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.

Best Adult Night Ever!

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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.