How do you measure, measure a year?

On Boxing Day last year, I decided to engage in a popular skate challenge and chronicle my daily skating for 365 days. Since I was commuting on skates to work, rolling to my downtown class once-a-week, skating at the skatepark a couple of times each week, and attending a host of other random skate events, I figured it would be pretty simple. Since I consider the idea of posting each day exhausting, my plan was to just film a couple of seconds daily and edit those clips into a short monthly video. Initially, I planned to visit a different skate location each day for thirty days, focusing on a different trick for each of the thirty days, Then, for the rest of the year, I’d planned to practice those same 30 tricks at various spots, and hopefully, I’d improve my skills.

After my winter break was over, I soon realized that my biggest challenge would be to get to the skatepark in the afternoon and film while it was still light outside. It was a challenge that I dealt with by making sure that I got down to business with honing my trick as soon as I arrived at the skatepark, videoing often before I quite reached “the zone.”

At work each day, I’d decide where to go, deliberating on which trick to practice. Thus, I developed a master list of the local spots and the skills I wanted to work on. These ranged from tricks I could already do on three-foot ramps to more intermediate moves that I had never even tried, and basically each had been chosen for a different reason: some are skills I felt I should have already mastered; some are just fun for me and needed polishing, and others were ambitious but likely attainable with practice.

This goal for 2020 was not without injuries.

My first one was something called a bone bruise. I did this while up in Marin at a skatepark near a middle school. My biggest mistake on that particular day in January was not predicting the hoards of teen boys who would be there at 5PM on a weekday. I wish I’d been filming because the maneuver was actually amazing. After dropping in and barreling toward the center of the park, a 13-year old kid must have done the same thing from the other end. We would have collided had I not veered left, jumped like a gazelle over a pile of backpacks, and landed beautifully on the other side. I immediately rammed my leg into the metal coping attached to a concrete fun box. Falling to the ground and grabbing my leg, I turned my gaze toward all the boys who were staring in my direction. “That was exquisite!” I thundered. Several years ago, I had a similar accident with metal coping and after getting stitches, I have been wearing shin guards ever since. Magically, this time, that little piece of protective equipment saved me from a broken tibia.

In February, I had just executed a little side-surf hand plant and was rolling backwards to get in line to try again. Halfway between the ramp and the line, after a crossover of my right foot, my feet were too close together, and the wide trucks on my right skate got stuck between the front and back inside wheels of my left skate, and down I went. I knew immediately that my wrist was broken. My frustration almost brought me to tears at the skatepark because I wasn’t completely healed from a broken wrist on my opposite arm. Thankfully, we were pretty close to the urgent care clinic. After a brief wait, the attending physician’s assistant confirmed that it was broken, wrapped me in a temporary cast, and sent me home. Since I hadn’t gotten a clip for that day, that evening I practiced some dances that Richard Humphrey had planned for us to do at a performance the following weekend. It was at this point that I decided that I would have to modify my skate goals for the year; after all, I couldn’t drive and needed help to even tie my laces. I also decided to retire my penny trucks.

Photo credit: David Harrison (father of Minnie)

My new goal was to just skate and get a short clip each day. When it was convenient, I conferred with my list and practiced a few of the skills. No longer could I get to a skatepark every day, but I could still skate outside, at The Church of 8 Wheels, and at Golden Gate Park.

Even though I’d been following the news of Coronavirus since mid-February, regularly wore a mask, and frequently disinfected my hands, I was still shocked to hear one day that the teachers at my school must pack up all textbooks, workbooks, and any other materials we needed for instruction because Mayor Breed had said we were going to “shelter in place.” I couldn’t even skate back home because I had so many teacher addition textbooks and other materials. Our principal said that we would move our spring break to the following week and spend our break learning how to teach online.

During spring break, I spent each day learning how to most effectively use an online grammar program, transferring my students’ grades and all of their lessons to an online platform, and learning to teach on Zoom. In the evenings I would skate in my hallway. It was during this time that some skates I’d had built the previous month were completed. Stephanie from Quad Republic generously offered to mail them to me because at this point in the pandemic, we were not allowed to cross county lines and could not even leave the house except for essential trips. Because of my stellar experience, I strongly recommend this company for their amazing customer service and wide variety of good quality skates and accessories. Receiving that package in the mail was one of the highlights of my time during SIP.

Photo Courtesy of Quad Republic Skate Company

I continued to skate in the hallway for the next couple of months until it was deemed safe to go outside again. Thankfully, there was a plethora of live online skate lessons, YouTube videos, and groups to inspire me to stay active. I am especially grateful to the weekly lessons offered by Richard Humphrey and Reggie “Juice” Dillon. Some days I’d just scroll around on Instagram for ideas about what to practice.

Then we were told it was safe to skate outside, as long as we stayed socially distanced. My sports medicine doctor cleared me to work on handstands and all other activities involving my hands and arms. Since it still wasn’t prudent to hold the Friday Night Skate, and JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park is temporarily closed to car traffic, The Godfather of Skate – David Miles – and his son, David Miles III decided to engineer a smaller evening skate through the park. Until our latest lock down, I was able to attend this skate on a few occasions, and I loved it. It was about 4 miles, low-key, attended by only a few people, included a couple of fun hills, and lasted about 45 minutes.

A few days before the 183^rd day marking the half-year point of my 365 days of skate, I was attempting a half-cab. This is a fakie (backwards) trick where you skate up a ramp and turn 180 degrees to land forward on the coping. When I landed, only my right foot was securely on the coping, and I tried a little hop to get my left foot on. This was ineffective, though, because I’d already started to roll back down, and when I jumped, all I managed to do is trip myself with my right foot, causing myself to flip mostly upside down onto my lower back. It was so painful when I landed, that I almost blacked out, and my vision started to close into a tunnel. I’ve always been able to get up quickly from a fall, even if I’ve broken a bone, but not this time. My legs would not even react when I tried to stand up. My partner rolled over to me and told me to stay put, which was great advice since I’ve seen people fall and then pass out when they try to stand. The pain was overwhelming, but five minutes later I was able to get up and roll away. Although this was my hardest skating fall ever, it was also a great teachable moment for three reasons: For one thing, I learned to just accept when I’m not going to land a trick and know that I can simply retry it; for another reason, somehow, I didn’t get my hand down fast enough to break my wrist, so it could’ve been worse; and finally, a few inches to the left, and I could’ve broken my tailbone. This led me to momentarily consider investing in some padded shorts. Even though they are pricey; I am sure they are worth every penny.

Then there was fire season. During this period, I mostly skated in my hallway. On some nights when the air quality was the least bad it had been all day, I’d put on my skates to walk the dogs or roll around briefly in the parking lot near my house. These were days that it was just nice to get outside for a few minutes. There was one time, though, when I could only skate in the house; that’s when the sky was brown for two days.

After a couple of months, I had pretty much healed up and could push myself a little more while attempting skate tricks. Since I still have problems with the wrist I broke in January, I decided to shift my focus to improving my jumps. This, coupled with the fact that I have no desire to mingle with people during a pandemic, has led me to be more creative with my skating.

Therefore, during the last few months of my skating challenge, I have hardly been to a skatepark at all. This crisis has led me to make my own skatepark from the world around me. The man-made landscape of the city includes ramps, protruding asphalt built over bulging tree roots, ledges, ADA  rails, and stairs – many stairs. Schools offer a whole smorgasbord of skateable features; hence, with the closure (and with some of them even having open playgrounds), the availability of things to jump from, roll down, or spin through is serendipitous.

As far as meeting all of my goals is concerned: I didn’t nail every trick on the now raggedy list I toted around with me all year. My 360s are still a work in progress, and my rodeos need intervention from a professional. But what I did do is attempt everything on that list – many times. Some tricks I tried and even mastered. I am stronger and healthier than I was at this time last year; furthermore, I am able to look around wherever I am and determine what I can skate. The world presents itself in a whole new way for me now. I’ll see people posing at a stadium in a friend’s Facebook post and think, “that looks skateable.”

Photo credit: Gerald Johnson

Another thing that helped my year of daily skating be a success is that I took on several private students. Who knew how popular roller skating would become during the pandemic? Even though restrictions now recommend that we not gather with those outside our households, during the pre-surge months, I met on several afternoons per week with both adults and children. Some of these skaters only needed one lesson, but others came to lessons regularly. My schedule was pretty busy during the late summer and fall. Once school started again, I would get my dogs walked earlier and make sure I put my skates on between Zoom sessions so that I could leave as soon as my online classes were done for the day. Then I would race over to Golden Gate Park to teach my eager pupils.

Photo credit: Rene Smith

Conversely, there were even moments that I didn’t really feel like skating. Maybe I was sluggish from sitting behind the computer all day, or perhaps I just felt like I needed a rest or was unmotivated. There were honestly only about three such days, and once I got my skates on and started moving, I felt so happy and free to just be skating.

On Christmas Day I celebrated my accomplishment by making goals for next year. Once that was done, I put on my quads and went for a skate.

Some Social Skating and Surprisingly Frequent Swimming during my Siberian Summer Sabbatical

Traveling with my skates has taught me an important lesson: only tote one pair. For my trip to Russia, I decided to take my Moxis. These are my hip pink cougar print vegan quads, pimped for skate park action. Since these skates are precious to me, I would never put them in my checked luggage. Luckily, I have a pretty swell Seba backpack, and I can strap my quads to the outside, which leaves plenty of space for all of my other treasured items that I would only pack as carry-on: like books. So from San Francisco to Siberia and the lay-overs in between, I lugged my monstrosity of bulk. Surprisingly, this turned out to be a good thing, since I would be needing more arm and shoulder strength for all the swimming my host had planned.

Once I arrived and was met with the traditional “Bread and Salt” (hleb y sol) ceremony, my hosts took me to an outlying suburb, where I was shown my digs and welcomed to the table for my first meal. This included a bounty of nuts, dried fruit, cucumbers, bread, and black tea with Russian sugar (Russkie sahar) and delicious frothy pine-nut milk (a specialty in Siberia, due to the many pine trees; conversely, it is somewhat trickier to score soy milk in this region). After eating all this amazing food and having a short rest, it was time to make dinner. My host did an incredible job of preparing three huge vegan meals each day, teaching me about piroshky, sauces, and borscht and allowing me to learn about Russian food preparation.

The next morning, after visiting the beautiful Cathedral of the Transfiguration and a short ride in my hosts’ Russian auto – the Lada, we arrived (along with hundreds of others) at a local lake. We cooked on a tiny camp stove and took a dip in the relatively cool water. I was a little surprised to find that Russian women of all ages wear bikinis – almost exclusively; there was no sign of Western-standard body issues.

The next morning at 6AM, my hostess and I started training on the sidewalk (dorozhka) of the main boulevard. It had already been 5 days since I had been in my skates (the previous skate session being me doing the Wiggle to downtown SF and back to get my visa), and I was hyped to roll. The streets are smooth, for the most part, but the real challenge was rolling on the walkway. The wide double-walkway and strategically placed benches provided ample opportunities to take breaks to do planks. I was surprised that during my whole visit, we only saw one other person exercising on that street – and he was running (or jogging) in the early morning heat.  It was during this first skate that I was sort of wishing I had brought my recreational Sebas. I could’ve skated that sidewalk like a boss, but I am just not as nimble on rough surfaces in my quads. It did, however, help fuel an appreciation for our smooth sidewalks here in San Francisco. Seriously, I will never again complain about the condition of sidewalks (or any surface), here in the U.S.

After exercising, I worked with a group kids in a nearby town to improve their English skills. These kids were polite, smart, and curious. They were also very pleased to get the skate stickers I had brought to hand out. They especially liked the Triple 8 ones because it turns out that the spinner craze is sweeping through Russia too.

Later that evening we swam in a river located near some friends’ house. The water was pretty cool, but in this case, and in all subsequent visits to the waterways, my host delighted in telling us that the cold water was actually warm, perhaps to get us in the water faster – perhaps as a joke. It soon became just that. “Toepley!” he would yell after getting in first. That joke never got old. It turns out that immersed in cool water is exactly the best place to be since Siberia was having an extremely warm summer with average temps at 35 degrees Celsius (about 95 F).

During one of the weekends, we decided to go to Shushenskaya. This was a village where Vladimir Lenin spent part of his time in exile. I learned a great deal about Lenin and others who lived in the town. Did you know that Lenin was a skater? When the river Shushe would freeze over, he would put on his metal clip-on skates and do stunning tricks on the ice. The other villagers were so impressed that they fashioned their own skates and took up skating too!

One of the most popular places to hang out is the Sportsplex. They have a state-of-the-art facility, kiddie rides, rollerblade (actual Rollerblade K2s), bike, and Segway rentals, clear balls to walk on water in, skate park, and the urban beach. There was also a nice, mostly smooth dorozhka  to stroll and skate on. There were so many people of all ages – mostly kids and teens, though, rolling along on their in-lines (I did not see a single person on quads during my entire visit), and for the most part, they seemed skilled. We met some new friends (and family members of a skate friend from here in the city)  at the skate park on a couple of occasions. The small DIY park has a perfect half-pipe, a couple of quarter-pipes, a fun box, a tiny ramp with coping. and a long box with coping. I taught my new friends how to roll up transitions and to fakie back down.  We were the only skaters; there were mostly scooter kids and BMXers doing their thing. After skating or strolling around, we would dive into the lake at the urban beach.

When we were exhausted from swimming, we would take a bus or get a ride back to the town where I was staying. Then we would have a late meal and hot tea.

These are just a couple of examples of random days, but the other days involved swimming and skating too, in addition to trampolining, visiting the museums and theaters, shopping, camping, and visiting with new friends. I stayed busy; it was a great cultural experience, and I owe an abundance of gratitude to my hosts and sponsor. Russians are beautiful, welcoming people who have a good sense of humor and a positive outlook on life. I’m looking forward to returning.

 

 

 

Becoming Shelley

There are some people who just land a nickname; it fits perfectly, and it sticks. This is somewhat the case with a couple of my aliases: Skategirl and Sarah Clinton. I came by the former more honestly. Being obsessive about skating and all of its subgenres since I started to roll almost ten years ago, like a growing avalanche, I skate more and more as time goes on. I had to choose a name when I became a member of the justin.tv community; even in 2007, Skategirl was the most obvious choice. I’ve been Sarah Clinton since the early days of the internet. Bill Clinton told (what I thought was) a hilarious joke about a woman named Sarah, Rush Limbaugh aired it (nonplussed by its satire), and I related all too well to the sardonic brunt of the joke. Days later, Sarah Clinton was born.

Even as a youngster, I remember being captivated by roller derby. As an adult, I live close to Kezar Stadium, so I’ve been able to catch a few of the Bay Area Bomber bouts. Once I became a decent skater, I started entertaining the idea of joining a league. Around that time, some 6th Avenue skaters took part in an open training session with the Bombers. We all had a great time, but the league didn’t seem too interested in recruiting. Then I began my initial exploration of the area women’s flat track derby, but I soon realized I didn’t have NEARLY as much time to invest as they required. While pursuing other skating interests, I resigned myself to believing that my derby career would have to happen concurrently with my retirement years.

One of the things I DO have time for is rolling at the skate park. This has led to a lot of solo skating; so imagine my excitement over the somewhat recent global explosion of Chicks in Bowls. There are all kinds of girls at the skate parks now. IN SKATES! Many of these females are versatile skaters with a derby background, and while talking to one of the B.ay A.rea D.erby Girls at a CIBs sesh, I learned about the Reckless Rollers league. It was like the clouds parted, and I ascended to derby heaven via the escalator.

Imagine having the opportunity to learn all about derby in a nurturing female-run environment, while only attending one practice per week! For me, it has been the ideal situation. This year’s resolution was to join the Reckless Rollers, and on the first Saturday in January, I skated to their West Oakland warehouse and started on my journey.

Getting myself ready required some preparation. Being accustomed to sporting very little protective equipment, I had to get a new helmet, wristguards, mouthguard, and eventually new skates. Cruz Skateshop in Berkeley (cruzskateshop.com) offers a great deal on a rookie start-up package, with all the gear you need.The league also requires derby-specific insurance (in addition to regular medical). This can be purchased yearly through wftda.com. If a person is unsure if they want to commit, though, she can just sign a waiver at her first practice. There is also a minimal cost to participate. Deciding which bundle to purchase was pretty easy; I would get the best deal, which is the package of 16 practices. But this site wanted another piece of information – my derby name. It was time to dig out my short list, and give it some thought. All my choices were literary, but it ended up being a toss-up between Violent Beauregard and Scary Shelley. With my son’s help, it was decided that I would go with the latter because it enables me to pay homage to the most legendary writer in history (and one of my favorite women), Mary Shelley.

When I got to my first practice, I met the coach for the day, Biggie Brawls. I later learned that she skates for the Richmond Wrecking Belles. First, we had introductions; I used my government name. My derby name, still so new, didn’t seem natural at the time. The first practice was the most difficult to date – probably because I didn’t really know what to expect. Also, I was sporting my dance skates; my Riedells have amazing ankle support, which I found very difficult to work with during the derby exercises. Then we did almost two hours of drills. These included an exhausting one that I especially loved: knee taps to a Chumbawamba tune. Then we did a drill called the “27 in 5”. This one sounded intimidating at first, but it ended up being a fun challenge. The 27 refers to the number of laps one must skate, and 5 is how many minutes you have to complete them. I only got 25 the first time, but by the next week I had it. We were also told that we should write our names on our helmets. At home, I would later write “Shelley” diagonally on the back of my new purple helmet.

Subsequent  practices have most often been led by Bully Elliott. Bully is an Oakland Outlaw and a Reckless Rollers Coordinator, who came to B.A.D. after co-founding and skating with the Hartford Area Roller Derby. She leads very organized practices that have most often had a focus on stopping. We practice the T-stop, the turn and toe, and the plow stop.  We also do drills in a pace line, weaving through others from the back, while calling out each person’s name. Remembering derby names presented some difficulty at first. However, after a few weeks of practice and doing this drill, I was able to remember everyone’s derby name. After all, for most skaters, it’s the only name I know. It also helped me to hear my own name, as I slowly become accustomed to being called Shelley.

Reckless Rollers is open to skaters from any league, but it is run and managed by the B.A.D. Girls. This recreational league is a great way to “get your skate in the door” with the organization’s competitive league. Some people go for the exercise, while others go with hopes of moving to the pool and eventuallly getting drafted to a team. Any female over the age of 18, who is interested in joining, should email RecklessRollers@BayAreaDerbyGirls.com. Another great part of the deal is that skaters need only pay for the sessions they attend. Hope to see you there!

Blading Cup 2014

I went to Blading Cup this year, and all I got was this… and a really cool whistle to show my appreciation for some of the sickest skate tricks ever executed in North America. It’s good to have connections. Because I have the privilege of skating with pro, sponsored, and just plain amazing bladers on any given day, I am often privvy to incredible feats of in-lining. However, at a competition like this, where the world-wide elite of the sport converge, the exploits are nothing short of jaw-dropping. Well, California has been in the throes of the worst drought in years, but that didn’t keep the torrential rains from pouring from the sky during the early morning hours of the event. Wet surfaces and wheels don’t mix very well. But Jon Julio and his crew were out at daybreak, with steadfast resilience, sweeping and towel-drying the surfaces, nonetheless. And then it rained again. By providence and the mercy of the gods, at 1PM, the 10AM program was finally able to begin. The 16 and under portion of the day highlighted the youthful promise that the sport will likely continue to be popular with a few dedicated boys. Sadly, there was not a single girl in this up-and-coming group; this lack of female representation only slightly improved with the event that followed. Melissa Brown, Aarin Gates, and Coco Sanchez were among the handful of bladies representing this year.https://vimeo.com/111658059 They had solid locks and, aside from Sanchez, tended to skate mostly on the central funbox. It was a real treat to see world renown talent explode in the later part of the day. Some of the most legendary names rolled by in preparation: Richie Eisler, CJ Wellsmore, and Leon Basin – guys I’d only seen in videos were about to tear it up right before my eyes.https://vimeo.com/110967030 The day was nothing short of magical. It was great to see Montre Livingston with his flashy, over-the-top style; David Sizemore, is incredible, with his flawless, polished maneuvers; and Julien Cudot (skating prodigy, now full-fledged adult) is also amazing with his ability to land even the most difficult of tricks out of ramp-launched spins. Craziness coincided with the descending nightfall. This is when a skater attempted to drop-in from a tree. Twice. And Wellsmore, along with others, started doing flips out of quarter pipes. Be sure to watch all the way to the end to see the successful drop-in from a tree, by skater Ben Weis: http://rb-news.com/2014/11/06/blading-cup-2014-montage-by-filthjuice/ Many thanks to Jon Julio, Brian Krans, and the crew of people who worked together to hold this annual event. Also, thanks to the sponsors, MCs, and the city of Santa Ana for supporting Blading Cup and making it a destination that will be a yearly pilgrimmage for me.

Better Brace for Badass Battle Blowout

Two years ago, I received my new shiny Sebas from Skate Crazy in Seattle. Even though I got the skates primarily for recreational skating and transportation, since world-famous freestyle champion Naomi Grigg was teaching a workshop, I decided that I would go ahead and enroll for a couple of days. That same weekend, with encouragement, I participated in my first Battle, had tons of fun, and surprisingly placed among the top twenty females in the country. Looking back, I know I was very lucky to have had such a great opportunity; not everyone gets a chance to learn from the best in the business, so if you are a skater who likes to read, you can learn about the basics of cone skating by reading Naomi’s book: http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Falling-Freestyle-Skating/dp/0692227377

I have found freestyle slalom skating to be quite different from recreational skating. It requires technical thought and execution, precise control of the body, and countless hours of practice. For someone who is looking to spice-up their skate repertoire, I highly recommend investigating slalom skating. Until I got my Sebas, rockered them (by putting smaller wheels in the front and back), and took the workshop, I never had too much of an interest in slalom skating. But because of the chain of events that followed getting my skates, I started spending more time learning tricks through the cones. If you want to learn some cool moves, this website has great videos, with the tricks shown at different speeds and several angles:

http://munobal.net/lessonslalom

This year, California Outdoor Rollersports Association is hosting its fourth annual freestyle slalom competition. On August 2nd, from 10 AM to 4 PM, some of the best skaters from around the country will come to 6th Avenue Skatin’ Place in Golden Gate Park to showcase their talents and compete for their place in the U.S. rankings. Come to watch, or better yet, come and participate. Follow this link to register for Battle SF 2014.

http://battlesf2014.brownpapertickets.com/ 

Wind Up in Wine Country

The count-down is on for this year’s Napa Inline Marathon and Half-Marathon. For twenty-one years, DMJ Sports Marketing has been presenting this breathtakingly beautiful skating opportunity. You’ve seen this picturesque area in old westerns or maybe even enjoyed a bottle of wine from this world-famous region. Now you have the chance to join others in this race where speedskaters, recreational in-liners, derby girls, and families (with children of all ages) come together on the Silverado Trail.

On July 13th, the San Francisco Roller Girls will be participating in their fourth race together.  It has been an interesting year for the SFRGs, with a couple of injuries taking down two team members. Although Linda Lovestoskate has recently returned to practice, after healing from a ferocious roller rink injury, the jury is still out on whether or not Adventure Girl Sharon will be healed enough to join us. Ideally, it would be perfect if all of our team could be on the trail for this experience, but you can’t rush the healing process.

Even though this race has been going strong for over twenty years, it has evolved since its inception. In its early days, the moniker was Roll Through the Wine Country: The Napa to Calistoga Road Race. The new route allows participants the privilege of unbearably visually stimulating views: vineyards, rolling hills, native plants, and flowers – all along the course. But even more importantly, it provides a venue for fellowship among skaters. This race specificallly invigorates rapport among my team members, and I am honored to be a small part of this legendary event that helps strengthen the skating community – in Northern California and beyond.

Many thanks to David and Rose Miles, their family, their sponsors, and all the volunteers for putting on this fabulous event, year after year. Their untold hours spent preparing for and working this race continue to make magic happen – for all of us. Sincere gratitude also goes out to the San Francisco Roller Girls’ sponsors:

Derby Skinz http://www.derbyskinz.com and                                                                    Bones Swiss – Skate 1 http://www.skateone.com/skateboard-bearings

Click on the link below to join us at 7 AM on July 13, 2014:

http://www.active.com/yountville-ca/running/races/napa-valley-inline-marathon-2014?int=

 

 

 

New Blood Pumpin’ Down at the Old Sacred Heart

Last Wednesday, after a long day of teaching, I finally found myself at San Francisco’s latest gift to skaters: The Church of 8 Wheels.

This church moniker is one that has been rolling off skaters’ tongues for the past few years to represent a brotherhood of those who love to skate. Then, lo and behold, an actual cathedral became available to the Godfather of Skate, D. Miles, to use as a sanctuary for his flock of holy rollers. Built in 1898, this amazing architectural landmark, located at Fillmore and Fell Streets, was built in an Italianate style made famous by Thomas John Welsh. Throughout its history, Sacred Heart welcomed worshipers from the surrounding Western Addition neighborhood, until a few years ago when the Catholic Archdiocese decided to close the parish. Since its closure in 2004, the beautiful building had fallen into a state of disrepair. That all changed a few months ago, when Miles started opening the church for a weekly roller disco night.

These Wednesday sessions have been so popular that the Godfather has expanded services to four nights a week (Tuesday through Thursday and Saturday) and is offering skate lessons on Saturday mornings and afternoons, with an additional session from 3-6 PM. Learn more at www.churchof8wheels.com. The multi-age crowd is friendly, and you can choose to skate in the glide lane or dance in the center.

You won’t be disapppointed by the $15 you spend at the door (only $10 if you bring your own skates). Services begin at 7 PM on weeknights, and there are pews along the perimeter if you want to take a breather. Tuesdays are rainbow skate nights, and Thursdays feature special guest DJs. Saturday night skate sessions run from 8-11 PM. If you are interested in holding a private event in this special place, contact the Godfather directly at Sk8Godfather@earthlink.net. Parking is pretty tricky in this area, so the MUNI is the best way to get there. The 22 Fillmore will drop you right at the corner, and if you get the driver I had, she’ll announce over the intercom that “This is the stop for the roller rink.” Many thanks to Linda Lovestoskate for the photos. See you at church!

 

 

Rollerwisdom: 10 Life Lessons Learned from Skating

Skating is an enjoyable hobby; anyone who owns a pair of skates could tell you the same. But what many people do not know is that there is a great deal of knowledge to be gained while you are out there rolling through your day (or night).

1.) Understand that you are taking your life into your own hands every time you roll out. Drivers are thinking about getting to their destination as quickly as possible (with coffee in hand, fueling their speed).  Cyclists are busy pedaling furiously to get somewhere, while trying to keep from getting side-swiped or run-down by a motor vehicle. Pedestrians are just attempting to get safely across the street (usually while checking email or facebook). So unless you are skating down a traffic-free residential street during mid-day, you have to be completely alert and attentive to everything within sight. The potential for danger is everywhere. If you skate on the sidewalk, there is always the chance that a person could step out of his house in front of you; a car could back out of its garage; a cyclist could cut you off; a person with a dog on an extend-a-leash could suddenly appear. A whole host of things could happen. Expect ANYTHING and be prepared for EVERYTHING. Cause no harm to others, and remember: No one is looking out for you. There are an infinite number of things that are beyond your control, and you must learn how to best react to them all. So learn how to stop, fall, and absorb a hit.

2.) Reach for your personal best.  Skating, like any sport, has its experts and professionals.   It can be daunting to see others at the rink or skatepark who have extraordinary skills or know spectacular tricks. Don’t trip on this; it can impair your own progress.  Many of these skilled professionals have been skating since they could walk, or they may have been skating for 30 years.  In any case, if you want to be a great skater, get out and work your own magic.  Research tricks or dances that you might want to learn, and put in the time to learn them. Look for “how to” videos on youtube or ask people for tips. Some people are happy to teach others what they know. Not all though, and don’t be surprised if the experts don’t always make the best teachers.  Learn to teach yourself, and don’t get hung up on how long it may take to learn certain things. Just stay in the game, put in the hours to practice, and have fun while doing it.

3.) Don’t let yourself get bored.  If you are tired of looking at the same scenery, try skating somewhere else. You could even try a different kind of skating. If you are a quad skater, maybe you would like rollerblading: you could start with recreational skating, and they try freestyle slalom, rollersoccer, or even long-distance skating. For people who start their skating lives on in-lines, maybe you’d like to try quad skating: there’s rollerdance, roller derby, and jam skating. There’s also aggressive skating, and even though most people have special in-lines for this, some people roll at the skatepark in their quads. Try yoga in your skates. That extra skate weight is great for toning up the core.

4.) Never give up! Always give yourself plenty of time for growth. People learn at different rates, and there may be times when you notice that someone who used to be at your same level is passing you up. It may be that it takes you a thousand tries to do something that someone else learns after a hundred tries or fewer. Ask yourself, “Am I better than I was yesterday, last month, or this time last year?” You are improving – even if it seems miniscule. Don’t worry about a time-frame, and try not to judge yourself by someone else’s progress. Set a few training goals each year, write them down, and check in with your list throughout the year. Amend as needed. New Year’s Eve is a great time to initiate this.

5.) Don’t judge. Skating, in all its forms, attracts the most unique individuals of any sport I’ve ever encountered. The love of rolling on wheels calls out to some of the most eccentric representatives of humanity. People from all over the world enjoy rolling, and you will find folks from all walks of life.  Know that you may find some of your best friends, confidants, teachers, or partners in these skate communities. It can be a great mind-expanding experience to meet new people, and you can learn a lot from them – and not just about skating.

6.) Listen to your body. One thing that many people fail to do is warm up before skating. Many of the injuries that you obtain from skating could be avoided with a few stretches and a little warm up. Stretch out your hamstrings, quads, and calves. Do a few deep knee bends to warm up your knees, and rotate your ankles. These parts of your body will take the most wear and tear. Also consider protective equipment. If you are skating in traffic, you should wear a helmet. If you expect to fall, wear wrist guards. If you are going to be at the skate park, consider elbow pads and knee pads. Protect yourself. You can’t skate if you land yourself in the hospital.

7.) Consider making skating your mode of transportation. With skating, you can move much faster than a pedestrian, and you have more options in traffic situations than a cyclist. If your commute is long enough, you won’t even have to worry about fitting in a workout. You don’t have to fret about finding parking, you won’t have to worry about bike thieves, you don’t have to keep up with bus passes or fumble with quarters for bus fare. Skating will wake you up and help you get ready to tackle your day. Depending on which bus route you skip, you may find that you move even quicker than some buses and trains.

8.) Just skate…and the rest will follow. Skating is some of the best psychological therapy available. If you have a schedule that feels routine, if you’ve had a bad day, if you have a headache, or if you’ve been traveling, putting on some skates will help clear your mind and improve your decision-making. Some of life’s dilemmas or even its routineness can affect the body, and furthermore, affect the mind. Rollerdance, freestyle slalom, and exploring the city’s natural and urban landscape help me to recaliberate and fill my mind with positivity. While skating fast, grinding, and working in the bowls at the skatepark help me erase negative thoughts and keep my focus off of insignificant matters. After any kind of skating, I can think more clearly and relax more easily.

9.) You are a beautiful sight to behold. People love to watch skaters. There are some people who have visited Skatin’ Place for years, and many of them have their favorite skaters. Visitors have confided in me that they will make a special trip to the outdoor rink in hopes of catching certain rollers. Viewers become transfixed and enjoy the natural choreography that comes from freestyling to the disco tunes emanating from the porta-party. People love to watch aggressive skaters too – especially skateboarders. Since in-liners and skateboarders have traditionally had a strained relationship, I love hearing positive comments from skateboarders the most. Sometimes they’ll turn to their buddies and say, “Wow! He’s really good!” Other times they’re aghast and wide-eyed, at a loss for words.

10.) Bring the whole family. There is room in the skating world for everyone. From being one of a dynamic rollerdance partnership duo, to being a supportive partner who sits on the bench watching everyone else, all can be a part of the skating world. Kids can be trained to do the Friday Night Skate, and parents, partners, and children who don’t skate much can always rent a pair of quads and learn simple rollerdance moves like “long” and “short”. As soon as kids can walk, they can skate. And they learn fast – WAY faster than adults.

Step-up Your Game

In my brief seven year history of skating, I have ridden in just as many pairs of skates. Of these seven, my suede quads stand out as my favorites because they were a gift (see blog from February 2013) and feel like an extension of my body. The other six I sought out, chose, loved, and wore to roll around San Francisco. Finally, though, the time has come to once again upgrade my game with a new set of shiny aggressive in-lines.

My first skates were basically a quick, cheap deal that I got from skatemall.com. They cost about $75 and looked like a faux Sketcher sneaker sitting atop a one-piece frame/truck set. I was pretty proud of them, but I soon learned that they were of poor quality and holding back my skate progress. The shoes of the skates were eventually rebolted to another set of trucks and refashioned into a new pair for someone else. Luckily, Richard Humphrey and Laura Sunday recognized my immediate devotion to skating and gifted me the authentic beige Riedells that I skate in every Sunday. I know that one day they will wear out, but until then, I don them once a week for services at the Church of 8 Wheels.

The time may come in many skaters’ lives when they will want to upgrade their skates or just diversify by getting quads or in-lines. It is fairly easy to find the wrong pair of skates, but with a few things in mind, you can also find the skates that are right for you. There are some questions you will want to explore when you are trying to find the right pair: Where will I will be skating?  How often will I skate? Will I be rollerdancing? Do I plan to skate several miles at a time? Will I be rolling in the skate park? and Will I be dedicated enough to this part of my skate game to drop some real money on expensive skates?

If you are going to be skating less than once a week, and you only plan to skate on a flat surface like a roller rink or the Skatin’ Place, you can find quad skates on craigslist.com or ebay.com. The great thing about craigslist is that you can go to the seller, try on the skates, and roll around before making your decision. I have purchased a couple of pairs this way for only $10 each, and they served their purpose well, even with skating a few times a week for several hours a day. Specific brands don’t matter so much for kids or adults who won’t be in the skates more than a couple of hours, one day a week or less. For many people, ankle support is more important than style. I have found that low-cut skates are uncomfortable after rolling for a couple of hours, but for socializing and sitting they work pretty well. They are usually the choice of roller derby skaters too. If you are more serious about your flat-surface experience, you should check out the Riedell classic skates on skates.com, where you can get black leather skates for $129 or tan suede skates for $199. For people in the Bay Area, you have the option of visiting Cruz Skate Shop (cruzskateshop.com) in Berkeley. They offer a complete start-up rookie package with protective gear and skates for $241.

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For people who are more interested in skating down the street or on a smooth path, you should consider in-lines. They are easier to maneuver over cracks, holes in the street, and to jump curbs with. Quads look great, but in-lines are more practical for most people who skate any significant distance. In-lines are easy to find in thrift stores. Thousands of people have purchased skates, skated once or twice, decided they no longer wanted to skate, and have given the skates away. For the lay-skater, thrift stores are an in-line boon. If you are more serious, or you already know how to skate, the Twister is a great choice (made by Rollerblade). They are good for distance skating, have a supportive hard boot, and if you decide to rocker for freestyle skating, you can just put bigger wheels in the middle. Another good beginner recreational or freestyle skate is the Seba FR1. They are a good price and can be shipped from Seattle’s online store, skatecrazy.com. If you are upgrading your slalom game, try the Seba Igors, KSJs, or Trix.  Ask for Stacey; she’s a huge help in finding the perfect fit.

Some in-liners might decide they want to do aggressive skating. The call of the skatepark is a powerful one, but the right skate is crucial. For grinding, you want to have wide plates. You will find this feature in both the Xsjado and Valo. Xsjados are awesome because they fit over your shoes (as long as they are narrow: Converse or Vans) or you can buy the footwraps that are made especially for them. Try anti-rockers to learn grinds. These are small plastic “wheels” that fit in the middle of the frame and help you lock your grind. You can also find Rollerblade’s aggressive skate, along with many other brands at rollerwarehouse.com or aggressivemall.com.

For a simpler upgrade, try switching your wheels to Rollerbones’ color wheels or add light-up wheels. You could also add skates.com’s bling strings for easy, fashionable flair. Some people like to add colored Shwings, which fit through the strings of both in-lines and quads. These are available at Cliff’s Variety store at 479 Castro St., in San Francisco or from amazon.com. Duct tape now comes in many cool patterns; apply to your skates to make them pop. Shop around, be patient, and find what works best for your personality and skate needs. For my next purchase, I’ve got my eye on some JJValo Lights. The trick is to find my smallish size 6. See you at the skatepark – hopefully I’ll be in my new skates.

Slalom Skating Gaining Traction in the City

 

This Saturday, August 10^th, Bay area residents will have the opportunity to watch and participate in a world-class roller skating competition. 6^th Avenue’s Skatin’ Place will be hosting its fourth annual Freestyle Slalom Battle.

The California Outdoor Rollersports Association and the Godfather of Skate David Miles, Jr. again welcome freestyle skating competitors from around the country to an event where precision and rhythmic timing converge to create some of the skating world’s most beautiful and advanced maneuvers.  Freestyle slalom skating is a globally popular sport that involves performing tricks around equally spaced cones.  Although freestyle skating has been popular for many years in Europe and Asia, it has also been attracting skate enthusiasts in the U.S. in recent years, with events being held in Seattle, New York, Boston, and San Francisco.

This is one of several annual events that people are accustomed to experiencing at 6^th Avenue.  USFSA President Jeremy LaCivita adds, “Golden Gate Park is one of my favorite places to slalom, and the SF slalom events are always a blast.” Be sure to join us on August 10^th, from 10am to 3pm at the spacious concrete pond located between John F. Kennedy Drive and Fulton, just inside Golden Gate Park at 6^th Avenue.