I know he goes to Cerritos nearly every week. So I was thrilled to meet him up there. By the time I got up there, he was totally warmed up and ready to skate FAST, like super fast! It was scary as hell. It's one thing to skate fast down here but up there, it's another story. Plus he's such a good skater, he likes to steer us into danger "just to make it more exciting". Great. But I skated incredibly hard to keep up with him, so much harder than I skate in San Diego. My legs were sore for three days! But it was so worth it on every single level.

A friend of mine asked me to help him with couple skating as he sees me skating with Nero all the time. So we gave it go up there but he can't do it very well, and I'm not that versed either. So what happened? He kicked my skate and we both went down in a big, giant, falling-down-in-Cerritos pile. Argh it sucked! Such a mixture of embarrassment, pain, fear, humiliation and did I say embarrassment? I swear that's the worst part. I went down badly, right on my tailbone and with my head going back into the floor. Ouch! But the floor guards up there are the bomb, they were on top of me in seconds. They really rock.

Skating in San Diego is a letdown after being in Cerritos. You have to adjust back to the average music and kids. But skating with Nero is always awesome, there is so much he can teach me. I'm so happy he's decided to take me under his wing. I worry that I'm holding him back, that he can't skate as fast as he'd like because he's skating with me. But he told me not to worry about that.

In other news, I have been corresponding with the man that sold me my Snyder's. Apparently he reads my blog, so a big shout out to Jim and Renee, hey you crazy kids! They are both artistic skaters. Anyway, so Jim told me he's going to send me some different wheels so I can skate faster. I am so excited! I can't wait to get them and then bake some zucchini bread for the lucky soul that is going to swap out my bearings.

Took my little beast to the rink yesterday to get his roll on. I succeeded in having him wear skates for two hours, which I thought was pretty amazing. He enjoyed the limbo and the dice game and giving mommy high 5's when she skated by. Other than that, I think his favorite part was the arcade hahaha. But at least he kept his skates on. By the end of the session, he was able to walk around the rink floor without falling. Not rolling but at least not falling.

Other than that, Cerritos on the 28th. Oh yeah.

If You're Lucky Enough to be Irish, You're Lucky Enough

2011-03-17T13:40:00.000-07:00

St. Patrick's Day greetings to all my readers, all 17 of you! Haha It's St. Patrick's Day and I've got to find some leprechaun roller skating images on google. Hopefully that's what you are looking at right now.

St. Patrick's Day and roller skating don't really mix, although there is a rink in L.A. where alcohol is served at the adjoining bowling center. I really couldn't imagine skating drunk, that just sounds terrifying. It's so easy to make a mistake when you're sober, who knows what you might do if you're drunk. But I digress.

You know I've been getting my roll on. Adult Night this past Tuesday was so fantastic. For one thing, there was only a handful of amateurs, so that's always good. The DJ played lots of my requests, which is awesome. And there were no major accidents the whole night, thank goodness. (There was a bad one a few weeks ago that ended in the paramedics taking the girl out. Scary.) I am feeling so awesome in my new skates, I just can't believe I left them on the shelf for six months! Was ready to sell them! There's a time and place for everything.

My backwards skating has improved dramatically in the last few weeks. My buddy, DJ Dave, has been really helping me with my backwards crossovers and has driven the point home about shifting my weight from foot to foot. This is the basis of roller skating and the key to success on your wheels. I still kinda suck at turning around but I am working on it all the time. I am also learning backwards couple skating, which is so totally exciting. Of course also very easy to get knocked down but so far, so good.

We really rocked on our downtown routines on Tuesday night. I saw the amateurs looking on, mesmerized. One of them came up to me and asked if we were professionals. That made my night. When everyone is on the beat and we are perfectly synchronized, we probably do look like professionals.

In other news, I am skating at the rink this weekend, which I am so excited about. It's been at least a month since I was able to fit in skating on the weekend at the rink. I'm especially glad because they are saying rain this weekend so probably no beach skating. Then Cerritos later this month, so excited! Can't wait to get my roll on Skate Depot style.

Skate or Die

2011-03-03T12:52:00.000-08:00

Good morning skate family! I am writing today in very high spirits, I have been having lots of wonderful skating adventures and having the best time.

Skating on Tuesday was so fantastic. Although I have only been wearing my Douglass Snyder skates for three weeks, I feel like I have already acclimated to wearing them. My skates were still hurting me, so one of my friends suggested that I cut up some make up sponges and put them on my toes. Wow, worked like a charm! Tuesday was my first time not having pain with my skates, and it was so awesome. I was skating fast, I was doing my roller dancing, and just basically feeling like a million bucks in my bad ass skates.

Last weekend I skated up at Moonlight Rollerway in Glendale, CA. What a funny and interesting rink. Very small with a super low ceiling, probably about the same size as Skate World. The rink is maintained in a 1950's style (including no locks on the bathroom doors) so that movies can be filmed there. It was a family night, but these kids behaved so differently from the kids in San Diego. Skating was extremely uniform, certainly no texting while skating (so rampant here). There was a sign at the entrance that said "no fast or reckless skating", and this rule is clearly followed. I'm not used to skating so slow; I never got a warning but I definitely got some stern looks. But it was so easy to backwards skate amongst those kids because they didn't dart around at all. There was a bucket in the middle of the floor with cones around it from a leak in the ceiling. It was pretty funny, every now and then the DJ would come on the mic and say "avoid the bucket".

So Moonlight was okay but I didn't think it was all that like people have said. To be fair, Audlt Night would probably be way better. The following day was supposed to be the Race on the Base but it got rained out, it was pretty crappy. The rain was very intense. To make up for it, I located an afternoon session at another rink so the trip wouldn't be wasted.

Went to the Fountain Valley Skating Center on Saturday for their afternoon session 11:00-1:30. This rink is HUGE compared to Skate World, and I just loved it. The lovely wood floor is unfortunately painted over, but I loved it just the same. It's so nice to skate on such a big floor and be able to really practice some steps before you get to the turn. This rink appeared to have fairly strict rules as well; I went in the middle to practice my crazy legs and was immediately told that skating in the center is not allowed. There were three little kids having lessons so my skating there would "interfere" with the lessons. Whatever. Skating was fun, the music was top 40 but definitely more upbeat, so I can work with that. When I saw the lessons had ended, I made a plea to the DJ to allow me to skate in the center, and she begrudgingly said yes hahaha. I quite enjoyed ths rink and would love to hit it up for Adult Night, but it's on Thursday and neither of these rinks hold a candle to Skate Depot in Cerritos.

I'm so excited to turn the corner with my Snyder skates. I had four different people pay me compliments on Tuesday night, and I really feel it is because of the skates. Even though they are so heavy, I have adapted to them quickly and what can I say, I'm just in love.

Skate It Out

2011-02-16T09:15:00.000-08:00

Hey there, skating last night at Adult Night was the bomb! I had such a fun time. Do you remember my cool Douglass Snyder skates I bought off eBay so long ago? See blog post here. Wow, can't believe I bought those skates almost a year ago now! Those skates gave me so much trouble. The worst thing about wearing them is how slow they make me skate.

BUT! I decided to give them another go last night. I've been hearing a lot about how special they are and how well I will be able to skate once I get used to them and break them in. I laced them up last night. Gosh, how different they feel on my feet. My usual Chicago skates have wheels that are significantly softer, making it easier for me to grip the floor. These wheels are so hard! When I go into a turn, I can just feel them wanting to slide and it's pretty darn scary. The skates are also so heavy, probably about 3-4 lbs. each. It's a lot of weight to pick up compared to my light weight Chicago skates.

The best thing about wearing the skates is that after an hour or so, I did feel pretty good on them. I was able to keep up around the floor frontward rexing, and do my dance skating as well. But after two hours, I had some pretty awful pain in my right foot. Feels like I need to stretch my skates again. I think the most important thing that came out of the whole experience is that I feel good wearing these skates. I really feel confident that in time, I will be able to master them.

Skate Depot in Cerritos tomorrow. YES! I just can't wait. I'm not going to wear the Snyder's though. I've got to be able to hold my own with the good skaters up there. I can skate so much faster with my Chicago's. Hopefully by summer I can wear the Snyder's in Cerritos. Just have to wait and see.

Raining today in San Diego and rain predicted for all the rest of the week. Boo! I really want to skate at the beach this weekend but I guess it is winter, after all.

Skate Skate Skate

2011-02-07T12:24:00.000-08:00

Hi Skate World! Been a few weeks since my last update, but know that I have been skating like crazy. It's February, and I have a trip to Cerritos coming up in a few weeks. Can't wait to roll up there!

I've been skating at the rink on the weekends again. The kids are still as scary as ever. I had a boy knock me down on Saturday night. Of course I wasn't hurt but my butt was pretty sore the next day. There haven't been many people skating at the beach on the weekends since the weather has been so up and down so I have been going to the rink instead. Lots of extra small ones on Sundays so I have to be extra careful.

Been working more and more on my frontward skating and even trying to skate on my toes a bit. It's frustrating because I'm not good at it but I know I won't get any better unless I practice. My wheels wobble like crazy. Have to get my legs stronger. I have a few people that I skate with now on Tuesdays who have a pace similar to mine. It feels great to be part of the skate family.

I have an exciting event coming up this month that I am really pumped up about! It's called the Race on the Base and they have a 10K skate portion! So cool, I just had to sign up. The course is actually a runway so it sounds so neat! It's supposed to be really smooth and you have to wear all gear so you can go super fast. The gear sucks as it cost a grip of money to buy a helmet, knee pads, elbow pads, etc. Entrance fee was no small matter either but the point is to skate, right?? I really can't wait, hope the weather is beautiful that day.

Been practicing my backwards skating so much. I feel more confident each day. I skated backwards yesterday amongst those kids, even though it's frightening and I feel like I'm going to break my neck trying to see if I'm going to run into anyone! Can't wait to skate tomorrow for Adult Night. Wish it was more than once a week.

Skate Like It's Summer

2011-01-18T10:51:00.000-08:00

Hi out there, I know it's been a few weeks since I have blogged. Honestly, I was struck down by the flu bug. Forced off my wheels but the evil hand of fate! Oh well, it was bound to happen as I haven't been sick for a few years. Guess it was my turn. I didn't skate for a solid week, which was so bizarre. Then I went skating and it totally got me sick all over again. I wasn't ready to be back on my wheels, apparently. Let me catch you up.

Right before New Years, I skated in Cerritos. So unbelievable. There is simply nothing like skating up there, it's just the best. I had such a fantastic time. It was really crowded and very frightening over in the fast lane so I stayed out of it for the most part. Lots of people do the same style of skating as me around the floor so it was a blast to follow people, or get in a line of five or six people and mimic their steps. So fun to know I can keep up now.

I am just barely returning to a normal skating schedule after my illness. I will definitely remember that I have to stay home on Skate Night when I've been ill. I have so much fun skating, I don't really think of it as an exertion or exercise. I skated last Tuesday for the first time after my sickness. It felt a little weird! Just took me a couple dozen rotations to get comfortable again. Then I was golden.

We are having unbelievable weather right now in San Diego, so after a long two months off, I was able to skate at the beach this past Sunday. It was glorious. Brilliant blue skies, hazy sunshine and a cool breeze coming off the water. I love to be on the wood in the rink, but skating in the sunshine is an experience like no other. Fantastic skating day.

Skating at the rink tonight. Some of the rexers organized a Skate Night so it should be on the crowded side. Last week, there was a gal there who told me she rode her motorcycle 80 miles to skate with us. Very cool! She told me about a rink in Fountain Valley. I mapped it and it's about the exact distance of Cerritos, maybe slightly less. She claims they have a great Adult Night on Thursdays. Have to see for myself but sounds like a road trip in the making.

Merry Christmas Skate Friends

2010-12-22T15:07:00.000-08:00

It's Christmas! Time to get your Christmas roll on. I've been skating up a storm. I'm so happy I've been able to juggle my personal life so that I can get more skating in. I skated at the rink twice over the weekend. We have been slammed in San Diego with a huge winter storm so no skating at the beach for two weeks running now. I am so over it. I sure hope I can hit the beach this weekend. I love to skate at the rink but there's nothing like skating next to the water with the cool breeze blowing and the bright sunshine over head.

I skated at the rink Saturday night. It was crawling with kids, as usual. I followed all the kids that skate really fast and it was fun to try and keep up with them. I got some practice in on my backwards. I've been really working on shifting my weight from foot to foot. I've slowly improved. I have been trying to get more comfortable skating backwards among the forward skaters. Once I get in backwards position, I get this irrational fear of turning back around. I turned around in a crowd of forward skaters and ate it, it sucked! But it was a nothing fall, more embarrassing than anything else. Unfortunately only minutes later I completely plowed into this little girl going the wrong way on the floor. I landed right on top of her and her skates dug into my legs hard. I couldn't believe the pain! But I was more worried about her because she was only about 10 years old. She was fine so I jumped up and resumed skating but my leg was just killing. I skated a few more minutes and had to throw in the towel. I rolled up my jeans and inspected the damage. I was amazed her wheels were able to break my skin through my jeans and my socks. I nursed my leg that whole night and four days later, it's much better.

Sunday I skated at the rink because it was raining cats and dogs outside. Nice and dry inside the rink but I truly felt gun shy after my fall the night before. And the kids that skate on Sundays are much worse than the Saturday night ones. They were just all over the place, really scary stuff. So I never really went at my top speed, I just felt too intimidated. My leg was still so sore, the thought of falling on it was pretty unpleasant. Nonetheless, i got my roll on and that's what counts.

Skating at the rink last night was a blast. Skating on the weekend sure makes you appreciate Adult Night on a whole different level. The music was hitting it and the crowd was light, probably because of the rain and the holidays. I skated hard. I was able to spend about 30 minutes with one of the good skaters and the lesson was good, challenging as always. He teaches me all this hard stuff and then I feel really self conscious that he is watching me skate disapprovingly. It's just hard to do what he is teaching me, I am so much more comfortable skating my usual way. Old habits die hard.

Off to Cerritos tomorrow night for Adult Night. Yay! I'm so excited! It's only been a month since I've been up but it feels like way too long. I've already devised my requests that the DJ will hopefully play. He's so picky. But even if he doesn't play my songs, I will have an awesome time. Hope you're getting some skating in over the holidays. No better way to work off those Christmas cookies.

Happy Skating Christmas

2010-12-15T10:04:00.000-08:00

Excited to blog about my progress with backwards skating. I had another breakthrough at the rink last night! So cool. I was able to get some instruction from one of the rexers and he really helped me. There's this whole thing about shifting your weight back and forth and it finally clicked last night. I really felt like I was doing something different. As always, my right leg is super strong and my left leg is inanimate. Hvae to practice, practice, practice on my weak leg. Even the rexer guy was like 'that left leg isn't doing anything' lol.

It was so fun at the rink last night. I have totally overcome my fear of backwards skating amongst the frontward skaters. I'm really pleased with myself. It is definitely still scary but I hvae a new comfort level. I can just turn around, start going backwards, move around slow skaters, all of that.

I have been so busy I have struggled to get my skating in. It sucks so much! I missed skating at the beach two weeks in a row. One week the weather was sucky and then last week I was able to go to the Chargers game. Wasnt going to miss that. But I am itching to get in a beach skate and I will do that this weekend. I was asking the others if we could early this weekend but the weather man is predicting rain. It can't be!

I am going up to Cerritos next weekend and I have the following day off. That is a perfect scenario, I should be able to stay for most of the skate. Can't wait to get my roll on with all those good skaters.

Since it's Christmas, I leave you with this hilarious gift option. Hey I love skating so why not get me a skating thong? Oh it's made in the USA all right...

Skatesgiving

2010-11-30T14:04:00.000-08:00

Hello Blog World! I come with tidings of great skating...okay I had to make the little Christmas reference. Yes the holidays are upon us, taking up valuable skating time. But it's all about time management and I for one will not be Christmas shopping on Adult Night. That's not going to happen. I was off work for the past weekend and you know I spent the whole time rolling. It was awesome!

But the highlight of my time off was undoubtedly the Thanksgiving Skate at Skate Depot.

I can't say enough good things about this rink. Here is a rink that is for the skaters, run by people who love skating and the rink patrons. They show this by offering special holiday skates, all night skates, they provide us with cold drinking water - what else could we want? I had the absolute best time up there! For the first time ever, I was able to skate in the fast lane! Not the whole time of course; I always make sure to move to the left after a pass so that people much faster than me can go by. But I was holding my own and it was absolutely thrilling! I also did a ton of backwards skating and it was awesome to just go into it and not feel intimidated.

My backwards skating is totally going to the next level, it's way awesome. They had a special in Cerritos all women backwards for three songs. I hung in there! It was great. I am most definitely going to get a grip of Fridays off so I can go up to Cerritos at least once a month. I seriously need to skate up there more often and the car ride just seems shorter and shorter.

In other news, the parade got rained out last weekend. It sucked so much. I was so looking forward to it. Unfortunately water and skating just don't mix and it rained cats and dogs all last weekend. I sure hope we get to do it next year, that is so up my alley.

That is my main update. Just skating and more skating. Been going to the rink on the weekends again. Despite the rumors that the rink will be closing, it has been dead, dead, dead. Too bad that people in San Diego don't want to support our last roller rink. Oh well, I will do it for you.

Sk8 Life

2010-11-16T14:04:00.000-08:00

Hello fellow skaters! It’s Tuesday so you know I’m on a cloud, so ready to get my roll on at the rink tonight! I have made some awesome progress in the past few weeks since I updated my blog so listen up. November 11 was Veteran’s Day (Go Veteran’s!) so I had the day off and the rink was open for the kids being out of school. Awesome for me! I was one of about four adults there but no worries, I’m Little Miss Zip-Out-Of-The-Way nowadays so I don’t mind the kids at all. I had a great time on Thursday and Wonderboy showed up later in the afternoon. He wants to help me with my backwards skating, which is so exciting. I am so grateful to each and every skater who takes the time to work with me and teach me.

Working with Wonderboy on Thursday, he observed my backwards skating and then asked if I could pick up one of my feet. Heck no! Not going backwards that’s for sure. So that was his diagnosis: to get to the next level in backwards, I need to learn to skate backwards on one foot. Much harder than it may sound. Luckily he is willing to work with me and I have already taken some baby steps in that direction. It’s very hard but so exciting to feel myself inching towards a new goal.Saturday I was at the rink again, more chances to practice my backwards skating. I also have been working on some forward rexing moves that Paul has been teaching me. I have been trying and trying to mimic his movements but I know I am doing it wrong. Saturday something finally clicked in place: I knew I was doing it right, I could just feel it! So awesome!

Sunday I was so eager to show Paul what I had learned, and sure enough, he said I was doing well! I showed him my “one leg backwards” moves as well and he was pleased. Wonderboy thinks I might be able to do backwards crossovers in the next few weeks if I keep working at it. That would be too cool so I am trying not to get ahead of myself, just keep working and hope it happens.

This Sunday I will be skating in the Mother Goose Parade in El Cajon. It’s going to be great fun! I was told to save up my energy so that I can skate for three miles (gulp). Sounds hardcore but I am ready. So if you’re in the Cajon Zone, do come out and check my skating moves!! Happy Winter Skating ya’ll.

Ouch! I Hate Falling

2010-11-03T09:26:00.000-07:00

Had a spectacular fall at the rink last night. Nothing like eating it! What made it worse is that I was about to leave, and had just gotten off the floor to get one last drink of water before taking my skates off. I was rolling along on the carpet at a good clip, when this evil plastic tie thing was laying in my path. The debris on roller rink carpets can be so dangerous. I attempted to roll over it but it was way too thick. It felt like I did about 10 seconds of flailing around trying to get my balance, but there was nothing I could, I was going down. To make the whole thing worse, I went down flat on my belly, an odd way to fall. The most common way to fall is right on your money maker. Not me. Flat down on my belly, chin on the carpet, the whole thing. So embarrassing! A few people came over and helped me up -- I'm sure it was quite a sight. I did throw out the evil zip tie that tried to kill me (see image below).Beyond that, I had a ball skating last night. Paul is taking me under his wing so much, it's awesome! He's a rather demanding teacher, not big on smiles. There's this cool synchronized skating that goes on around the outside of the rink that looks amazing and difficult. The skaters that do it keep about two inches between each one, no joke. Paul has decided I need to learn it, which is so awesome. So last night he was showing me the steps and trying to get me to skate all close behind him. That was a bit too scary for me but it was cool to learn the steps. Now practice, practice, practice as always.

He was also working with me on my backwards skating. I have stalled a bit with my backwards skating; what I do I can do well but I haven't graduated to the next level. He showed me the next steps over and over; it's quite hard and Paul is not a hand holding kind of guy. You just have to get it on your own. I put in a lot of practice and felt like I was slowly starting to grasp it...maybe. Even though it's the beginning of November, it is SO hot in San Diego right now. :) You gotta love it! Can't wait to skate this weekend in the beautiful sunshine with brilliant blue skies above me.

Free as a Bird

2010-10-13T12:51:00.000-07:00

Hey I finally got my "new old" skates repaired. Remember many months ago when I bought my bad ass skates on ebay? I had tried to wear them and it turned out that a tear in the tongue was what was torturing my feet. I had to take them to a particular repair shop as there aren't many that work on roller skates. It took me forever to get out there and drop them off, but they repaired the tongue quickly and cheaply. Last night was my first time wearing them at the rink in months.

I was excited because I knew I would have three months more skating experience from when I had worn them last. As you know, I have been skating much faster in recent weeks, but that is on my old skates. These skates have really heavy plates on them and super hard wheels, making them very slick on the wood. So I laced up and was pleased to see that the skates felt great on my feet. Of course there was a learning curve but overall, the skates felt fantastic. So smooth!

I tried to pick up my pace a bit closer to what I have been accustomed to. Whoops, not too good at braking in these skates! Have to practice that. My level of control is greatly reduced but I will get it back with time. I had some major close calls coming around the corners because I can't slow down the way I'm used to. One of the areas I felt strongest was when I was backwards skating. Just felt much more confident with the new skates. But don't feel bad about my old Chicago's, they will still get their roll on at the weekend as my outdoor skates.

In other news, I skated in the Pacific Beachfest last weekend. What a blast! I had a fantastic time. The floor on the stage was really nice for skating, and they let us skate around for a few minutes to get a feel before we began. Honestly, walking up the rickety steps to the stage was the scariest part. It was awesome to look out and see the crowd gathered to watch us. Once the music started, I just got into the zone and had a blast. Looking out and seeing my little boy in the audience was a great feeling. He was proud of his mommy. I didn't fall although I did have a bit of a close call in the middle of the Fly. Still though, didn't fall!

My Other Car is a Unicorn on Roller Skates

2010-10-05T12:47:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's Tuesday, my very favorite day of the week! So excited to get my roll on tonight at the rink. It was so fun last week, I can't wait to build on what I learned. I am such a little speeder now, it's too cool! I get such a rush from skating, I'll go 30, 40, 50 minutes without a break - as long as the music is good.

Amazingly enough, I have even stopped drinking Red Bull before I go skating! Wait did you hear what I said? I'm not taking a stimulant before I skate anymore! This is a big deal. I used to down a giant Monster before skating back when I was a beginner. I felt it was the *only way* to have enough energy to skate all night.

I was able to wean myself down to the 8 oz. sugar free Red Bull, but this was still a needed item to go skating. A few weeks ago, I needed to be able to sleep right when I got home so I went without the drink. I was worried I would have no energy and would have to keep resting but something amazing happened - I felt even better than I did with the Red Bull. No shaky legs or super fast heart beats. No having to use the bathroom at the roller rink because I drank so much before I got there (trust me, the bathrooms are a scary adventure that I would like to avoid). This is a very positive change health-wise and also in saving money too!

In other news, Pacific Beachfest this Saturday! I guess I'm ready! I will be doing just three routines; we have to do the strongest routines and even though I know other ones, the important thing to do is what everyone knows. It should be fun and I'm sure I will be nervous as heck but it will be great to get my feet wet for my first time performing before a group.

Sorry for the gap in postings...but I don't want to bore you guys to tears when I don't have much to report...ride your hide people

Sk8 Skillz

2010-09-23T15:45:00.000-07:00

Hi World! I know my updates are not as frequent as they once were but hey, it is what it is. Once I was a baby skater and was posting every little move I made. I've moved beyond that and it's a beautiful thing. So I will most likely be doing a weekly or bi-weekly update.

Skating at Venice Beach last weekend was a trip! What a wild and crazy world it is up there. So much going on, skating is just one tiny aspect of it all. It was fun to just watch all the madness going on around us. There was one guy who was skating while using two hula hoops and juggling limes. A little intimidating to do my moves next to something like that! Also there were only a couple other women, it was completely dominated by men. But I did my thing and all the skaters up there were super friendly. I'm so glad I went and can't wait to go again soon.

Skating at the rink on Tuesday was good; I was doing my new super fast skating and it was great. I skated the backwards skate special and had something interesting happen. I have been working on something called a mohawk turn, which is basically turning around from frontwards to backwards while in motion. The skilled skaters can do this at breakneck speed. Me, I do it only if I'm at a slow pace as it's easy to lose your balance. Anyway, so I was doing my backwards skating and this couple stops/falls right behind me. One of my friends screamed at me but I only had a split second to turn around. I did that mohawk turn so fast...and didn't fall! I was so proud of myself! I guess sometimes it takes those little things to push you out of your comfort zone and help you get to the next level. I won't be so hesitant the next time I do my mohawk turn.

Skating at the beach this weekend and the Pacific Beachfest is just around the corner!

Faster, Skatecat! Kill! Kill!

2010-09-08T11:59:00.000-07:00

What fun I have been having skating. I'm on to the next level, and it feels incredible. :)

The Labor Day Skate BBQ was an awesome time. It's great having this new family of friends. We bbq'd and then headed over to wow the tourists. We did a skate show on the hour every hour 4:00, 5:00 and 6:00. I skated routine after routine after routine. I am really, really trying to bend my knees more but it's hard, so many habits are ingrained. As always, trying to improve. But it feels awesome to get called over anytime routines are going to be performed, and I'm one of the only skaters that can do every routine - 2-6 and the Fly. Paul is even teaching me the rare #1 routine. :) Cool!

Skating at the rink last night was the bomb! I skated faster than I have ever skated before. How invigorating! Scary too of course, even though my braking continues to improve all the time. I was even braking during the turns last night, a first for me. A couple times I came up so fast on a group wearing rentals that I had no choice but to cut through the middle to avoid a fall. This is a no-no. I sure know that being a skate dancer myself. But luckily I didn't take anyone down with me, and the only solution is to improve with braking even more. I found out that I can only brake with my right foot. So now to practice braking with my left foot.

I was really watching those derby girls last night. Yes, I watched Whip It - I know it's so cliche but it did give me a new found interest and respect for roller derby. Finally I can understand how the game is played and why the girls skate so fast and are so aggressive. No I'm not saying I'm going derby, no way! I'm a skate dancer all the way. But the girls are very talented, and their style of skating crouching low is a good style to follow. I did try that last night and saw some looks from the derby girls (is she going derby?) lol Always fun to try new things.

Jammed out on the backwards special last night. I wish it was for more than one song. I should backwards skate when the rink is still empty at the start of the night, but I'm warming up during that time and don't have my "skating legs" to confidently backwards skate. In time.

Summer Ends but Skating Never Stops!

2010-08-31T12:40:00.000-07:00

Hi Blogosphere! Been really needing to get my update out but I have been really busy as of late. I hvaen't been skating as much as I like but sometimes life gets in the way of that.

Adult Night last week at Skate World was fantastic! Really nice sized crowd and now that I can pick up more speed going around the oval, I can really appreciate skating with the adults. Not as many falls and much more flow around the oval, grooving with the music. I skated all the routines with the group and it's so awesome to feel like a go-to person when it comes to the group skating. I skated the Fly with Paul and it's getting so solid - always room for improvement, but it's really getting flawless. The backwards skating special was great; I still hvae so much more to leran about backwards skating but it feels great to go at a fast enough speed that I have to stay away from the center of the rink. I used to be glued to the center!

Wednesday was the 2nd Save Skateworld Rally. Of course, things are never as big the second time around, and that certainly showed with the meager crowd outside for the rally portion. Nonetheless, it was madness inside for skating. Oh my goodness, so many crazy kids! I felt good and strong but I still had so, so many close calls! There were quite a few troublemakers that were really scaring the other skaters with their fast moves that went against the pace inside the rink. Luckily there were numerous floor guards that were collaring the dangerous skaters and giving them a talking to. There were so many times that I clicked wheels with another skater and thought for sure I was going down but my braking continues to improve, and I stayed upright. :)

Skated at the Bay Sunday, it was hot but beautiful. Perfect breeze to go with the warm sunshine. I skated hard and did tons of routines with the group. I really got a work out in! Still preparing for the PB Beach Fest in October but I know I could do it tomorrow if I needed to.

Skating outings coming up in September! This weekend is the Labor Day Skating BBQ, which is bound to be great fun. I hope my skating skills will be much stronger to show off than they were at the start of the summer. Then later this month, the San Diego skating group is heading up to Venice Beach to show them how we skate San Diego style. I am so excited to go to this iconic place and check it out finally for myself. It will be awesome to commune with the other skaters up north. Happy skating!

Skating Road Trip

2010-08-14T13:31:00.000-07:00

I finally have a chance to give you an update on my skating road trip. It was the most fun!

Skating at the roller boogie in Vegas was really special. It was an out of this world experience. The majority of the people in the club were drinking and dancing and not skating, there were only a handful of people that actually skated. That was cool for me to have the space, but the floor was truly frightening. It was some sort of plastic flooring that was completely sticky and

resistant to being rolled over. Once I got used to that, the floor was littered with debris and even had patches in various places with duct tape. What a mess! But it was an adventure and I got used to all that stuff. I zigzagged around the duct tape and avoided the areas where I had seen stir sticks and safety pins.

There was a professional photographer there so I was able get one funny picture of me. You'll see it below. Someone said I look like a coked out rollergirl from Scarface. Awesome!!

Note to self: If you want to have your picture taken in Vegas, skate only in underwear.

I also went to Sonic while I was there as there is only one in my area and it's far away. The food was really, really rough but they have great drinks. Of course I went to see the skaters. It was kind of disappointing. The first time I went, the sullen girl that brought me my food was no skater and barely let me take her picture. It's not worth posting. The second time was better; the young guy that waited on me was a true skater who even used his skates for transportation. That was pretty cool.

I skated at Skate World last night; it wasn't too crowded so it was all right. I am getting more and more confident going fast and chasing the fast skaters. It is both terrifying and

exhilarating. I skated hard and hurt my leg doing a skate routine. Crap! It's in a funny place high up on my thigh and sure enough, still hurts today. I hope it's okay tomorrow when I am skating at the bay with the gang. I hope you're summer is going fantastic. It's going by so fast!

Clams on the Half Shell, and Roller Skates, Roller Skates

2010-08-02T12:11:00.001-07:00

Hello Blogosphere and happy August! Sara Skates here checking in with some roller skating news. Oh my, I have been getting my skate on! It was a great July!

Wednesday was the rally to save Skate World at the rink. It was a blast! Pretty crazy outside for the rally, hundreds of people in attendance. It was inspiring to see the emotion and hear the heartfelt words of the speakers. I truly hope the tide can be turned. I was worried about going in for the free skate considering the throng that was trying to get in, but it turned out fine. For one thing, only a fraction of the people going in (1100 was the final count) were actually skating. Yes there was a huge grip on the floor, but to me, it was like a super busy Saturday night - intimidating but doable. The funny thing was that I was one of a handful of regulars who skated. The majority sat on the side and said things like "I'm not going to skate in that mess!" There were some amazing skaters there that didn't lace up. Little do they know how much it increases your Skate Skillz if you deal with the kids, learning how to brake fast and cut away. You all will remember the fear and anxiety I had only months ago skating with the kids. Over time, I have gotten used to it and wasn't even stressing with that crowd!

They asked anyone who could to be at the rink the following morning at 7:30 for a news event. that would be me. Only about 20 people went, it was quite early but I sure love starting my day with a skate like that. For one thing, the floor was basically mine so I could skate way out on the outer edge and really use the entire rink floor. My crossovers are the bomb now so it was great to practice over and over. One of the rexers was there and he gave me some valuable tips on my backwards skating. Then the news came and we skated around; you can see me a few different times (I'm wearing a purple top).

This weekend I will be going on skating road trip! Woo hoo! Can't wait. Saturday night I will be in Chino at Skate Express for their Hip Hop skate session late that night. Then Vegas baby! Ever since I heard there is a roller boogie going on in Vegas, I was like 'I need to be there!' Finally we are going. Sunday I will be at Crystal Palace for their adult night skate, and I have been there before - the rink is beautiful. Then after that on to the Rio for the roller boogie! I know it might be cheesy and silly but I'm a rollergirl, I gotta check it out.

That's the haps! Lots of skating in my future, what fun!

Cerritos Style

2010-07-23T15:34:00.000-07:00

Wanted to get in a skating greeting before the weekend begins. I have had some other commitments this week so have not skated as much as I would like. How can that be, how can there be anything more important than skating? Yeah that's how it is when you become a mom. BUT the San Diego skating group was making its monthly trek to Skate Depot in Cerritos and after missing Adult Night at Skate World on Tuesday, I was itching to go.

The rink was not quite as crowded as in previous times I have gone, and that was really cool. I had time to warm up around the oval and I am going so much faster these days. I used to be so afraid to crossover at a higher speed, now I can do it and it makes me feel so proud. I can go even faster if I don't do the crossovers. Even now they make me nervous but gradually, I am getting better and better at them. Awesome!

I went in the center of the rink and the turn out from the San Diego group was fantastic! Must have been a good dozen or more people there. It's always nice to see some familiar faces in the crowd. I skated downtown and totally rocked it, it was too cool! My confidence is getting stronger in my skating all the time, and it's just thrilling.

Music was a bit slow but picked up around 10:00 pm. Then the rink started to get crowded and you could see some amazing performances in the center of the rink. I was still skating routines with the group but it started getting too crowded. This guy danced right into me and I would have eaten it hard if he hadn't caught me. That gave me a fright and I stopped doing routines then, just too crowded.

I was also backwards skating - not just on the special, I even skated it during the all skate! I never do that as it makes me too nervous but my backwards skating has improved to the point where I know I need to keep it up so I can improve even more. My backwards skating has no rhythm and nothing will make you see that like being in Cerritos with all the amazing skaters grooving all around you. I watched them carefully and tried to pick up little moves here and there.

Skating BBQ at the beach tomrrow so that should be a lot of fun, although the music probably won't be going for skating until late in the day. I still want to hit up the rink tomorrow night so I'm not going to overdo it at the beach, want to save my enery for the rink skating.

Summertime

2010-07-15T09:10:00.000-07:00

Summer has finally arrived in San Diego, and it couldn't be more welcomed. Finally, the blue skies and bright sunshine we have all been waiting for. It's so beautiful - and perfect for skating. I was able to get out last night to Mission Beach for a beautiful sunset skate. It was great to put in the time distance skating (just look out for those errant pebbles) and then spend some time roller dancing by the coaster at Belmont Park. There were plenty of people out enjoying the weather so I had a small audience of onlookers.

It looks like I am going to be skating in the Pacific Beachfest so I better get over feeling nervous when people are watching me skate. It's exciting! It's going to be on October 9, 2010 and I will be skating the numbers with the rest of the skaters. So I'm going to have to work, work, work if I expect to be up to speed in time for the festival. We will be doing routines 2-6 as well as the Fly. Even though I know the routines, it's another thing altogether to do them consecutively, one after another. Exhausting! But I know I can do it.

Tuesday was Adult Night at Skate World. It was a lot of fun, almost all regulars, only a handful of amateurs, so that was pretty cool. The only problem was since the weather has finally improved, it is hotter than a hen in a wool blanket inside the rink. The only saving grace is a giant fan in front of the back door where you can cool off. Of course it is totally clogged with people gasping for air at all times, so you have to muscle your way in there a bit. All I can do is put my hair up, get a drink of water and deal with it. As long as the music is on the money, it makes me forget how thick and hot the air is inside the rink.

One last note that I have been scouring the internet for cool roller skating images ever since the inception of this blog. I think it's about done; there are only so many roller skating images out there, and I only like posting my very favorite ones. At this point I am going to have to start posting some pix of myself. I am really going to try to get some pictures from my beach skating this weekend so hopefully I can post some skating pix of me next time.

Get out there and ride your hide! There's no time to lose.

4th of July Skate

2010-07-08T12:02:00.001-07:00

Hello out there! I know I haven't been posting as much in recent days and weeks, but trust me when I say it's because I've been skating! The summer is just going great, all I can say is I Heart Roller Skating! Here's a bit about my recent skating activities:

July 4 Bay Skate

This was a great fun day of skating. The weather didn't turn out unfortunately, so it was gray and ugly the entire day, but we didn't let that stop us. Put in a good three hours of skating time and it was awesome to see the pros that showed up to strut their stuff. Did the numbers with the other skaters and was right on the money, too cool. Started learning the Fly, this is my next routine to conquer. My #6 is shaky too so working on that all the time.

July 1 World on Wheels

What a blast! I had the best time skating here. It's funny because their name is World On Wheels so everything is WOW. Wow Rules! Wow no refunds!

They have a few different adult nights and this one was not well attended but I like that. You actually have a bit of space to move around. One of the coolest things is that the center circle of the rink is enclosed so no worries about people knocking you down when you are dancing. Very cool! There are two entrances/exits and even room to sit down on benches. It's hard to describe but it is super terrific. I showed them how we roll San Diego style. It was a trip to check out the different routines they do up there. The music was pretty good - there was a painful slow set that seemed endless but other than that, the music was up tempo.

July 6 Adult Night at Skate World

Fun adult night, although not very well attended. I guess people were still tired from Sunday. I got some work in on the Fly and skated the routines with the other skaters. I am really trying to focus on 1) Looking up (0r anywhere that isn't the floor) and 2) Finessing my moves. Even though I know the moves, I need to make them smoother and add even more bounce than I already have.

Always room for improvement. Busy weekend coming up - won't be able to skate at the beach, which is disappointing but I'll be at the rink Saturday night. See you later, skater.

Skating Girl

2010-06-29T12:26:00.001-07:00

It's Tuesday so you know I'm in a great mood - Adult Night tonight at Skate World, my favorite! I have been having the best time skating since we last talked. Skating was great at the Bay this past Sunday, although the weather was sucky. That didn't stop me!

I have been really wanting to learn all the downtown routines 1-6. The first one I learned was #4, and that took me a really long time. Then I learned #3, much harder with the dreaded "four turns". I taught myself #2 in my garage watching my instructional DVD, then fine tuned it at the rink with live instruction. Got that one down basically. And now, after Sunday, I learned #5, which was pretty simple. The real challenge is #6, oh my goodness! That is a very advanced routine but I love a challenge. Nonetheless, I was able to pick it up for the most part. I have been watching my DVD to brush up since Sunday. Paul told me he wants to skate 2-6 (haven't learned #1 yet) tonight! I sure hope I can keep up. It is going to be so cool.

Do you remember when I was barely able to do any downtown routines, when I couldn't even do crossovers? Amazing how far I have come! I just want to keep building on what I have learned and learn even more! After I learn routine #1, there is also one called the Fly that I have learned some of but it is very complicated with a lot of arm movements so that will be my next thing.

In other news, I have a birthday this week! Happy Birthday to me. Where's my cake at? I am heading up to World on Wheels on Thursday in Los Angeles for the occasion. They have a session from 6 pm - 1 am so it will nice to check out a rink I have never been to. You never know, I could still end up hitting Cerritos on the way back!

This weekend is the big skating BBQ at the Bay, and I am really looking forward to it. It would be awesome to run through the downtown routines with a big group! Hope I can keep up. I hope everyone has a fun and safe 4th of July weekend.

Skating Update

2010-06-21T12:18:00.000-07:00

Hi Skating World! I have been so busy skating that I haven't found a chance to sit down and send out an update. So here I am. I have been having the best time skating! This summer is turning out to be so awesome. I am learning new stuff in leaps and bounds, it's so exciting!

I've been at the rink every Tuesday night. It's so fun to skate the downtown routines with the whole group and try to stay on the beat (try being the operative word). I am working on the routines all the time and trying to be able do them smoother. A lot of people have asked me to teach them the routines and it's very flattering. The only trouble is you really have to put in the practice time or you'll never remember all the steps. I am still one of only a few adults at the rink on the weekends. That is a key time to get practice in as the center of the rink is quite deserted so you have the space.

My birthday is coming up in July and I am going to be making a trip to World on Wheels in L.A. to check out the scene. They have a few different adult nights up there; I'll be going up on a Thursday and I heard that Sunday night is the best adult night. I sure hope the music doesn't suck.

As I get more and more used to dance skating, I see how very important the music is. When the DJ is playing crap music, I don't feel like doing anything. But when a good string of songs is on, I can keep going, even though my muscles are burning, even though I am out of breath, the music pushes me on. One day when I have my own roller rink, the music will be bumpin at all times!!

In other news, I heard some very sad news that it looks like Skate World will be closing its doors in the next few years. The entire center where the rink is located will be renovated with a new shopping complex. It's a true pity that the actions taken by the City were not publicized in any way by the rink so that more people were aware this is happening. Unfortunately, the major actions were taken in 2008 and the wheels are completely in motion for this project. I'll do another post where I can go into more detail about what is going on. The best thing to do is to enjoy the rink while we have it and worry about having no skating in San Diego when the day comes.

On that note, can't wait to groove all night tomorrow for Adult Night at Skate World!

Memorial Day Skating Weekend

2010-05-31T11:24:00.000-07:00

Hello blogosphere! After forever, I got my computer back! So now I can go back to keep everyone apprised of my skating activities. I've got a bunch to tell you about.

Thursday I skated up in Cerritos at Skate Depot. I wore my new skates and they felt great on their awesome floor. The maple wood floor is truly a pleasure to skate on.

It was totally packed and the skaters put on a phenomenal show, as usual. I was too chicken to do any backwards skating, but I did skate a lot in the center. There were so many people, it was pretty hard to practice routines. But I saw a lot of cool tricks that I will try to pick up moves from. Towards the end of the night, my skates started killing my feet. I'm going to have some work done on them and try to soften the leather more.

Saturday night I skated at Skate World. It was a huge contrast to having been in Cerritos just a few days earlier. I was one of only a few adults in the whole place. But anyway, I wore my old skates as I didn't want to have to leave because my feet hurt. It felt really different at first but ultimately it was extremely comfortable. I hadn't worn them at the rink in over a month. I got a bunch of practice in on my routines and tried out a few new tricks I had seen in Cerritos.

Yesterday was the skating bbq at the bay. It was super fun! It was simply gorgeous next to the water. A perfect San Diego day. Sunny, breezy. I skated for a really long time, about five hours altogether but of course I was taking breaks all the time. It was awesome to see all the amazing skaters that came out to show their moves. I skated the #4 routine and bunch and was able to learn #3! Now I know both of them. I still have to perfect all the moves but I know all the steps.

I have made all sorts of progress on my duck walk. I can do it now, just need to get used to bending my knees more. That has taken me nearly two months to master. Yesterday I was learning how to do a move called the grapevine. Very challenging and it requires moving my skates in a way that is totally foreign to me. I got all the fundamentals, now it's just practice, practice, practice.

Skating Tuesday at the rink for Adult Night. Can't wait to skate the routines with the other skaters. :)

The Pain of New Skates

2010-05-14T08:59:00.000-07:00

It's Friday and I wanted to get a blog post in before the weekend. My computer is very slowly being repaired. I am crossing my fingers that I will get it back in May. Last weekend I need to stretch my skates because they were killing me, particularly on my right foot. The skaters told me this old school method to stretch your skates - put on your thickest socks, soak them in alcohol and put on your skates. The theory is that the alcohol makes the leather expand. I liked this idea better than leaving my skates at a cobbler for a week so I went for it.

I thought it would be wise to wear two socks on my right foot since that was the one that hurt more. I could barely even get my feet in my skates as they were snug already. Standing up was pure torture. I walked around my house cleaning and doing laundry to take my mind off the pain. I was able to endure 25 minutes before I had to get them off. My feet looked all crazy from my toes being cramped in there, and the pattern on my socks was embedded in my skin. Lovely!

So I skated at the rink Tuesday for Adult Night, and I wore my newly stretched skates. Amazingly, it actually worked! My left foot is just fine, my right is still a bit ouchie but nothing like the previous week. The skaters recommended I do the alcohol thing again - noooo! But I guess I will. My skates felt pretty good on Tuesday. I am only able to wear them indoors, and I have to wear my old skates for outdoors because of the type of wheels that are on my skates.

In other news, I asked the guy that sold me my skates if he could tell me anything about the history of my skates. I found out that my skates were bought in 1960 and were used for competitive skating. Fascinating!

Can't wait to get my skate on this weekend. Tomorrow night I'll be at the rink - hopefully it's not crawling with kids because I am really looking forward to it. Then Sunday i am skating at the Bay, the weather man is promising a beautiful weekend. Get out and enjoy the sunshine on your skates!

Roll With It

2010-05-06T09:39:00.000-07:00

Hello Skating World! I know I have been out of touch and you all are suffering. I can tell from all the emails you guys have been sending me, begging me for an update. The world needs to know what I am up to! I understand and I am here to calm you with my tales of roller wonder.

I have been skating up a storm, like usual. I was at the beach last weekend, which was a lot of fun. I took my son so that was challenging. He is asking for some skates, it's too cute. Skates for tiny toddler feet are super expensive, so we'll stick with the plastic for now. I did a lot of practicing on the continuation and the duck walk. Ugh so hard but I am very slowly improving. Need to practice, practice, practice.

Adult Night on Tuesday was super fun. The whole Skate This group was there and I wore my new Skate This shirt. The group lined up to do downtown and I was actually able to keep up for a few minutes! It is a real rush to do downtown with a big group like that, there must have been 10 people. It was very cool. Paul really wants me to get up to speed on it before the heart of the summer gets here, and his help is so invaluable. He will call out the steps right before they come up if I don't know them so I can try to stay on the beat, it's really helpful.

In other news, I got some new skates, new to me, some old vintage skates that were recommended to me. They are very cool and I have been informed they are quite professional. People in the know sure give my skates tons of attention! The thing about my skates is they have these Douglass Snyder plates that are apparently quite special. Above is a picture of my skates, and here's a shot of my fancy plates:

I'll be skating at the beach on Saturday. I've never done the Mission Beach thing before, I've been going to Mission Bay, so it should be interesting. I will just do my thing and not worry about the tourists watching me, and hopefully I will have some opportunities to learn some new things. If I'm not too tired, I'll be skating at the rink that night. Viva la Skating!

Skating Updates

2010-04-28T13:08:00.000-07:00

Hi Blogosphere! Sorry I have been out of touch. Not having my computer at home is seriously cramping my style. I have done a bunch of skating since my last update. Skating in Cerritos on Thursday was awesome! There was a big group of motorcycle clubs meeting up at the rink so it was extra crowded. They do a different style of downtown up there, which I attempted to learn. A gal gave me some tips on backwards skating, and she also told me that I look down all the time when I'm skating. I had no idea I did that! I am trying to break the habit.

Friday night I was at Skate World and it was nuts, so many kids, ugh too much for me. It made me long to be back in Cerritos with all the mature skaters that don't fall. Another cool thing that happened in Cerritos was that I bought a Skate This shirt. Skate This is the skating club in San Diego and I feel like I am a decent enough skater now to rock the shirt. I love it, but it's a very plain and ordinary shirt. My wizard crafting friend, Emily, is going to make it even better! Yay I can't wait to see what she does with it. :)

Sunday I went to the Bay to skate, and it was an awesome time. I am still trying to perfect my duck walk. Even though I can do it somewhat, it needs lots of work and I can't do it very naturally. Nonetheless, I can pretty much do the continuation now. Paul worked me with another routine, the #3 and I made some headway. Only problem is that the routine has about four different turns in it, and my turns are pretty weak. Yet another hurdle for me to get over. I know I can do it.

Last night I was at Skate World for Adult Night. It was like skating in an oven with a wood floor. Made me miss the air conditioning in Cerritos. Oh boy, it's going to be one hot summer.

Summertime

2010-04-20T13:55:00.000-07:00

Been having lots of fun skating the past few days. Saturday night I was at the rink and got that duck walk down. Yay me! I couldn't wait to show everyone at the beach on Sunday. I did it better on the smooth rink floor on Saturday, and it was a bit trickier on the cement but I was able to do it well enough that everyone could see I was moving to the next level. Now I am busy learning the continuation, a tricky step that is a combination of the downtown and the duck walk. Really hard! I spent my entire time at the beach learning it (2 hours), and even then I am not at 100%. I'll knock it out tonight at the rink for sure.

In other news, my car got really ill and I had to spend all my Vanilla money on the repair. Blows so much. My dream of Vanilla skates has to be put on hold for now. I am going to the ebay route now, trying to get a deal. My feet are small so I have that going for me. I am watching the listings like a hawk, I know something good will eventually show up.

I'll be at the rink tonight and then going up to Skate Depot in Cerritos on Thursday...but I have to work Friday! Ooh it will be a sleepy day. The plan is to get there early and leave by 11:00 so I can get in bed hopefully by 1:00. I'm young, I can make it on four hours sleep! And a beautiful weekend is on tap, perfect for skating by the ocean.

I'll leave you with De La Soul, Roller Skating Jam Named Saturdays Good song and even better video.

Roller Skates Go Forward and Backward Only

2010-04-15T12:08:00.000-07:00

Hey World! I was pleased to see that my good friend in England has logged into my blog, so now I have international visitors! Cool! Thanks to everyone for hitting my site and reading my blog. I heart google analytics, the data is just fascinating.

Anyway. On to skating. Had a fabulous time at Skate World on Tuesday night. All the regulars were out in full force. I was able to monopolize Paul for a full 30 minutes, and he is teaching me how to do the duck walk. He said it will help tremendously with my downtown, so that is my homework. It is hard! He makes it look like a walk in the park. He was very patient showing me how to do it, but I really need to put in the time practicing to be able to do it correctly. So much of skating is a leap of faith, and I have a major fear of falling so I don't always take the leaps. I guess that's why some people wear all the protection, so it doesn't matter if they fall.

I skated the backwards beginning skate, and it was so cool to feel myself improving bit by bit. I still suck, but not as bad ha ha ha.

Skating at the rink this Saturday, and then to Bay Sunday. Then next Thursday there is a road trip to Cerritos for Adult Night! Yay I can't wait to go again, it's going to be awesome!

Roller Skate for Poise and Charm

2010-04-12T09:32:00.001-07:00

Had a great weekend skating my little butt off! Friday night I hit up the rink, I got there early before there was too many kids. But even still, it was just one of those nights where the kids are acting crazy. Too much kool aid or something. I don't like skating with the kids acting that way because they are reckless and taking too many chances around the floor. More than once I saw a preteen boy jumping over a fallen child. Bunch of punks is what they are. But I am trying to give off a super friendly vibe at the rink, even with those punk kids since they are there every single weekend, just like me. Anyway, it was a decent night of skating, just a little nerve wracking for my taste.

Saturday I decided to do a little skating in my garage - I know it sounds funny but as a beginner, I need all the practice I can get, anywhere, anytime. Also in my garage, there is a section of the concrete that has been worn down over time and it's very smooth and ideal for skating. I turned up the car radio, opened my car doors and got my roll on. It was beneficial to practice alone as I usually don't so I was able to try some things that I might not normally try with an audience. It was a good practice session.

Sunday I decided to put on a brave face and take Felix with me to the beach to skate. I was nervous but my friends said they would help, plus Felix also told me how good he would be. He was true to his word! What a little trooper. It was chilly but he was bundled up and he sat and played in the sand for a good long time, long enough for me to get warmed up. There were lots of good skaters there. Then he asked if he could sit on the rock wall and watch the skating. He loved it! It was so cute. I got some more instruction from Steve, and this lady, Kathy, was there, who is an amazing skater. I introduced myself and asked her for some help with my toe jam, since she does it so well. She gave me some good tips, and I was eager to spend some time practicing but I had to keep my eye on Lixy. It will be cool to practice what she showed me at the rink on Tuesday. A great skating weekend all in all!

Rexers Reunion/Weekend!

2010-04-09T09:04:00.000-07:00

It was so interesting last night at the Rexers Reunion at Skate World! Great learning experience for me. For those who don't know, rexing is continuous backwards skating in an hourglass pattern. The rexers were fabulous to watch, they just do it like it's nothing. I saw probably three falls the entire night - this was definitely a no amateurs night. The music was very different; it was this old timey organ kind of music they played back in the day. No before that, back in the day day.

My favorite part of the night was the spot rexing special. For some explanation of what it is, I took this excerpt from a website called tothegoodlife.info: Spot rexing is done individually in the center circle of the rink with a prescribed 36 steps. Basically they are skating backwards in a tight circle and it's completely impressive to watch. I would love to be able to spot rex one day, but it's pretty far off from what I do at the moment.

I found a video that shows some very nice rexing here. Imagine 20 or so people doing that around the oval, so fun to watch!

I did make a video of my skating progress recently, and I was going to post it but then my computer died. Waaa!! Hopefully I can post one soon. I am going to Skate World tonight for the evening session 7:00 - 11:00. Although it was a good time last night, it will be nice to skate to normal old school music and current pop. Looking forward to it!

Rink Sessions/Outdoor Skate

2010-04-06T08:34:00.000-07:00

Hi skating world! I have been having a ball doing plenty of skating in the last week. I went to the rink on Cesar Chavez Day since I had the day off work. There were plenty of kids but I am getting better at negotiating them. I was one of the only adults there and I had the center circle completely to myself, very cool. I got in some good practice that day.

Easter Sunday I was able to get to the Bay just before everyone left. I got there at 6:00 and everyone else got there at 2:00 so I was way late. Steve was still there so I immediately tried to grab a few lessons before he left. He showed me a bunch of the steps for #3 so now I just need to practice so I can do it at the right speed. I'm pretty slow right now. I also told him how I was going to buy some jam skates, and he gave me a lot of good info about the difference between a high boot and a low boot. He has both so he knows. Apparently the lack of a heel in the low boot is going to be a major factor for me. He said it would almost be like learning to skate all over again, which just sounds depressing. He also said my skates aren't as crap as I think they are, but it would be good to have a higher quality boot. But it would just be so boring to buy new white boots, even if they were a quality brand. I want red skates!!

Skating tonight and I won't be there - boooooo! (sigh) Oh well, I am a mom first and skater second and tonight I've got kid duty. It will be great to see my boy but I know I'll be thinking of the rink when 7:30 rolls around. Hate to miss Adult Night! The good thing is that there is a Rexers Reunion at the rink on Thursday so I will be able to go to that. Only two hours so I'll have to skate hard. I'm also toying with the idea of taking my boy to the Bay with me on Sunday so he can play in the sand while I get a little skate in. It's a little intimidating though - I might try to recruit some of my skater friends to go with me for an extra parental eye. Skater friends, you know who you are - wanna go?

News Thing

2010-04-01T19:33:00.000-07:00

CW TV did a piece at the roller rink this past Tuesday! It was pretty cool. I found out that Skate World was asking skaters to go to the rink as the crack of dawn (7 am) for a news piece. I thought that would be such a fantastic way to start the day - get a little skate in before going to work. So I made it happen! I made arrangements to go in late for work, and layed out my skating clothes at the foot of the bed.

I was at the rink bright and early - the first one there actually. You can count on me to be punctual. The owner's kid showed up and let me in - and let me start skating! It was so incredibly awesome: the only lights on were on the rink floor, and there wasn't another soul in the entire roller rink. It was eerie too, with the only sound my wheels going over the wood; normally the music is the only sound you can really hear. It was worth everything to have those 10 minutes alone on the floor, practicing things I never could on a floor crowded with people.

About 20 people showed up in all, a few other dance skaters like me, some derby and some kids. The guy from the news, Ruben, was super funny and seemed genuinely cool. I did get a few seconds of fame; you can view it here but you have to scroll through the video thumbnails to find the skating one (there's no way to link it directly). But the coolest part was getting my skate on before work!

Cerritos Skate Night

2010-03-27T16:06:00.000-07:00

Went up to Cerritos Thursday night for Adult Night at Skate Depot. It was so totally fun. I felt more comfortable than I did when I was there five weeks ago. I really feel like I am a better skater now than I was then. I was a lot more at ease doing my tricks in the center of the rink, and also going around the oval. The floor there is so phenomenal and flawless. I just loved watching all the incredible skaters glide effortlessly around the floor.

I did some of my most advanced skating on my toes yet. It was such a thrill! It also caused me to fall, and I have a lovely gray-blue bruise on my forearm to show for it. I also skated during the backwards skate special. It was tiring, and then it turned out to be three songs long. I was dying, but I stayed out on the floor. I didn't want to be seen as giving up.

I skated Friday night at Skate World. I had another amazing night! It was mostly kids and few good skaters, although some of the kids are pretty bad ass. I was even able to practice my backwards skating because it was so deserted when the rink first opened. There was a screw on the floor that I promptly fell on. At least I got my first fall backwards skating over with. But I really felt like I took my skating to another level where I was able to connect my combinations better than I ever have before. I sweated my ass off and felt a bit light headed. I have also been sore ever since! I sure can't wait to skate on Tuesday for Adult Night.

My Skates, My Skates, My Lovely Lady Skates

2010-03-23T17:46:00.000-07:00

This is the story of my roller skates. In 2008 when I started skating, I just rented skates at the rink like any other newbie. Then for my birthday last year, I went to Big 5 and bought some cheap ass roller skates. I had no idea they were junk. I guess that's why they were only $30 - even the plates and trucks were plastic! But not knowing better, they looked cute to the naked eye. I wore them to the rink and that was the same time I started learning dance skating. Wonderboy told me my skates were crap. I was stunned!! But they were the only skates I had.

That same week, my dad lost one of his renters and the people skipped town. He told me there was a pair of roller skates left in the rental, and I could have them if I wanted. They looked virtually the same as the ones I bought at Big 5, but I had educated myself enough to see that the plates were metal - an improvement. I was really surprised they fit me, and my new skates were born.

I got some new wheels and had the toe stoppers removed so I could do my dance skating. I have been wearing them since August, and although I am so excited for my new Vanillas, it will be bittersweet to make these my back up pair. I have been through so much with these skates - I could hardly skate when I first started, and now I am...where I'm at. My first outdoor skating experiences, my first dance skating (decently) experiences, traveling up to Cerritos. These skates will always have a special place in my heart...but bring on the Vanillas! I am saving my pennies; hopefully I can get them by May.

First Day of Spring/Skating Practice

2010-03-20T21:11:00.000-07:00

Went skating early this morning by the water. I haven't skated since Tuesday so anywhere I can fit it in is good. I went downtown by the convention center. Behind it there's a very pretty park area that sits right on the water, and I know some basketball courts there that are good to skate at. The cement is nice and smooth - it's no roller rink, but it will do. Here's a pic of where I skated:
I took my broom and swept one of the courts before I started. There were only a few guys playing basketball, so it was pretty deserted. One thing that sucked is you have to pay the parking meter there. So I paid $2.00 to skate two hours. Later skateboarders and more basketball players came, but they were pretty respectful of my space.

It was a beautiful day today here in San Diego. Pretty darn hot if you are roller skating, that's for sure. I was boiling but that's the beauty of roller skating - when I would get hot from the dance skating, I would just skate around a little to get the breeze and cool off. Here's a pic of the view I had to endure while I skated: :)
I got in a very good skate practice and morning work out. I did get some tourists watching me, and that makes me feel nervous like I'm going to go down. But I guess if I want to skate at the beach this summer, I better get used to it.

I'm heading to Skate World tomorrow for the afternoon session 1:30-5:00.

Best Adult Night Ever!

2010-03-17T12:03:00.000-07:00

Had simply the best time at skating last night! This heat is fantastic for the roller rink, at least for me. It means people don't want to go inside the hot, stuffy rink, they want to play outside in the sunshine. They can have it! Leave the rink for me. So the crowd wasn't too crazy, lots of good skaters and very few amateurs.

I was totally in the skating zone last night, hitting my marks. It felt great! I am doing a little something more each time I skate. I got some compliments, which is always nice. Made me feel really good. But the best part of the night is when Paul decided to teach me a routine! It was just so cool. Paul is the master, and I have asked him to help me before, but he never has. I had the impression that he didn't think I was good enough yet to be able to learn the moves. Does this mean I have graduated??

Paul was just amazing. He showed me some different steps but really fast. I have to practice them on my own so I can do them at the right speed. Then we did downtown together, but again, he is just so quick and stylized, it was hard to stay on rhythm with him. Then he had me downtown by myself while he called the steps, and he told me I did a good job! He is a man of few words, so I felt encouraged that he said that to me. Check out some of Paul's awesomeness.

Going to Skate World for the afternoon session on Saturday - I am definitely going to be trying those tricks Paul showed me. This warm weather is supposed to hold so hopefully the rink won't be too crowded on Saturday. Viva roller skating!

Summer Kick Off

2010-03-15T21:16:00.001-07:00

I was able to get in some outdoor skating after work today! It was awesome. The weather was utterly perfect today. I didn't get to Mission Beach until nearly 6:30, but it was still very sunny. I skated down the boardwalk but it was super crowded. I think this week is spring break. There were tons of people around and they definitely got a kick out of my skating.

Skating outdoors is much more complicated than rink skating. All the debris you have to skate through is pretty scary. You just never know what you might roll over that could take you down. I didn't fall though. The skate was along the boardwalk and then back on the bayside.

I practiced some dance skating near the roller coaster before I left. It was a good skate for endurance, and a great way to get the summer started. Looking forward to Adult night tomorrow at Skate World!

Saturday Night Skate March 13

2010-03-14T14:20:00.001-07:00

Hi world! Had a ball at skating last night. I feel a little improved every single time I skate. Last night was no exception. The rink wasn't quite as crowded as usual for a Saturday night. I'm also not feeling quite as frightened when I skate in the round. I have been really forcing myself to skate around and use my brakes and I think it is paying off.

A gal came up to me last night and told me she remembers when I first started skating and she noticed how good I have gotten. That really made my night. She wanted me to teach her a few moves but she was too afraid of falling. Said she would practice at home with a chair first. That was the luck for me - I had Wonderboy teach me, and he let me hold on to his arm so I wouldn't kill myself. I'm not really strong enough to do that for anyone else, except the children.

I even did some backwards skating last night, even though I don't like doing it when the kids are there. It was pretty terrifying. Definitely raised my blood pressure. I want to practice that more at the rink on Tuesday.

Daylight savings times, yes!!!! I have been waiting and waiting. I'm so done with this cold weather. Today is a gorgeous day in San Diego, the kind that we live here for - brilliant blue skies and cool breeze - perfect for skating outside. Happy skating!

Adult Night March 9

2010-03-11T21:34:00.000-08:00

I had a great time at Adult Night this past Tuesday. The DJ was playing a lot of good music and I felt like I was in the skating zone. I am getting better at braking so it is not quite as intimidating to go fast around the oval.

I made a bunch more progress skating on my toes. It's exciting to explore this new area of skating. I remember how hard it was when I first started, it seemed like I would never be able to skate on my toes without falling. Now it feels so natural. I did pretty well during the beginners backwards skate - I still have to go pretty slow, but at least I am not falling or having to brake.

I am just dying to be able to skate on the week days when the rink is closed. This winter seems never ending. It has been incredibly cold. This weekend, I'll be able to go to the rink on Saturday only. Looking forward to skating, but not all the kids I'm going to have to contend with. Yay for Friday tomorrow!

Skating Weekend

2010-03-09T09:40:00.000-08:00

Had a fun skating weekend. Saturday I went to the rink by myself, and it was all kids and parents. I was the best skater! That's a first. It was a great confident booster. I even had two kids ask me for a few lessons, and that was super cool too.

Sunday I took my 3 year old to the rink so he could try his hand at skating. He has some of those plastic skates and he has skated around the neighborhood in those. I wanted him to try some big boy skates. He was a great sport about the whole thing, and I know the skates weigh a ton and probably didn't feel too great on his tiny feet. I took him around on the carpet and then we made for the big scary rink floor. He didn't like the lights and noise but he was willing to attempt a glide. Then of course he was ready to leave.

I was able to keep him in his skates for about an hour, which I think is pretty miraculous for his age. I was really impressed with how his balance improved over the course of the hour. My boy is a natural! For the next time I take him, I think he will benefit from having a little friend to skate with. He seemed a bit envious of the other children with their friends, skating hand in hand. Overall, he did fantastic!

Adult Night tonight, it took so long to get here! I am itching to skate. It was frustrating to be in my skates on Sunday but not really be able to skate since I had to help my boy. I am so ready to go! In other news, my search for new skates is getting a little frenzied. My birthday isn't until the summer, but I'm not sure I'm going to be able to wait that long. I am really feeling the Vanilla skates, anyone have any feedback on that brand? Here's the skates I wish I could get:

$400, yeah a little crazy. And here's the ones I'll be getting realistically in my price range at $200:
Thoughts?

If You're Not Skating, You're Missing Out

2010-03-03T18:01:00.001-08:00

Wow! What an incredible night of roller skating. I had the best time! There were no birthday parties, so that made the vibe cooler right from the start. It wasn't all crazy crowded either. I warmed up around the oval and went in the center to do my thing. There wasn't that many great skaters, which helps me feel less intimidated.

I have been working on the downtown for a long time, a certain shuffle step dance that is done in skating. It looks awesome if you're really good at it. I have been practicing it hard for about four months and have improved very gradually. I still need a lot of work but my goal is to be good enough to skate it at the beach this summer. Anyway, one of the really good skaters, Steve, was there last night and he was willing to show me the next part of the dance routine. It was so cool! Thanks Steve! I have never skated downtown that well before. It was really inspirational that Steve was willing to skate with me. Some people were even watching, no one does that when I skate!

As you can tell, I am pretty pumped up about the whole night. I was learning the steps and practicing them for about 30 minutes with Steve. Then when I went out on the floor to skate, I was all confident. Just have to make sure I'm not overconfident or else I'll be on the ground in a second. I skated the beginners backwards skate and it was my best backwards skating yet! It makes me feel so good to have a successful night like that.

Here is a video of Paul and Steve, two of the best skaters at the rink, doing the downtown routine I am learning. It's called the #4. Steve is the guy on the left with the hat on, and Paul is closest to the camera. I don't know who the girl is. But that would be me, skating well enough to do this with them at the beach.

Adult Night!

2010-03-02T18:24:00.000-08:00

Yay, Tuesday Night at Skate World is finally here! I've been looking forward to skating all day. I was dreaming of it all day at work (while working diligently, of course). I managed to get my toe protectors on. They are so completely boring and white, but they do fit well. I'm going to be posting a picture of my skates soon. Just because they are pretty crappy, and I am planning to buy some new skates for my birthday this summer. Then there is something for you to compare. My new skates are going to rock. It's so fun to look at all the different skates online and dream of which ones I'll get. :)

Tonight I want to focus on my backwards skating and jam skating tricks. I hope there is some good music.

Saturday Feb 27, 2010

2010-02-28T18:22:00.000-08:00

It was so wild at the rink last night. I had to get a wristband to get in the door! It was even busier than usual. There was a 32 year old birthday party and a 12 year old birthday party. Major falls everywhere on the floor and it was very stressful. I stuck it out as much as I could so I could practice around the oval, and then I just mainly stayed in the middle.

There were a couple good jam skaters there last night, and they were incredible to watch. So smooth and they make it look effortless. I practiced all my usual stuff. I am getting a lot stronger on my toes, it's so cool!

I also bought my new toe protectors while I was at the rink. I had some super cool ones that I bought from rollergirl.ca but they were just too big for my skates. :( Sucks! The ones I bought last night are just boring white, but they should fit much better. I've got to figure out how to attach them before skating on Tuesday.

Adult Night Feb 23, 10

2010-02-24T19:37:00.000-08:00

Lots of fun at Adult Night last night at Skate World. What a turnout! There were tons of good skaters, and of course a bunch of amateurs too. There was an adult birthday party, so that always makes the rink more crowded.

I skated in the center for most of the night. There was a bunch of good Skate This skaters and their moves were so impressive. I would love to skate as well as them someday.

I skated during the beginners backwards skate special, but it was unnerving. I feel like I could fall at any second unless I go super slow. Definitely need to practice more backwards skating at the rink Saturday.

Saturday Night Skate

2010-02-21T11:09:00.001-08:00

Skating was fun at the rink last night, but there was way too many kids. They make me so completely nervous. I did end up getting knocked down by a kid recklessly exiting the floor. He just suddenly went to the right - right into me and pulled us both off the floor and onto the carpet along the side. Of course I had my wristguards on and didn't get hurt at all. He was a nice kid too, very apologetic.

I didn't do too well with my skating goals last night. I actually did not do one crossover the entire night! Just terrible. Sometimes I just baby myself and only do the things that are easy to me. I need to work on crossovers today for sure. I also got some new exercises to practice on for my next level of skating. So hard! I hope I can practice some of them today without falling. Heading to the rink at 1:30 for the afternoon skate 1:30-5:00.

Skating Weekend

2010-02-19T21:06:00.000-08:00

Hello world! I have been busy working all week so no skating until the weekend. I skated Tuesday but the music wasn't the best and it was pretty dead so not much to report.

I am going skating at the rink tomorrow night, Saturday from 7:00 - 11:00. It will be packed with kids but I can't wait anyway. I have been itching to skate. When spring gets here, I'll be able to skate outside at night, but it's too cold right now.

I was reading on derbygirls.wordpress.com about the importance of setting skating goals. So here are my skating goals:

1. To be able to do three crossovers at each of the turns at the roller rink
2. To learn to do a spin
3. To be able to toe jam smoothly

That's a good start. #1 is going to hard enough on its own. I have a mental block when it comes to crossovers. I can skate on my toes but I can't pick up one leg and cross it over when I'm turning in the oval. Ridiculous. I try to force myself to do it as the turn is approaching but I typically chicken out. Although I can actually do crossovers, it's very unnatural and stiff looking and I avoid them wherever possible. This weekend at the rink I'm going to try doing two crossovers at each turn, however it looks. If I do it a hundred times, it's got to get less scary.

President's Day Skate

2010-02-15T18:51:00.000-08:00

Went to the special President's Day skate at the rink today. It wasn't too crowded, maybe 50 or so people so that was less stressful for me. I did a lot of practicing around the oval and doing my crossovers. It was mostly kids at the rink so I also had the center of the ring virtually all to myself. I focused on doing certain moves and just practiced the same thing, over and over until I gradually improved.

I skated about three hours today. I did fall once right when I first got to the rink, because I tried to stop too quickly. It was okay though since I fell right on my wrist guards. After that I did a bunch of exercises to practice slowing down and stopping.

Adult night tomorrow, woo hoo! That is going to be so fun. So it's Tuesday 7:30-10:30, you should come and you can just tape Idol.

Valentine's Skate

2010-02-15T09:37:00.000-08:00

Hi guys! Went to the rink yesterday for afternoon skating. It was a little more crowded than usual, but not too bad. One of the things I love about going to the rink on Sundays is that it is pretty dead. Gives me a chance to work on skating in the round at a faster pace. When there are more people, I get intimidated and just stick to the middle. So it was good to get some practice in on my crossovers around the oval.

Wonderboy was there, and he's one of the best skaters that go to the rink. He loves to show me new moves and push me out of my comfort zone, it's so annoying. That's what I love about my comfort zone, it's so comforting. But I know that ultimately he helps me become a better skater. But after an hour of doing moves I don't know how to do, I am hot and tired. I have a lot of little exercises to practice on now. But it was really hot at the rink yesterday, reminded me of how hot it gets in there during the summer.

Going skate at the rink today for a special President's Day Skate, 12:30-3:00. Today I am definitely going to pull my hair back and be ready for the heat.

Feb 12, 2010

2010-02-13T14:08:00.000-08:00

It was lots of fun skating at the rink last night. Weekends are for families, so the rink is crawling with kids. Very frightening to skate in the round with them. I stuck to the middle for the most part, and got lots of practice in on this skate dance I have been working on called the downtown.

Before I left for the rink, I had this idea to watch some of the jamskateaddiction.com tutorials on my computer in my kitchen with my skates on. It worked great and was totally awesome! To be able to actually practice the moves while I'm watching the vids was so beneficial. I literally took off my skates and drove to the rink and put them back on, so I really had them fresh in my mind. The kids at the rink were watching me and actually seemed mildly interested for a change, so maybe I am finally getting better.

I skated for about two hours last night, really fun and I got a great workout. I'll be going to the rink tomorrow, Sunday for the afternoon skate 1:30-5:00.

Adult Night in Cerritos

2010-02-12T16:34:00.000-08:00

Went skating in Cerritos at Skate Depot last night. They have a Thursday night special, 21 and up only. It was a very mature and sophisticated event, not like the way it is here. I love adult night at Skate World, but we get more than our fair share of amateurs having fun in their disco clothes. None of that BS here. Probably 90% of the skaters were intermediate to advanced, they put on a very impressive show. One of the funnest parts of the nights was a 3-song trio special - three people linked by hand or arm in arm skating. Truly amazing stuff, the people got going so fast, there was a huge vortex of wind as they flew around the floor.

I had a really good night of skating. I stuck to the center of the rink, despite the huge number of amazing skaters in there. I held my ground and did my moves. The best progress I made was doing a lot of skating on my toes last night. I was able to really do it and hold it for about 30 seconds! That was cool.

I want to build on the progress I had last night. Skating tonight at Skate World 7:30 - 11:00, I'll be there. :)

Welcome to my blog

2010-02-10T21:51:00.001-08:00

Thanks for showing up at my blog! I started this blog to track my progress as I learn to be a great roller skater.

I started going to the rink about a little over a year ago, just for fun. It was great to do with my girlfriends, just get some rentals and fool around, try not to fall. I did that for a pretty long time until one day I got the nerve to roll into the center of the rink and ask one of the experts for some tips. I got lucky and got some roller dancing instruction too. I was intrigued. It was scary to do the dance steps, but exciting when I got it right. I wanted to do more. I started practicing at home in my garage and got better, little by little.

I also watched a lot of videos online to get ideas of different moves. I found this girl in Texas called Jam Skate Addiction (www.jamskateaddiction.com) and she is amazing! Super talented jam skater with a very slow and patient instruction style. I have watched her trick vids over and over.

I am still such a beginner, but I have come a long, long way.

I have the next five days off from work. My goal is to skate at least three times over this weekend. Let's do this!