Inline Racing News

Archived (older) Planet news about inline racing and speed skating listed in reverse order of publication.

New Four-stage Inline Cup Is Announced for Latin America - Latin America will play host to the first Inline Cup series in the New World later this year. Announced today by PatinCarrera's Guido Ferraiuolo, the South American Inline Cup will include four 42 K marathons. The first will be on Oct. 31st in Guadalajara, Mexico. Later races will be in Caracas, Venezuela; Santiago, Chile; and Buenos Aires, Argentina. ... Iguana Think Tank is organizing the new series. Iguana is the organizer of the World Inline Cup and Swiss Inline Cup. (Here's the Spanish-language web site of the new race series.) (July 6, 2005)

Botero Wins Second Gold Amid Racecourse Mayhem at Vallee de Joux - The normally well-run World Inline Cup suffered some road rash of its own Saturday at the new Vallee de Joux marathon in Switzerland. After last minute changes, the racecourse still proved hazardous with lots of racers falling and hard feelings remaining after the finish line. (Here's the Planet story!) (July 4, 2005)

Skate Mom Rolls to Rescue of World Team! - None of Martha Polston's kids are members of USA's world inline speed skating team. But when she learned that some team members would be unable to attend this summer's World Championships due to funding problems, she rolled into action. Drawing on her expertise as a process manager, she put together a team that hatched the Send the Best to Worlds Project. If enough money flows in, the World Team may be restored! (Here's the Planet story!) (July 2, 2005)

After Last Week's Shove-Fest, World Cup Moves to Vallee de Joux - Last week's World Inline Cup in Engadin, Switzerland, got a little rough. At the finish, as the road narrowed to one lane, more than a few racers started pushing and shoving. The result: three racers were disqualified; five, including the two top men were given written warnings. Tomorrow, the racers will be hoping for dry weather and a clean finish as the World Cup moves to Le Sentier in western Switzerland. (Here's the Planet preview!) (July 1, 2005)

USA Roller Sports Names Speed Skaters for World Games - Jilleanne Rookard, Erin DiJulio and Jordan Nelson will represent the USA in speed skating at next month's World Games in Duisberg, Germany. Rookard and DiJulio are members of the women's U.S. World Team. No member of the men's World Team was available for the World Games (most are planning to compete in the U.S. Indoor National Championships). (Here's the Planet storylet!) (June 30, 2005)

Registration is "Way Up!" For Long Beach Inline Marathon - Organizers say early registration is up by more than 100 percent for this year's Long Beach Inline Marathon. In fact, so many skaters are signing up for the beleaguered marathon that organizers hope to break the 1000 mark this year, something that only three U.S. inline marathons have managed. As a result, cash prizes will once again be awarded to the top skaters. (Here's the Planet story!) (June 28, 2005)

Starykowicz, Rookard Win Badger State Marathon - Two 19 year olds from the Midwest -- Peter Starykowicz of Long Grove, Ill. and Justin Kubichek of Whitelaw, Wisc. -- battled for the lead in today's Badger State Marathon. When it was all over, Starykowicz of Team Rainbo finished less than a tenth of a second in front of Kubichek. Both skaters clocked a time of 1 hour, 14 minutes and 49.4 seconds. ... World team member Jilleanne Rookard hung with the leaders for part of the race but eventually fell behind to finish third overall and first among the women. ... In all, 109 skaters participated in the full and half marathon under rainy skies in Portage, Wisc. (Here's the official results.) (June 26, 2005)

Bont Finally Has Its Day! - The Bont International racing team had its first big triumph of the season today, winning gold and silver in the Engadin World Inline Cup in Switzerland. Bont's Francesco Zangarini finished first in the marathon, a few tenths of a second in front of team leader Luca Presti. ... All and all, it was a big day for underdogs. The young Swiss skater Roger Schneider finished sixth, by far his best showing of the season. And USA's Joey Mantia, skating in only his second World Cup of the year, finished eighth. ... It was apparently a furious sprint to the finish: the top-ten skaters all finished within a half second of each other. (Here's Bont's list of top finishers.) (June 25, 2005)

KIA Claims It Was Robbed at Engadin - KIA says that illegal tactics -- blocking and holding -- cost its women's racing team medals in the Engadin World Inline Cup. Skaters from other teams interferred with KIA's Theresa Cliff-Ryan and Andrea Gonzalez, KIA says. Two skaters were disqualified. ... Hyper's Jessica Smith won the rainy marathon; Powerslide's Brittany Bowe finished second; Rollerblade's Michaela Neuling, third. (Here's Kia's press release.) (June 25, 2005)

Rollerblade's New Stategy Helps Deflate the Fila Juggernaut - Rollerblade's strategy of packing its world racing team with attack experts, like Shane Dobbin and Alexis Contin, appears to be working. With almost two-thirds of the season over, Rollerblade has a sizable lead in the World Inline Cup, although Fila's Max Presti still reigns as the top skater. (Here's the Planet story!) (June 24, 2005)

ESPN to Spotlight Neglected, as Well as Wacky, Sports on 50-State Tour - As previously announced, one of the stops on ESPN's "SportsCenter Across America" tour will be the St. Paul Inline Marathon on Aug. 21st. But inline skating won't be the only neglected sport basking in the ESPN spotlight. Among the multitudes will be windsurfing, skydiving, foosball, jousting and pie-eating. So what's it all about? (Read the Planet story!) (June 22, 2005)

A2A Champ Kim Perkins Announces Retirement From Racing - After a late-blooming career that catapulted her to the top ranks of ultra-distance skaters, Athens-to-Atlanta champ Kim Perkins announced today that she is retiring from inline racing. "I think it's unlikely that I am going to return," she said. "The focus for me has changed." (Here's the Planet story!) (June 21, 2005)

Salomon Takes First Win in Photo Finish in Zurich - Until yesterday, Saab-Salomon was often the bridesmaid but never the bride of this year's World Inline Cup. Team members Pascal Briand and Franck Cardin could be counted on to regularly finish second. But no team member had managed to cross the finish line first. That changed Sunday when Salomon's new skater, Pier Davide Romani, won the Zurich World Inline Cup. (Here's the Planet story with the finish-line photo and a list of top finishers!) (June 20, 2005)

Salomon's Romani Wins Zurich World Inline Cup - Pier Davide Romani broke away early with three other skaters and had enough left at the finish to win the final sprint in today's World Inline Cup in Zurich. The win was the first of the season for the Ethiopian-born skater. It came a day after he finished fourth in the subclass Paris World Inline Cup. ... Defending champ Max Presti skated in with the main pack, 16 seconds behind the leaders, to finish ninth overall today. ... In the women's race, Hyper's Jessica Smith -- after skipping Saturday's race -- scored another win. (Here's Bont's Bill Begg's report on the race.) (June 19, 2005)

Can Max Presti Win Again in Zurich? - Fila International's Max Presti is the king of the Zurich World Inline Cup. Last year, he won the 39-kilometer race for the third time, and he has finished second twice. But today, as he sets out to defend his crown, he will be skating with little rest. Yesterday, he competed (finishing eighth) in the Paris World Inline Cup, an underclass event that was skipped by several of the top skaters, among them Rollerblade's Shane Dobbin, who won last week's Dijon Marathon, and Max's brother, Luca Presti, who is still waiting for his first win of the 2005 season. (Check back later for the results!) (June 19, 2005)

Eddy Matzger Plans "Skate Farm" in Blue Ridge Mountains - What do you do next when you've already won every race, skated every corner of the Planet, and learned every nuance of inline skating? If you are Eddy Matzger, you build a skate farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains. ... And just what is a skate farm? (Read the Planet story!) (June 16, 2005)

Fila and Rollerblade Wage Tight Battle in the Sursee World Inline Cup - The eighth stage of the World Inline Cup turned into a battle between Fila and Rollerblade today. Fila's Luca Saggiorato finished first with a blazing time of 59:45.60. Teammate Max Presti finished five hundredths of a second behind him. Then came three Rollerblade team members: Jorge Botero Shane Dobbin and Alexis Contin. Fila also placed a skater (Baptiste Grandgirard) eighth. But Rollerblade's solid showing will no doubt keep it in first place in the World Cup rankings ... at least until tomorrow when the weary racers compete in ninth state of the World Cup: the Roller Marathon de Dijon in France. (Official results.) (June 11, 2005)

Rollerblade Is on Top As World Inline Cup Moves Back to Switzerland - After seven stages of the World Inline Cup, Team Rollerblade leads both the men's and the women's divisions. But Fila's Max Presti is once again on top in the individual men's standings. ... That could change today (although I wouldn't count on it!) as the racers return to Switzerland for the Sursee World Inline Cup. The racecourse circles scenic Sempachersee (Lake Sempach). Five thousand skaters are expected. (Check back later for results!) (June 11, 2005)

Big Wheels, Broken Records and Spills at Outdoor Nationals - Driving home from Colorado, skater and race official Jim White shared his thoughts about the recently concluded 2005 Outdoor National Championships in Colorado Springs, Colo. Among his topics: the proliferations of Big Wheels; the tumbling of records; and the new pay-your-own-way approach to the World Championships. (Here's the Planet story!) (June 10, 2005)

Two Largest U.S. Marathons Join Forces to Attract Non-skaters - The Northshore and St. Paul are the two biggest inline marathons in the United States. But they are not ready to rest on their laurels. Officials of the two marathons have joined forces to try to attract endurance athletes from other sports to their events. (Read the Planet story!) (June 8, 2005)

Rollerblade Rolls to Victory in Rainy Rennes To Challenge for World Cup Lead - Rollerblade's World racing team has once again proved its ability in wet weather. Its men's team placed skaters first, third and seventh in the rainy fourth stage of the World Inline Cup in Rennes, France. The strong showing Sunday may push Rollerblade into first place in the men's World Cup rankings. ... The team has shown great talent for wet weather. It also did well in the rain-soaked Seoul marathon in Korea. ... By comparison, other teams have struggled on wet racecourses. On Sunday, for instance, both Fila's Baptiste Grandgirard and Kia's Theresa Cliff fell and finished out of the top-ten. (Here's the Bont forum's thread about the race.) (May 23, 2005)

Dan Burger Point Series Continues Sunday in California - Sunny skies are forecast for Sunday's second stage of the Dan Burger Point Series in San Mateo, Calif. The event will feature 10 and 50 kilometer races. Skaters will roll along a closed portion of Canada Road at the Crystal Springs Reservoir. Race time is 9:15 a.m. ... Eddy Matzger and Kim Perkins lead the point series after the first race. Later stages include the Godfather's 100 K Challenge (July 10th) and the Napa Valley Inline Marathon (Aug. 7th). The series is organized by the California Outdoor Rollerskating Association. (Here's the official site.) (May 18, 2005)

New East Coast Racing Series Debuts Tomorrow in Dulles - Rodney Grabinski (winner of the 52-mile event at the 2004 Athens to Atlanta Road Skate) wasn't happy about this year's demise of the Empire Speed Series, so he organized a new series for inline speed skaters: the Capital Series, which debuts Saturday with a 10 K event in Dulles, Va. The series will be made up of five events of various distances. Each will include a 1 K kids race, a recreational skate, and an advanced-elite race. "I have pretty much accomplished everything I dreamed of as a racer, so I felt the time was right to give back more to the sport," said Grabinski, a 38-year-old engineer who lives in Leesburg, Va. ... Thanks, Rodney! (Here's the Capital Race Series web site.) (May 13, 2005)

Korea Leads in Speed Skating, Taipei in Artistic at Asian Championships - Korean speed skaters have dominated the first two days of the Asian Roller Skating Championships in Jeonju, South Korea. They have collected 13 medals, including seven of the eight gold medals handed out so far (China won the other). But they have had to work for their victories. Taipei, especially, is proving a strong competitor. Its skaters have finished second and third in most of the sprints and have won nine speed skating medals in all. ... However, the island nation's greatest success has come in artistic skating. So far, its skaters have won all three events. ... The Asian Championships continue through Saturday. (Here's the official page for the event.) (May 12, 2005)

Berlin Marathon Returns to Late Afternoon Start Time - Skaters in the Berlin Inline Marathon (Sept. 24) will be able to sleep in this year. The organizers have pushed back the start time to 4:30 p.m. They say they made the change -- (last year's race started at 10 a.m.) -- so out-of-town skaters would not have to stay overnight in the German capital. ... The afternoon start made it necessary to trim the maximum time skaters are allowed to finish the race. Last year, they had three hours: this year, they will have two and a half. ... The Berlin event was the world's largest inline marathon last year, reportedly drawing more than 8000 skaters. This year it may be surpassed by the June 5th marathon in Incheon, South Korea, which is expecting 10,000 skaters. (Here's the announcement of the new start time.) (May 11, 2005)

800 Skaters Already Signed up for St. Paul Inline Marathon - With more than three months to go before the event, more than 800 skaters have signed up for the St. Paul (Minn.) Inline Marathon. Last year, 1800 participated in the inaugural event, making it the second largest inline marathon in the United States. Race organizers have capped registration for the Aug. 21st event at 2500. ... They announced today that they have rerouted the racecourse this year to involve "a lot less" hill climbing at the finish. They also announced the cash purse for professional skaters: $4000. (Here's the official St. Paul Marathon site.) (May 5, 2005)

Organizer Has Big Plans for Athens Twilight Criterium - Inline skating reappeared in this year's Athens Twilight, a sports and music festival in Georgia that used to draw some of the world's greatest skaters. But wait until next year, says organizer Charlie Bennett. "My plan is to grow the Twilight back to its legendary status!" ... Go for it, Charlie! (Here's the Planet story!) (May 3, 2005)

Rain, Lightning Short-Circuits 2005 Disney Inline Marathon - Disney World converted its annual inline marathon into a skate tour this morning due to safety concerns posed by rain and lightning. Stung by criticism of last year's event, Disney officials decided to take no chances this year. Ironically, soon after the start of the skate tour, "it turned out to be a semi-decent day," said Disney's Paul Ortolano. (Here's the Planet storylet!) (May 1, 2005)

Galliazzo, Vaudan Win the Basel World Inline Cup - The unheralded Italian skater Stefano Galliazzo won the third stage of the World Inline Cup today in Basel, Switzerland. Skating in his first World Cup race of the year, Galliazzo won the 30 K race with a time of 47 minutes 19.25 seconds. Just behind him were Fila's Luca Saggiorato and Bont's Luca Presti. ... Rollerblade's Angele Vaudan won the women's division. She was followed by Kia's Nathalie Barbotin and Rollerblade's Laura Lardani. ... Rollerblade retained its lead in the women's division, as did Fila in the men's. However, a strong showing by the Rollerblade men (who finished 6th, 7th and 11th) pushed the team past Saab-Salomon into second place. ... Galliazzo finished 27th in last year's World Cup rankings. He skates for the Mariani WRC team. (Here's the results.) (April 30, 2005)

Predicted Heavy Rain Could Convert Disney Marathon Into a Skate Tour - Race organizers say they may convert tomorrow's Disney Inline Marathon into a 13-mile skate tour if predicted thundershowers make the racecourse unsafe. "That's one of our contingency plans," Disney's Paul Ortolano said today. ... Disney apparently doesn't want anymore slipups this year! (Here's the Planet storylet!) (April 30, 2005)

Busy Weekend in Europe Gives Hedrick a Fresh Inline Victory, Crowns a New Presti - It seems like every speed skater in Europe was competing this weekend in either the Hamburg Marathon or the Gross-Gerau Criterium. Among the winners were USA's Chad Hedrick, who showed that he can still win on wheels, and the Italian Guiseppi Presti, father of the fabulous Presti boys. (Here's the Planet storylet!) (April 25, 2005)

USA's Joey Mantia Wins the Marathon at the Pan Am Championships - Joey Mantia won the gold medal today in the marathon to conclude the speed skating events of the Pan American Championships in Argentina. It was Mantia's third medal of the event. Last week, the 19-year-old Florida skater won bronzes in the 300 and 500 meter track sprints. No other U.S. speed skater medaled in the championships. ... Colombia collected the most medals: 26. Next came Chile with 23 and Argentina with 18. ... Chile's Jose Guzman was the star of the event. He won all five sprints. (Here's the Pan Am results page of the Spanish-language Patin Carrera web site.) (April 24, 2005)

Chile Leads in Speed Skating at Pan Am Championships - South Americans are skating away with most of the medals at the Pan American Championships in Argentina. So far, Chile has 16 medals; Colombia, 13; and Argentina, five. Next comes the United States with two, both won by Joey Mantia, who took third in the 300 and 500 meter track sprints. ... The best individual skaters so far has been Chile's Jose Guzman. He has won all three of the track sprints. ... Several of the best U.S. and South American speed skaters skipped the Pan Am Championships this year. Among them: USA's Julie Glass and Brittany Bowe and Colombia's Jorge Botero. The championships qualify teams for the Pan Am Games, which are held every four years. (Here's the Pan Am results page of the Spanish-language site Patin Carerra.) (April 21, 2005)

"My Body Fat Percentage Is Lower Than Your Mortgage Rate!" - What do skaters really mean when they say, "I'm out of shape"? ... Included in Conny Strub's latest newsletter is the comical answer to this and other questions, as translated by ultra-distance champ Kim Perkins. The newsletter also includes an interview with Canadian skater Peter Doucet, a Glenn Koshi article titled "Disappearing Races," and Conny's own report on the myriad frame choices facing skaters these days. (Here's the newsletter.) (April 20, 2005)

Study Confirms That Drinking Too Much Water During Races Can Kill You! - A report in the New England Journal of Medicine advises endurance athletes not to overdue their fluid intake during races. Drinking too much fluid dilutes salts in the body and can lead to hyponatremia, which, in severe cases, can be life threatening. Only drink enough fluid to replace what you lose through perspiration, the study recommends. To gauge how much that is, weigh yourself before and after workouts. If you find you're gaining weight during workouts, you are drinking too much water, the study says. (The Boston Globe story.) (April 19, 2005)

Jorge Botero Talks (a little) About His Victory in Seoul - We finally caught up (at least our email did) with Rollerblade's Jorge Botero, the winner of the first stage of the World Inline Cup in Seoul. In response to our questions, Jorge provided a description of the race and shared his motto ("Always ready"), which he says is what he had in mind as he started the sprint for home in Seoul. (Here's our little post-race interview with the great Jorge Botero!) (April 19, 2005)

Innovative Metrodome Inline Marathon Proves a Success - A 19-year-old Illinois skater won the individual marathon. But the biggest show of the day was the team marathon, which attracted a cheering section that would have made the Vikings proud. ... And it all happened indoors! (Here's the Planet report of the Metrodome Inline Marathon!) (April 18, 2005)

Fila Flexes its Muscle, Bont Proves Itself a Contender in Taipei World Inline Cup - Rollerblade's Jorge Botero's sixth place finish in today's Taipei Inline Marathon was enough for him to hang on to the lead in the World Inline Cup. But hot on his heels now are Luca Saggiorato and Max Presti, who finished first and second in a familiar display of Fila power. ... It was a day of redemption in Taipei as Bont placed skaters third (Luca Presti) and ninth (Francesco Zangarini), and Theresa Cliff returned to form with a win in the women's race. ... (Here's the Planet story!) (April 17, 2005)

Top Teams Have Lots to Prove as World Inline Cup Moves to Taipei - The first stage of the World Inline Cup last week in Seoul proved that Fila International could be beaten ... at least in the rain. But tomorrow's forecast is for clear skies in Taipei. So there will be no excuses and lots on the line at the top teams line up for the second stage of the World Inline Cup. (Here's the Planet preview!) (April 16, 2005)

300 Skaters Expected at Inaugural Metrodome Inline Marathon - Most inline marathons are run on long road courses that give racers plenty of elbow room. But what do you do if your racecourse is only 605 meters long? ... That was the question faced by the organizers of this weekend's Metrodome Inline Marathon in Minneapolis. The answer they came up with will apparently add up to another big win for Minnesota skaters. (Here's the Planet preview of the Metrodome Inline Marathon!) (April 15, 2005)

Kelly Gunther To Replace Brittany Bowe At Pan Am Event - Kelly Gunther will take Brittany Bowe's place on the U.S. World Junior Team at the Pan American Championships in Argentina. Bowe, the U.S. junior inline speed skating champ, pulled out of the event due to a scheduling conflict. Gunther, 17, won two relay gold medals in last year's Inline World Championships in Italy. She skates for the Wolverines speed team in Michigan and is sponsored by Hyper. ... The Pan Am Championships are April 17-24. (Here's more Planet Racing News.) (April 14, 2005)

Is This Man Happy or What! - Jorge Botero's long dry spell in the World Inline Cup ended Sunday when he won the rain-soaked Seoul World Inline Cup Marathon. ... He didn't wait long to start celebrating, as you can see from this jubilant shot of him crossing the finish line. (Here's a few great photos from the finish of the men's and women's Seoul World Inline Cup!) (April 12, 2005)

110 mm Wheels Were Breaking Out All Over the Place in Seoul - It wasn't just Franck Cardin of the Saab-Salomon team that made the jump to 110 mm wheels at the Seoul World Inline Cup. Supersonic's Juan Carlos Betancur reports that the French skater Tristan Loy also raced on the company's 110 mm wheels. And Hyper's Jim Larson is reporting that inline-to-ice champ KC Boutiette skated on his company's prototype 110 mm wheels. (Boutiette was on a hybrid 110-100-110-110 frame.) ... How did the Bigger Big Wheels perform? Not bad, judging from the race results: Cardin finished second; Loy, fourth. (There's no word yet on Boutiette's finish.) (Here's a photo Boutiette on his 110s near the end of the race.) (April 12, 2005)

Mesa and Schecter Roll to Victory in the Great Orlando Inline Marathon - Two Colombian transplants, Edgar Mesa and Hernan Diaz, finished first and second Sunday in the 2005 Great Orlando Inline Marathon in Florida. In the women's race, Naomi Schecter edged out Stacey Eldridge in the sprint. (Here's the Planet story!) (April 11, 2005)

Matzger and Perkins Win the Greg Levien 50 K in California - Ultra-marathon champs Eddy Matzger and Kim Perkins opened their 2005 campaigns today with wins in the Greg Levien 50 K Road Skate in San Mateo, California. Both Matzger and Perkins won handily in the season opener of the Dan Burger Race Series. (Here's the Planet story!) (April 10, 2005)

Botero and Gomez Win the Seoul World Inline Cup Marathon - Rollerblade's Jorge Botero won the rain-soaked Seoul World Inline Cup Marathon after he and three other skaters pulled away from the main pack 15 kilometers from the start and never looked back. ... In the women's race, Powerslide's Sandra Gomez and Brittany Bowe finished first and second after a rough finish which led to the disqualification of two skaters. (Here's the Planet story!) (Here's the list of top finishers!) (April 9, 2005)

Saab-Salomon Team Expected to Race on 110 mm Wheels in Seoul - Supersonic co-founder Juan Carlos Betancur says he expects the Saab-Salomon World Team to race on 110 mm wheels tomorrow in the Seoul World Inline Cup Marathon. If so, it would mark a new jump in size for wheels used in the World Cup. Last year, Fila International sparked the move to 100 mm wheels. ... Betancur talks about Saab-Salomon's prospects for the 2005 racing season in his interview with the Planet. He is joined by Saab-Salomon's team leader Pascal Briand. ... (Here's the Planet interview with Betancur and Briand!) (April 9, 2005)

Team Rollerblade Appears Ready to Challenge in the 2005 World Inline Cup - Rollerblade World will be one of the teams to watch this Sunday as the 2005 World Inline Cup opens in Seoul, Korea. The team had a disappointing season last year, finishing a distant fourth. But this year, with two new skaters on its roster, it appears to be capable of greater things. (Here's the Planet's Preview of the 2005 Rollerblade World Team!) (April 8, 2005)

New Company Prepares for Launch of Braking System for Racing Skates - Gatorback Skate is preparing to launch a braking system that the company says will make outdoor speed skating safer and more fun. The GatorStop system will have two parts: a heel brake that attaches to the frame of speed skates, and a leverage device that attaches to the boot. To use the brake, skaters will reach down and pull a leash connected to the leverage device. Company founder Mark Farnsworth says the GatorStop works better than previous brakes for inline speed skates. He will demonstrate the brake Sunday at the Great Orlando Inline Marathon in Florida. (Here's the Gatorback web site.) (April 8, 2005)

Empire Skate Series Is Placed on Hold for One Year; New East Coast Series Announced - The organizers of the Empire Skate Series have placed the multi-race competition "on hiatus." They gave no reason for the suspension but said, "We hope to return again next year." Despite the absence of the series, two of its most prominent races, the New York 100 K and the New York City Skate Marathon, will be held as usual. And rolling in to fill the race calendar is a brand new series, the Eastern Seaboard Series, which so far includes five races. (Read the Empire Skate announcement; go to the Eastern Seaboard Series web site.) (April 7, 2005)

Paul Hedrick Remains in Hospital After Motorcycle Accident - Paul Hedrick, the father and coach of speed skater Chad Hedrick, sustained head and internal injuries this weekend in a motorcycle accident in Texas. Hedrick is reportedly doing well after surgery to relieve brain swelling. Hedrick is the owner of several roller rinks in the Houston area. (Here's the Hyper thread reporting the accident.) (April 5, 2005)

Rollerblade Revamps Its Team Web Site Just in Time for the Outdoor Season - The Team Rollerblade web site is up and running with a flourish of news, photos and interviews. Along with interviews of team members Alexis Contin and Jorge Botero is one of Jessica Smith of Team Hyper. ... That's right, Rollerblade has posted an interview with the competition! ... Who would have guessed it? (Here's the Team Rollerblade web site.) (April 5, 2005)

Fila's Manager Says Team's Best Could Be Enough To Win World Cup Again This Year - Last year, it wasn't even close. The Fila International men's team made hamburger of the World Inline Cup. It racked up almost 800 points more than its nearest competitor and placed skaters one-two-three in the individual rankings. ... But can the Fila juggernaut continue to roll in 2005? ... We'll get some idea Sunday when the team lines up in Seoul for the first World Cup marathon of the season. But in the meantime, here's an interview with Fila's manager, Ippolito Sanfratello, who says, "We'll just try to do our best, and this will be enough to be on top." (Here's the Planet interview with Ippolito Sanfratello!) (April 4, 2005)

Taiwan Expects 10,000 to Skate in Inaugural Taipei Inline Marathon - The Taiwanese apparently don't believe in starting small. Their first-ever international inline skating event, the Taipei World Inline Cup 2005 (April 17th), is expected to draw 10,000 skaters, which will make it one of the largest skating events in the world. (Here's the Planet story!) (April 2, 2005)

USA Roller Sports Names Pan Am Team, But One Skater Won't Be Going - USA Roller Sports has announced its speed skating roster for the Pan American Championships in Argentina next month. But one of the team members, Brittany Bowe, the U.S. junior champion, won't be going. Bowe, who is on Team Powerslide, pulled out of the event last week because of scheduling conflicts, a Powerslide official said. ... Her Powerslide teammate Julie Glass bowed out of the event earlier this year for the same reason before the roster was finalized. ... The Pan Am event stretches over eight days (April 17-24) and comes just as the outdoor racing season is heating up. ... Other women on the U.S. roster are Kimberlee Butler and Jill Rookard. The men are Joey Mantia, William Bowen and junior skater Darren Kauffman. ... Athletes were selected based on their finish at last year's Outdoor National Championships.( Here's Roller Sports' roster.) (March 31, 2005)

Inline Reportedly Won't Be Part of 2005 Downers Grove Criterium - The National Criterium Championships in Downers Grove, Ill., reportedly won't include inline racing this year. The event has awarded some of the biggest prizes in U.S. inline racing and over the years has attracted some of the world's best skaters, including Chad Hedrick, Max Presti and KC Boutiette. But in the last few years, participation has dropped. Last year, only 20 men and four women skated in the open category, in part because the inaugural St. Paul Inline Marathon was held on the same weekend. (Here's a post about the event on the Hyper forum.) (March 30, 2005)

Swiss to Host 8 of 20 World Inline Cup Events in 2005 - Once again, the Swiss will be hosting the lion's share of World Inline Cup events. Of 20 events on the finalized World Cup calendar, Switzerland gets eight. France is next with four. Then comes Korea with two. ... North and South America get to share one event: the Northshore marathon in Duluth, Minn. Australia and New Zealand are not so lucky. They get no events. (The planned Melbourne World Cup fell through.) ... And don't even ask about Africa. ... Anyway, by my count, we've got seven countries covered. Only 186 to go! (Here's the official World Inline Cup calendar.) (March 22, 2005)

U.S. Inline Marathon Season Begins With Adam Miller, Stephanie Combs Winning the Texas Road Rash - Adam Miller of Team Simmons won the 2005 Texas Road Rash today under cloudy skies in Round Rock. The 22-year-old native of Independence, Mo., finished 13 seconds ahead of teammate Ryan Chrisler. Last year's winner, Randy Bowman, finished third. ... Stephanie Combs was first among the women, followed by Gianna Guerino and Brenda Harris. (Here's the Planet story!) (March 20, 2005)

Defending Road Rash Champ Hopes for Spot on World Team - Randy Bowman will be defending his title as king of the Texas Road Rash on Sunday. And then it will be back to the grindstone as the 22-year-old Ohio native prepares himself for the Outdoor National Championships, where he hopes to win a spot on the U.S. World Team. (Here's the Planet profile of inline speed skater Randy Bowman!) (March 18, 2005)

Can the Sports Capital of Texas Keep the Road Rash Growing? - The city of Round Rock and Austin speed skater Richard Littrell got the Texas Road Rash off to a great start last year. Now the question is: Can they turn their well-run, early-season inline marathon into a financially self-sufficient, annual event? ... (Here's the Planet preview of the 2005 Texas Road Rash!) (March 17, 2005)

For the First Time, Prize Money in World Cup Race to Hit $50,000 - The World Inline Cup Organization is telling teams that the Incheon, Korea, marathon this June will pay $50,000 (U.S.) in prize money, says Bont's Bill Begg. If so, it will be the biggest purse ever for a WIC event. ... So how does it compare to the prize money in other sports? Here's a sample: The Iditarod dog sled race handed out $72,000 in prize money in 2004; the Ironman Triathlon World Championship, $480,000; the Boston Marathon, $525,000; the International Cricket World Championship Trophy, $1.15 million; and the Wimbledon tennis tournament, $17.6 million. ... Oh well, at least we're moving in the right direction! (Here's Bill Begg's report on the Bont forum.) (March 17, 2005)

New Point Series Devised for North American Marathons - Speed skater Mark Farnsworth has committed himself to the creation of a World Cup-style point system for North American inline marathons. He says he will award points to the top 10 finishers in U.S. and Canadian marathons. Double points will go to finishers in races longer than 80 kilometers. Results will be posted on the RaceReports web site. ... Farnsworth hopes the point series will drum up interest in the sport. Already he's stirred up a little controversy with his decision to exclude the A2A and other races that lack "a reasonable level of traffic control." (Here's a discussion about the point series on RaceReports.) (March 11, 2005)

Peter Doucet Urges More Industry Support for Races - This week's news that the 2005 Cactus Classic was being canceled struck a nerve with Canadian speed skater and race organizer Peter Doucet. "The disappearance of events like the Cactus Classic is a direct threat to the existence of our sport," he wrote in an editorial, titled "Is This the Start of the End?" ... Doucet put the blame largely on the skate industry, which he says has failed to financially support smaller races and marathons. He said the events need industry support to succeed, just as the industry needs the events to create interest in the sport. "Roller sports ... will grow," he wrote, "when events and the industry support each other more effectively." ... If all this sounds gloomy, be advised: Next week, Peter plans to write a piece about all the good stuff that is happening in the roller world! (Here's Peter's editorial) (March 5, 2005)

Cactus Classic Fails to Meet Fund Raising Goal; Will Be Put on Hold For One Year - Organizers of the Cactus Classic Inline Marathon had hoped to raise $15,000 by now to keep the event going another year. But they've only been able to raise a third of that amount, and so the Arizona desert classic will be put on hold, until at least 2006. (Here's the Planet story!) (March 2, 2005)

Maybe You Will Be Skating in Tahiti After All! - Has the high price of travel to Polynesia wilted your enthusiasm for the Tahiti Aito Inline Challenge? Well, here's your chance to go for free! Race organizer Christopher Pierre is giving away an all-expense-paid trip to the event. And all you have to do to is send him an email and get lucky! ... This unusual offer includes round-trip airfare from Los Angeles or New York, inter-island transfers, and three nights in a private bungalow at the Moorea Village Hotel. ... (Wow. It sure beats the free T-shirts offered by most events!) ... To sign up for the drawing, visit the Way Beyond web site! (March 2, 2005)

Napa Valley Marathon Gets A New Date - The Napa Valley Inline Marathon has been rescheduled and will now roll through Northern California's scenic wine country on Sunday, July 24th. Event organizer David Miles said a scheduling conflict with a festival at a nearby winery forced the date change. The original date had been July 9th. ... The marathon is a three day event that starts with the Friday Night Skate in San Francisco, continues Saturday with a tour of the Silver Rose Winery and concludes Sunday morning with the marathon and half marathon. The racecourse is a seven mile stretch of the fabulous Silverado Highway, which will be closed to traffic. (Napa Valley Marathon web site) (March 2, 2005)

Italian Champ Luca Presti Talks About His Life, Future - Luca Presti seems a very likable champion in this interview by Hong Kong speed skater Daniel Yeow. In it, Luca talks about how he started to race when he was five; his father's encouragement ("When I was little, in Sicily, my father at six o'clock would come to me in bed and say, 'Luca, Luca, go skating,' always."); and how he now lives with his wife and son in Venice and hopes, after his racing career, to join the federal police. ... One of Luca's most characteristically Italian moments comes when he explains, in his broken English, what he was thinking as he won last year's 300 meter time trial at the World Championships: "I was thinking, I need to win the race for my coach. Because the coach said, 'I put you in the race -- you win.' I listened to him. I raced for him. After the race, he said to me, 'Thank you.' " (Daniel Yeow's interview with Luca Presti.) (February 28, 2005)

Organizer Plans to Turn SF Kids Into Inline Speed Champs - David Miles, president of the California Outdoor Rollerskating Association, has found that San Francisco school children know little, if anything, about inline racing. But he's not ready to give up on them. In fact, he's put together a program designed to turn some of those kids into inline champions. (Here's the Planet story!) (February 22, 2005)

Two Speed Skaters, One Hockey Player Win Entry Into Roller Hall of Fame - Cheryl Ezzell, Gypsy Tidwell and Dieter Kochan have won spots in USA Roller Sports' Hall of Fame. Also to get the nod are artistic coaches Jerry and Marlene Bruland... What do they all have in common: They have been -- or have coached -- world champions. (Here's the Planet story!) (February 19, 2005)

Season's First World Inline Cup Race Disintegrates - The first scheduled race of the 2005 World Inline Cup has apparently crumbled. The provisional World Cup calendar still lists the Geelong Marathon in Melbourne, Australia, as its first event. But Alexander Bont is reporting that the Feb. 27th race will no longer be part of the World Cup. ... It is not clear what happened. But Alex says he heard that other teams were complaining about the expense of flying their racers to Australia. ... As for Bont, it had already booked airfare and accommodations for its team. So it's stuck with a bill. "Running a pro race team is insanely expensive," Alex said. "We will be thinking carefully about running a team in 2006 if this keeps up." (Here's Alex's post on the Bont forum.) (February 16, 2005)

World Inline Cup Confirms That It Will Allow Wheels Bigger Than 100 mm - Sylvianne Altherr-Weissmahr of the World Inline Cup organization has confirmed that wheels larger than 100 mm will be allowed in World Cup races this year. But she said that could change next year. ... Altherr-Weissmahr said the rules of the International Roller Sports Federation apply only to the Inline World Championships, not to the World Cup, which has its own rule book. But, she added, "for next year we might change the rule book regarding this point." ... The roller federation instituted a rule banning wheels larger than 100 mm during its meeting last November in Fresno. (Read Sylvianne's email about wheel size in the Planet forum.) (February 15, 2005)

Duluth May Host Gravity Event in May - Duluth, Minn., already the site of the largest inline marathon in the United States, is trying to bring a Gravity Event to town. City officials met over the weekend with representatives of the International Gravity Sports Association. The association is considering Duluth for an event over the Memorial Day weekend, officials said. ... The association holds an annual World Cup of gravity sports. Among the events are inline downhill racing (similar to downhill skiing) and inline slalom. Other events feature skateboard, gravity bike and street luge. ... The date for this year's NorthShore Marathon, which attracts about 4,000 skaters, is Sept. 17. (Press release about meeting) (February 15, 2005)

Chad Hedrick's Web Site Is Up and Rolling, Although Not Completely Finished - The wrappers have come off the web site of inline and ice skating champion Chad Hedrick. Some parts of the site are still under construction, but much is finished, including a short biography, a photo gallery and several short clips from Hedrick's much anticipated (and yet to be released) DVD, Push. ... On one of the clips, the 52-time inline world champion gives a pithy summary of his signature move, the double push: "The whole concept of the double push ... is pushing in the same direction with both feet simultaneously." Got that? ... If not, you'll have to wait for the DVD to come out. (Chad's web site) (February 14, 2005)

New Indoor Asian Games To Include Roller Hockey, Extreme Skating - The inaugural Indoor Asian Games will feature 10 sports, including roller hockey and extreme skating. The new event is for sports that are not part of the Olympics or the existing Asian Games. Organizers say they chose sports based on their appeal to young audiences and television viewers. Other sports in the games include kick basketball, aerobics, fin swimming and kick boxing. Aggressive skating is included under the category of extreme sports. ... The Indoor Asian Games will be held every other year. This year's event is Nov. 12-19 in Bangkok. (Reuters story) (February 14, 2005)

World Environment Games Are Scheduled for October - The second annual World Environment Games will be Oct. 22-30 in Bahia, Brazil. The object of these games is not only athletic competition but also environmental awareness. Among the 17 sports in the event will be inline speed skating and an "enduro challenge," in which contestants will run, swim, inline skate and mountain bike. As part of the Games, a conference will be held in which experts will discuss the roll that sports can play in improving the environment. (Official Games site) (February 14, 2005)

So What Will It Look Like If Roller Sports Makes It Into the 2012 Olympics? - The International Roller Sports Federation has come up with a compact, budget-minded proposal designed to gain a toehold in the Olympic Games. The proposal calls for two days of inline speed skating (no hockey or figure skating) on a small outdoor racecourse. The 72 athletes would compete in four events. The shortest would be a 300 meter time-trial; the longest, a 20 kilometer elimination. (Here's the Planet story!) (February 11, 2005)

World Champion Julie Glass Praises Pay Raise for Women Racers - Julie Glass, the winner of the overall title at last year's Inline World Championships, says it's "great" that women racers will now get a larger share of the prize money in World Inline Cup races. The women's share is going up this year to 40 percent; it had been 30. The men will split 60 percent of the winnings. (Read Julie's full comment in the forum discussion: Should Women Racers Get Equal Pay?) (February 11, 2005)

U.S. Skaters May Have to Pay Their Own Way to World Events - U.S. skaters are being warned that they may have to pay their own airfare this year to compete in the Inline World Championships in China and the World Games in Germany. USA Roller Sports (USARS) has asked the U.S. Olympic Committee for money to cover the travel expenses. But the Olympic Committee has said that it may not be able to provide it, said the USARS's executive director Richard Hawkins. (✰●❁■❅▼ ▲▼❏❒❙✁✉ ✈✦❅❂❒◆❁❒❙✙✌✒✐✐✕✉

Bont Starts Auction for Ailing Skater - At 18, Australian Shaun Thompson appeared to be on the verge of a great inline racing career. Already, he had won several junior world championships and a spot on Bont's international racing team. But then, a little over a year ago, he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Surgery and four rounds of chemotherapy slowed the cancer but did not stop it. Now Shaun is pinning his hopes on an experimental gene replacement therapy administered in China. The treatments cost $25,000, which Bont is helping Shaun raise with an auction on its forum. To the top bidder will go a beautiful pair of Super Mold Vaypor racing boots in a limited edition silver with a 3-D green honeycomb effect. ... So far, several hours into the auction, the bidding has reached $600. (Click here to place your bid!) (February 7, 2005)

"Inline-to-Icelandia" Wins Bronze at the World Allround Championships! - Inline-to-ice skater Chad Hedrick may not have repeated this year as the World Allround Speed Skating Champion. But the three U.S. inline-to-ice skaters in Moscow this weekend did so well that lumped together they would have finished third as a team (behind the United States and the Netherlands). Not only did Hedrick finish second in the standings, but K.C. Boutiette finished sixth and Derek Parra finished tenth. (Hedrick, Boutiette and Parra all started out as inline racers.) Inline-to-Icelandia was particularly strong in the 1500 meters with Hedrick finishing second, Boutiette third and Parra fourth. ... Although a true ice skater won the championships this year (see below), it is clear that the U.S. would not have had much of a team without inline skaters. (February 6, 2005)

Organizers Cancel Inaugural Long Beach Grand Prix Event! - Just received word from International City Racing: It has decided to cancel the inaugural Long Beach Grand Prix event, which it had scheduled for April 3. The event, which was to include an 8-mile inline race and a skate-cycle-run triathlon, was planned as a way to build attendance for the Long Beach Marathon. But the organizers decided they didn't have enough time to prepare the event. So they have decided to hold off on it until 2006. (Here's the Planet story!) (Tuesday, February 8, 2005)

World Record Holder Will Again Miss a Number of the Season's Big Races - Once again this year, Roger Schneider will not be skating the full World Inline Cup schedule. Instead, the 22-year-old Swiss speedster (who owns the bragging rights as the world's fastest marathon skater) will be skating a partial schedule as a member of the Fila Mentos team. (Read the Planet story with photo of Roger hangin' with the wild man: Eddy Matzger) (Monday, February 7, 2005)

Some Adjustment Required When Skating Indoors on Big Wheels - The new 100 mm wheels roll so fast that some indoor speed skaters are having to adjust their technique to stay on the track. Rather than doing regular strokes on straight-aways, they are doing crossover turns all the way around the oval. And why not? Crossover turns provide lots of power! (Here's an interesting discussion about the topic on the Mogema forum.) (February 5, 2005)

Bont Quits Development of Wheels Over 100 mm - Bont has been developing wheels and frames for cutting-edge racers who want to roll on wheels larger than 100 mm. But Alexander Bont is reporting today that the company has "sadly" canceled most of its new plus-100