Beginning of Spring Means More Skating

Hey Blog World!  How can it be three months since I did an entry??  I'm like the most remiss blogger ever.  As you all know, I get very busy with my non-skating life, working and being a parent.  But I always find time to roll on my eights, the best feeling in the world.

I do have some good news - me and my team were invited to audition for America's Got Talent once again.  We auditioned in 2011 and yadda yadda yadda, it was a disaster, courtesy of yours truly.  I get some serious stage fright performing in front of judges like that.  Anyway, we certainly didn't expect them to call but they did ask us to come up again.  They gave us a private appointment at a sound stage in Burbank.  We dressed up in our disco costumes and did our thing.  It was much, much better than 2011.  Not perfect but still a fairly strong performance.

We were so pleased to find out we have been placed in the "maybe" pile to audition for the celebrity judges!  How exciting.  I just can imagine the thousands of tapes they said no to, yet we got a maybe.  I definitely think we provide a good dose of different - the amount of singers and dancers on that show is just so boring.  You don't see a roller skating disco act every day, plus of course we're great.  They are going to let us know whether or not they want us before the judges.  The thought of skating in front of Howard Stern in my tiny booty shorts gives me heart palpitations.  But it would be a huge honor and we are hopeful.  Any chance to put roller skating on television is a chance worth taking.

In other  news, I've been skating up a storm.  Been going to plenty of family sessions.  The skate mates that have descended on our rink have come straight from hell.  Are you not familiar?  They are walkers, but for roller skating.  They cost like $5 to rent and once one is rented, every little brat in the place rents one.  They suck to have to avoid at every corner on the floor, and even worse when the kid falls and the skate mate goes flying.  Good times!  Nonetheless, all of this is great practice for me in quickly jumping lanes, darting around slow moving objects and stopping on a dime. 

Skating at the beach has been off the chain.  Spring has only just begun and the beach is just packed.  People adore watching us do our thing!  Nothing like a huge crowd of 30 or 40 people, cheering for us as we finish our routine.  Long live Skate This!

Rollergirl Rolls On

Hey skate peeps,

I know I haven't updated in forever but I have excuses.  My home PC has gone the way of the dinosaur and there are no repairs on the horizon.  Nonetheless, I have been skating up a storm as usual.  Let me give you an update.

Back to Cali came and went over the weekend of May 27, and was somehow even more incredible than last year.  I had simply the best time.  I truly felt like I got my groove back after all the rough times of 2011.  I jammed in the fast lane with the best of 'em.  The floor was crazy packed, I heard a rumor there were 900 people but I'm not sure the floor can hold that many people.  The only downside were the accidents.  I attended two nights of the four night event and the ambulance came out on three separate occasions for the injured.  Always sad and for me, brings back a lot of memories.  One of the accidents in particular; I heard the whistle blowing and saw the commotion ahead of me and everyone started slowing down.  It was a big guy, easily 300 pounds, lying on his back, out cold.  A small pool of blood gathered under his head.  I clapped my hand over my mouth and got off the floor quick.  We had to wait about 30 minutes for teh ambulance to take him away and then the floor had to be sanitized.  Prayers that he made a recovery.

Beyond the tragic stuff, it was a skate of epic proportions.  Definitely got me wanting to hit up Cerritos on Thursday nights again.  In March, i felt intimidated by the fast moving crowd.  But I have moved past that and am ready to roll as they only can at Skate Depot.

I have been performing all around town in the past few weeks, it's been great!  We performed at the Festival of Arts in North Park, and at the San Diego County Fair a few weeks ago.  We will be performing there again on July 1 at 3:00 pm.  Hit me up if you want details.  Show skating is great but definitely harder.  I know these routines like the back of my hand but I do freeze up a bit when it's show time.  Argh!  My defense against this is practice, practice, practice..and then practice some more.  :)

In backwards skating news, I am getting closer with the backwards rexing crossovers, it's a pretty amazing feeling.  Still scary and still really rely on my teacher when we go into the turn.  Now to master doing it alone.  More trips to Cerritos will help it along.  I wouldn't dare do it alone among the nuts that skate in San Diego.

It's summer, the perfect time to get out and skate to your heart's content.  The main thing to concern yourself with outdoors skating is being a strong skater on one foot.  That way you can step over the cracks and other debris.  There's no need to fear outdoor skating, just step over!

Eight Wheels of Happiness

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 )

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

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.

Faster, Skatecat! Kill! Kill!

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.

Skating Road Trip

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

Skating Updates

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

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 Skate for Poise and Charm

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!

Rink Sessions/Outdoor Skate

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

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

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

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

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.