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!