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!