the Get Rolling Orbit

Last summer I introduced my followers to Paul Korankye, a skating enthusiast from the InlinePlanet shater’s network. We keep in touch by email and the social network from time to time. Here is a recent training shot of the Hidden Stars Skaters Dream Club.

As a 2010 Christmas present, Get Rolling donated $200 for gear and international shipping fees to Ghana. I selected the following items from Paul’s wish list at Inline Warehouse, one of my favorite skating retailers:  Read more... (222 words, 2 images, estimated 53 secs reading time)

• 2 sets of Rollerblade 90mm wheels with SG9 Bearings

As the harvest hues of autumn overtake the jewel tones of summer, another busy holiday period approaches. For many, thoughts turn from outdoors pursuits to arranging cozy family get- togethers and bracing for cold days and dark nights, knowing that outside the monochromes of winter will reign for months to come.

This turning of the seasons not only signals the end of fun in the sun for most skaters, it also significantly hampers their skating-related workouts and favorite form of socializing. But to me, the colder the weather and the more it rains, the more excited I get.  Read more... (504 words, 2 images, estimated 2:01 mins reading time)

Typical braking issues

Best starting stance

When trying to brake, if you look anything like the photo on the left, then it’s time you learned the proper posture for making your brake do what it was designed to do. Once you nail the right stance, you’ll be rewarded with better braking effectiveness and confidence. And that means a whole new world of skating destinations will open up for you!

On the left, my trusty model Staci Stance would roll right into traffic because she is:  Read more... (381 words, 2 images, estimated 1:31 mins reading time)

• Not bending the left knee enough to get a low center of gravity

Today we skated the Iron Horse Trail section that extends from Rudgear road to Monument Boulevard and back. (See a complete write up of Iron Horse Regional Trail North on CASkating.com.) We started near the upgraded staging area at Rudgear, with its benches and a water fountain, completed in late 2009. Lots of happy trail users were out enjoying the beautiful morning in Walnut Creek.

On this northern portion of the Iron Horse, the surface is generally in good condition except for one section alongside Walnut Creek which continues to degrade. The wash-boarding is bad enough to knock a skater down or to throw a bicyclist off her bike. It’s about time the city or the park district did something about this growing hazard.  Read more... (267 words, 1 image, estimated 1:04 mins reading time)

Brake lock-up

Ever get a rock stuck between your rear wheel and the brake pad? Ooo, I hate when that happens! And it’s usually when I’m braking on a steep downhill or speedily approaching a traffic-filled intersection. If you have ever been there, you know how desperate this situation can feel. Here are some techniques that may save your skin.  Read more... (289 words, 1 image, estimated 1:09 mins reading time)

1. With weight shifted to the non-braking skate, forcefully slap the brake skate’s wheels backward on the pavement to force a reverse spin and dislodge whatever has immobilized that skate.

Using the Inline Planet Skaters social network, I have been corresponding with Paul Korankye in Ghana, Africa for the past year. Although he’s only 20 years old, he is as passionate about his speed skating group as he is about his Christianity. Last year I sent them a carton of Get Rolling books, plus a few stickers and other spare skating-related items.

I have been deleting spam from Nigeria for years, and I encountered many opportunists in my trip to Tanzania in February, so I react with suspicion to requests from Africa. But it is clear from our exchanges on the Inline Planet community and the photographs under his profile that Paul and his team are definitely enthusiastic about this sport!  Read more... (333 words, 1 image, estimated 1:20 mins reading time)