| A couple of highlights for March. First, the Squiggy Inline Weekend is March 12 - 14 in Thonotasassa, Florida, just northeast of Tampa. We are growing with potentially 4 FCA Endurance skaters in attendance. It will be nice to report on skaters other than myself But don't be shy - if you'd like to help make that a reality, as well, come join us on our skate training, events, and race adventures. And second, some tips for the beginning skater: Five Tips (+1) for the beginning skater 1. Get a lesson or, at the least, skate with a group. Many skaters have poor form. The fact is, inline skating is not a natural sport - even a good athlete will not know how to use the heel brake or stroke properly. Getting a lesson can mean the difference between hanging up your skates after bruising your tail bone and enjoying a lifetime sport. Although there's no substitute for one-to-one lessons, group skating with the right group can offer some of the same benefits as private lessons. If you can't find or afford an instructor, get with a group of experienced skaters. 2. Wear protective gear. Did you know that inline skating has been shown to have a lower injury rate than common sports such as baseball, soccer, basketball, bicycling, swimming and even volleyball? Don't become one of the statistics! Head injuries are no joke! And because falls are not uncommon for beginning skaters and our natural tendency is to try to break the fall with our hand, wrist injuries are also not uncommon. Wearing a helmet and wrists guards should be standard for all skaters. For beginning - and even intermediate skaters - we also recommend kneepads and elbow pads. 3. Learn to heel brake. The single most effective way to brake is to use your heel brake. If you can't brake, you really should think twice about skating among other skaters, cyclists, or cars. Three steps to a perfect heel brake:
4. Pick a safe location. At first, you will likely have trouble braking and will think every stone or stick is out to topple you. Don't give up! You will get better. Start by picking a safe location - a parking lot with no cars, a smooth trail with no hills, or even your driveway. Practice until you can stop at will before moving out into the real world. 5. Balance on one foot at a time. An extremely common error in beginning skaters is to remain balanced on both legs at all times. Your center of gravity stays between your legs. This is easy to detect because your knees will always have six inches or more of space between them as you skate. Often, you will also experience mild to extreme ankle pain because of the pronation that is common with a center of gravity that it between your legs. Instead, practice bringing your skate all the way back to the middle after each stroke, so your knees actually touch and you balance on first one leg and then the other and so your center of gravity is over one skate or the other. 6. Don't give up. Another extremely common error is to skate once and give up. That's like saying, "I tried a triathlon once (without any training) and didn't like it so I gave up." Remember back to when you were younger and learned to ride a bike. You didn't give up after one try. You kept at it until you got the hang of it. And for anyone who has never or rarely skated, it may take a little longer. As a fairly competent skater today, I can remember a few years ago beginning this activity - it took about 3 months of skating 2 - 3 times a week before I felt comfortable enough to skate short distances with a group. Today, I skate more than 20 miles every Saturday and regularly participate in marathon skating races. Please contact Don at dbpinfl@gmail.com to report on your inline skating activities or to find out more about these and other activities. Don Patton |
| MARCH 2010 |
| TEAM USA LINKS |
| FCAE FLORIDA - INLINE CYCLING (A.K.A. "ROLLERBLADING") |
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