Merry Christmas Skate Friends

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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!

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

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!

Memorial Day Skating Weekend

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

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

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

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 Skates Go Forward and Backward Only

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

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!