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ROLLERQUEST PRODIGY STORMS NEW YORK

PHOTO GALLERY

HEAT 8 TIME DATA

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HEAT 7 RECAP

"Spread a Little Sunshine"

Finally, after three postponements, ROLLERBLAZE  Heat 7 was destined to happen!!  It was Sunday, 9/17/06, the sun was shining and the weather was perfect.  It was a day where everyone skated their hearts out and brought their own form of sunshine to an already great day.  Bob and Regina O'Brien skated a quick 10.6 mile loop, and then opted to support the group, and the skaters, by manning the finish line and running the stop watch. 

HERE ARE THE OFFICIAL TIMES

"The Dorsey Road Rally"

Skaters gathered, in the pit stop area, to tune their engines for the second running of the ROLLERBLAZE  5K time trials.  Heat 6 officially started when Larry announced, "Skaters start your engines...."  Skaters were released in one minute increments as the stop watches started ticking.  The course is 1 and 1/2 miles out and 1 and 1/2 miles back, totaling three miles per individual heat.  A total of three timed, and individual heats, were run.  Pit stops, at the end of each individual heat, were welcomed, as each skater went all out during the three mile run. 

This event was fun.  It was competitive, exciting and excellent interval training.  It was more open to all skaters than other ROLLERBLAZE sessions.  Everyone in our group is capable of skating three miles on their own and at any pace.  What a great formula!  Have fun with friends, become a better skater, while watching your MPH soar....

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St. Paul Inline Marathon

by: Larry Williamson and Irene Bain

We wrote this together, so you, the reader, will have to decide when it's Larry and when it's Irene narrating...

Three Rollerquest skaters traveled to Saint Paul, Minnesota, to participate in the 3RD Annual Saint Paul Inline Marathon on Sunday, August 20.  Considering it was only the third time the event was held, it was very well organized.  The course was 26.2 miles of concrete highway, mostly smooth, some rolling hills.  In general, it was a lot of fun.  All Rollerquest skaters met, and surpassed, our goals in St. Paul; though we failed somewhat on the picture taking.  We took some pictures on Saturday, but forgot the camera on race day.

Saturday, the organizers held the first ever Miss and Out Race in Mears park.  Skaters were chosen to participate by a special invitation in the registration package -- in other words the race was for the the most competitive skaters in the inline world.  Since it’s a skating event, there weren’t crowds and crowds of people in the park--which was closed to through traffic.  Mears Park is a courtyard around a city block, with only landscaping in the center of the block.  The skaters skated outside the center, around the park.  We were able to watch them go all the way around and there was room to get up close.  It was very cool. 

They were divided into male and female groups.  The entire group raced around the park to the right.  The organizers made a big deal about it because in indoor skating they travel and crossover to the left --ALL THE TIME.  The skaters are, relatively, unfamiliar with right hand turns.  It added elements of anxiety and excitement to the race.  The skater who's BACK wheel crossed the line last was eliminated on elimination loops.  Elimination loops were designated by a bell that rung as skaters passed the finish line on the prior loop. 

It was also neat to see how they skate.  Joey Mantia is beautiful.  Eddy Matzger was there – he came in sixth.  – I know that Eddy looks back – at least on elimination loops to be sure he’s not the last guy.  Most of the skaters were confused.  Debbie (Rice) and Vicci (King) (Female racers from Team Bont) told us they never knew what was going on.  They couldn't hear anything and had no idea whether it was an an elimination loop or the end or what – so most of the time they just kept sprinting and sprinting.  For us that was way cool, for them it was not so cool.  It was the first time they put on this event (the Miss and Out Race in Mears Park Race) so there were bugs. 

Joey Mantia won the men's portion with a huge lead (He was sprinting and sprinting...) and Jessica Smith was the star of the women's race.  To me, Miss and Out was the REAL highlight of the entire event.  With a little tweaking, it can be great for everyone and also will be one of the most exciting skating events in the country. 

Sunday, the morning of the marathon, the weather was perfect--not hot and not cold, sunny, no wind.  Our starting time was not too early.  (We had to be on the line at 7:59am.)  The attitude was great.  It was fun.  Derrek, for some reason, got put in two waves behind us.  He started four minutes behind us, so we really anticipated seeing him.  Derrek likes to sprint and starts out fast.  We all had a goal of about 1:50 and I thought we could do it.   

I feel a great deal of anxiety and apprehension prior to a short race.  It's not my personal strength and it feels like a fight to me.  Once we started, all my troubles disappeared:  I realized it was nothing more than a skate.  We’re pretty strong all the way around this year, so we just skated.  We pushed, rested, pushed, rested, pushed, rested all the way through.  The course was not flat, as anticipated.  It was somewhat hilly, maybe equal to BWI, maybe a little less, but close anyway.  It was nice and had pretty good surface too. 

It was set up like the Philly Freedom Skate in that it paid to get in front and on the outer edge of your Heat.  We got stuck in the back and were in Heat 2 -- so Heat 1 people were out there first (not pros-- but in our division.  Pros were completely separate).  There were many people who had signed up in a division they didn't belong in.  We pretty much spent the first 15 miles fighting our way out of dead weight.  We tried to get in several packs, but couldn’t find the right pace, so we used our own two person, tried and true, method.  We were doing fine, when I realized there was a shadow behind me.  Just about that time a guy said, “Does he realize he’s pulling about 30 people?  He’s a real workhorse.”  Larry was pulling a huge group, it was really cool.  One girl, in a skin suit, jumped ahead for about 2 minutes, then peeled off, saying, "I can't do this".  A couple people, in our long line, tried to pull, but nobody was really strong enough.  Finally, near the last 8 miles, the two of us, and the two guys right behind us (they were from Minnesota), pulled out of the pack and continued to the end.  They tried to lead some, but still were really unable to give it what Larry did. 

There was one touchy situation:  we went down these hills with these guys – not knowing how they handle tucking and stuff.  The first time the guy behind me put both hands on my hips.  It dragged me down a little, but not much.  I never said anything.   I thought it was kind of scary but no harm done.  The second time, we started down a bigger hill-- Larry was tucking and going and I heard the guy behind me say,  “Okay, Lock on.”   He grabbed both of my hips, much more forcefully and literally pulled me back and off of Larry.  I said, “Woa (however you spell that)   man, what are you doing???  Let go of me.”  He did and he never did it again – from that point on he just touched my back, but that was very unique.  I had to think of Dr. Doom and Jeff at Loch Raven (all the 2001 skaters will get that....). 

At the last corner, we came into this funky drum beat-loud and very exciting.  We had to go up a big hill. And Larry just took off.  I didn’t care.  I crawled up at my own pace and to my surprise, neither of the other two guys passed me.  Anyway, we all finished pretty much together. 

 Larry and Irene's individual comments (We'll try to get some from Derrek):

Irene:  Larry was totally, completely awesome.  He was happy, but so strong.  He kept talking about how much he had left.  I told him, he needs to forget about me and get in a group that pushes him, where he can’t pull the whole way.  I forecast that he could get into the low 1:30s.  I think I was right where I belonged.  I pushed some, I could lead some, but there were times when I needed to slow down.  It was really fun and learning about the pack skating strategy, was surprising and nifty. 

We have a few pictures.  As Larry said we failed to bring the camera to the race.  I could have gotten a great picture of Eddy.  We were out by ourselves on this path warming up.  He was skating in the lead pack, coming by before we started and I hollered really loud and it must have stunned him a bit.  He kind of stopped a little and looked at me, so I waived vigorously and he smiled really big and waived back.  It would have been a great picture, because he was still skating in the lead pack, while doing all of this….

Thanks to Larry I completed a successful race with a respectable time.  For me, that's hysterical.

Larry:  Irene and I skated very strong in the marathon with finishing times each of 1 hour and 41 minutes averaging 15.5 miles per hour. I never thought I would ever see those kinds of numbers. Derek, who started in a later wave finished in 1 hour and 45 minutes.  We never saw him so I do not what kinds of events happened on his part of the course, but we look forward to his recap. Irene was superb and just kept finding more energy throughout the course.

We finished very strong with a lot left at the end. It seemed like so many skaters take off very quickly and then burn themselves out. Skaters blew by us at the start and then we blew by them on the second half of the race. It was so much fun!!

This was one of my favorite events and I want to start some pack training sessions soon, so we can take our own pack with us next year.

And to top it all off, on the ride back to the airport we sat next to and chatted with two of the Bont women's speed team: Debbie Rice and Vikki King. They were telling us about their team strategy during the race and how they pre-pick who they want to win. All of their pack tactics during the race are designed around giving that one skater an opportunity at the end to win. Amazing!!!

HEAT # 2 RESULTS

by Larry Williamson

"RUNNING WITH THE STALLIONS"

I forgot to mention that there was a substantial wind on the course.  It always seemed to be against us.  I believe the majority of us, skated our best loop ever, even though the times are not reflective of it. 

HERE ARE THE OFFICIAL TIMES

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Heat # 1 results

by Larry Williamson

"THE SHOOTOUT"

HERE ARE THE OFFICIAL TIMES

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Saturday 8/15 Recap

Finally, The heat wave was over, at least from a weather perspective. On Saturday the temperature of the air was cool, but the heat around the track was cranked up a notch. Eight skaters showed up at BWI and scorched the loop with incredible times and displays of stamina. Every single skater posted their personal best times of the season, and for some their best times ever. Jeff Caldwell and Eddo had already completed a lap when we arrived. Eight skaters started lap one out as a very casual skate, (lap two for some) if you call a 56 minute lap casual. Leslie and Dan turned in their best times ever with times of 1:05 and 1:02 respectively. Congratulations to both of them for continually striving for improvement and getting better each time they skate. Hat's off to Jeff Caldwell who dug down deep, overcame a lot of pain in his knees and skated another lap with us.

LAP TWO WAS A WHOLE OTHER STORY:

Then came lap three

I thought "ROLLERBLAZE " was scheduled for Thursday nights!!!!

WHAT A WEEKEND!!! 

The Western Maryland Rail Trail

On Saturday, 7/15/06, we traveled to the Western Maryland Rail Trail.  The trail is a smooth and sweet, 22 mile path, in the wooded area surrounding Hancock, Maryland.  Some of our most memorable skating has taken place there:  we skated 101 miles on the path.  Our group learned about pack skating, in Rollerquest’s early days.  It’s my personal favorite place to skate.  We’ve met several groups on the path.  Jen Barrick, and the Frederick Ski Club, join us a couple times a year to skate the trail.   It's an excellent place to cut loose and have a good time.

The first time Rollerquest skated the WMRT, we started in Big Pool.  We met a gentleman, early in the morning, who worked for the Department of Parks and Recreation.  He told us he had just swept the path and we were going to love it.  And boy, did we!  Since the first time, the trail hasn’t been as clean, but it made such a big first impression that we have remembered it as it was the first time:  wonderful!  We have come back again and again.   Even though it’s two hours away, it is home to us.

Larry wanted other skaters to experience the path as we did.  He coordinated last Saturday’s event, chasing local skate groups and contacting the proper officials for help.  Ben Sanderson, offered to clean the path.   In fact, Ben, and his colleague Angie, not only cleaned the path once, on Wednesday, but again, on Friday, when the stormy conditions blew debris back onto the trail before our Saturday skate. 

Saturday’s forecast was bleak and the skies were threatening, but, more than 20 skaters arrived from different clubs:    Rollerquest, Gaithersburg Skate N Ski, WAR The Columbia Ski Club and The Frederick Ski Club.  Those who braved the conditions were rewarded with, what we think is, the best skating surface in Maryland!  Thanks to Ben and Angie, the path was appreciated, by several first time skaters, in the same manner that we experienced the WMRT over six years ago. 

We skated twelve miles west out of Hancock, in total bliss, enjoying the scenery and the smooth ride.  We returned for lunch.  Rollerquest provided fruit and various snacks.  Everyone hung out, ate lunch and enjoyed various “skate” conversations.  Skaters were anxious to take off again, because the second half of the rail trail was rumored to be even better than the first.  Unfortunately, or fortunately – dependent upon your viewpoint, the sky opened up before we could take off. The torrential downpour soaked the path, which is heavily wooded. We were at our cars, so everyone but Edo, who was adamant about skating the other half of the WMRT, took off their skates and hung out in the rain.  We had a blast and I hated to go.

The town of Hancock, and the Western Maryland Rail Trail officials have agreed to allow us to host a revived Maryland Inline Skating Festival in Hancock at the Rail Trail in 07.  Look for details in 07, and please feel free to offer assistance.

Rodney Grabinski Skate Clinic

Sunday, 7/16 Rollerquest and Capital Racing hosted, the first, Rodney Grabinski Skate Clinic, for intermediate to advanced skaters, at Hains Point, in DC.   Rodney is a member of Capital  Racing, an excellent skater and all around superb athlete.  His resume includes:  11 consecutive A2A finishes:  2 first place in the 38 mile distance, one first place in the 52 mile distance, 3 seconds places in the 38 mile distance, one 3^RD place in the 38 mile distance, one 5^TH place in the 38 mile distance, and a 17^th place in the 87 mile distance.  He’s been the Bont Skater of the week, teaches martial arts and was happy to work with us for free!

The clinic began promptly at 11, with nine skaters in attendance.  Rodney watched us skate for a little more than nine miles, starting out at a slow gradual pace and moving on to a faster roll. He stopped us at six miles for basic instruction and regrouping.  We finished the final three miles trying to practice what we learned. 

Then we moved onto dry-land exercises in the grass.  Skaters paired up in groups of three and he supplied the tools to understand weight transfer, the skate stroke and edge control.  We practiced together and then moved on to our skates again to apply all of our new knowledge.  Rodney worked with each of us individually, which was wonderful.  In a supportive and un-embarassing way, we were critiqued and we began to understand how we could improve.  It was weird because, at least speaking for myself, I can say that he was able to call out bad habits that I’ve had for years.  Bad habits I’ve been unable to see and unable to loose.  Several of us were changed almost instantaneously.  Finally, we enjoyed our, skater supplied, lunches and the fruit, snacks and water provided by Rollerquest.

Everyone was pretty trashed by this point, in the heat, but we couldn’t wait to continue.  We moved to dry-land exercises again.  This time we worked on elementary sprinting technique and skater suggested crossover drills.  I thought it was quite cordial of Rodney to ask for and incorporate skater suggestions.  Then, once again, we took the new tools and tried to build new skaters with them…It was a blast. 

Eventually, the temperatures were at the boiling point and our eyes were starting to glaze over.  Rodney, ever the conscious host, realized we were a bit cooked and graciously let us call it an afternoon without involved sprinting workouts. 

It was a terrific day!  I think he enjoyed it almost as much as we did.  At one point he told everyone, “You guys are doing so well.  I am so proud!”  Rodney agreed to host another clinic after we’ve had a little time to apply all of our knowledge.  The second clinic will cost $25.00 (for Rodney, at the past participants suggestion).  It will be limited to 15 participants.  A date and official posting will follow. 

On June 16, 2006 Rollerquest traveled to the Philadelphia to join the Landskaters for the tenth Philadelphia Freedom Skate.  A record breaking, 350 skaters, from all over the continent, were in attendance for the “final” police escorted Freedom Skate. 

 Anyone who skates with Rollerquest knows that we tend to do distance skating, on long paths:  our group hadn’t skated in the city or in the dark– so the idea was completely fresh.  We had experienced a recreational fun skate in the past, which was not our type of thing.  The other skate had lots of waiting, not much skating and whole lot of partying.  It prevented us from trying the Freedom Skate in the past.  When we heard this Freedom Skate was the “Final” skate, we wanted to give it a try, but did not have high expectations. 

From the beginning, the Freedom Skate was incredible.  The Friday night skate led us all over the city of Philadelphia.  We started out in the day-light but returned in the dark.  We skated in the park, in the street, in the subway, on the curbs, up and down stairs, at the art museum – literally all over the place.  It was a bit hectic at times.  We skated with several hundred people, who we didn’t know, who were unpredictable and who were all at different skill levels.  The terrain was demanding.  It required skaters to be constantly alert and planning their next moves.  You couldn’t just turn the corner, you had to be aware of who was in front of you, who was behind you and who was trying to skate around you at the same time.  My skates were clipped at least six times.  The subway was awesome. It was smooth,  fast and cool. At one point, I heard someone yelling, “Duck!, Duck!”  All of a sudden the ceiling was lower and we were heading up a handicap ramp.  Someone behind me pushed me right up the ramp.  At the art museum several skaters skated down the stairs backwards in the dark.  It was impressive.  And that was just the beginning – it was only the first of four planned skates.

 After catching our breath and realizing we were in for a lot more than anticipated, we looked at the schedule and saw that there were four choices for the Saturday morning skates.  Skaters could pick between two Easy to Intermediate skates (one sightseeing, the other more skating), an Advanced Urban City Skate, and an Expert Skate.  After the previous night we weren’t sure where we fit.  The city skating was hard and furious, but famously fun and exciting.  It sparked a fire in me that I haven’t felt in years. 

 After talking to several skaters we opted for the Advanced City Skate led by Doug Kelley (who also does EuroRoll—if you get the chance to go, I would hop on it!).  It was like the Friday night skate only quicker and less forgiving.  Again, we were all over the place, but this time we had less people – as skaters had other options to choose from.  Doug has a personality similar to Eddy Matzger and he certainly loves to skate.  He made arrangements to take the skaters to a brewery, where we were allowed inside for beer, wine and water.  A local church handed out free homemade Italian ice, which was nice also.  We really started to realize at this point, how we have limited our skating skills by avoiding city skating . 

NEW PEOPLE, BIG EVENTS, GREAT FUN!

The skating season is in full force and it's a blast. 

It started at 7:30.  Once again,  dedicated Derek made a great showing, averaging around 14 miles per hour.  The course was a 13.1 mile closed track at the state police barracks.  Skater's Quest volunteers swept and picked up almost every pebble on the track.  It was fast, flat and furious.  Jose Escobar, of Capital Racing, scorched the track with a fiery 37 minute, 21 mph average pace.  He's beautiful to watch....

Skater's Quest held free learn to skate lessons after the marathon.  The lessons were good, well coached and the classes were full.  Kudos to Krista and her crew for teaching the little ones too!  The Joses of tomorrow could be among them. 

Rollerblade was on-site, as well, offering free demos of the Problade 100 and the Limited Problade 100, and many other hot Rollerblade skates.  It was really great.  I enjoyed being able to put the skates on my feet and I enjoyed having the ability to feel the product before considering a purchase.  THANK YOU ROLLERBLADE!

The event was a huge success, Krista puts together a great show and raised many $$ for the Special Olympics.  I would do this event over and over again and I look forward to it in the future.   

Finally, this coming weekend, we're off to the Philly Freedom Skate.  Check back often for pictures to go with the stories above and a recap of next week's event.  We look forward to skating with you, on Wednesday, June 14 or 21  or on Saturday the 24th at the airport.  

Were you a skater registered to skate in the Seagull Century, who opted out because of the rain?   Were you turned away because the registration was closed to additional skaters?  Would you like another opportunity?  Are you looking for an early long distance event, on a sweet flat course, to help you prepare for A2A?  Would you like to skate for a worthy cause?

 The American Lung Association has graciously extended an invitation to inline skaters to participate in the Chesapeake Bay Asthma Ride Bike Tour, scheduled June 2-4, 2006.   Prior to our inclusion, the ride has been exclusively reserved for approximately 400 bikers.  The course follows a slightly modified Seagull Century route – beginning and ending at Salisbury University. 

The tour offers more options than those presented by the Seagull Century organizers. 

• The event is open to all skaters, rather than just a screened, select few.  Spread the word, near and far. 

• There are several course options: 

  • Skate for one or two days. 

    • Saturday, June 3’s, options include:  a 20-Mile Family Friendly skate, a 40-Mile skate, a 60-Mile skate, a Century Challenge Loop-100 Mile skate. 

    • Sunday, June 4’s, options are: a 10-Mile skate, a 20-Mile skate or a 40-Mile skate

     

• Two day skaters can stay at the university during the event – through the ALA.  No need to book a hotel room.  All you can eat meals are included

• A  beer and crabs feast for all participants and registered guests is included on Saturday evening

• The course is thoroughly supported and well provisioned.  I may or may not provide the, now famous, Rollerquest Skater's Rest Stop-dependent upon need.  My initial assessment shows that it will be unnecessary.  If it's something we need, the special rest stop will be available.

WHAT YOUR REGISTRATION INCLUDES:

• Two day skaters:

  • Two wonderful days (Saturday and Sunday) skating on Maryland's smooth, sweet and flat, Eastern Shore

  • a 2 night stay (Friday & Saturday) at Salisbury University

  • Breakfast (Saturday & Sunday)

  • Saturday night Crab Feast

• One day skaters:

  • One day's skating (Saturday) on Maryland's smooth, sweet and flat, Eastern Shore

  • Saturday night's Crab Feast

  • The ALA of MD does not provide accommodations for 1-Day skaters, but there are many local hotels to choose from. A list of the hotels are listed on their website at www.marylandlung.org
     

THE '06 SKATING SEASON IS UPON US

'06 has arrived with a bang! 

First and foremost, we've been invited to skate in The Chesapeake Bay Asthma Ride this June!  With the dwindling number of skate events, the invitation couldn't be better timed.  The CBAR is going to be fun and it's truly suitable for everyone.  The ride provides so many options that, no matter how you skate:  long, short, far, fast or slow, there is a place for you.  It's the perfect opportunity for skaters to attempt an event for the first time, and, it's also a perfect opportunity for seasoned event skaters.  Best of all, it's in our back yards....Check out the link on our main page for detailed information.