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!

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.

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.

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!

Rexers Reunion/Weekend!

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

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

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

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

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.

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!

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 Feb 23, 10

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

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

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