Part 3: Motor City Madness

Motor City Madness, the Wolverine's Thanksgiving Invitational: a Planet Preview

Part 3: Interview with Wolverine Coach Robb Dunn

Robert: What will happen on the three different days of Motor City Madness?

Robb: On the first night, which is Thanksgiving, we have an open practice, and then the three-person relay events. On Friday, we have all the junior olympic races and standard division individual events. And on Saturday, we have the two-person and four-person relays.

Robert: How big is the track?

Robb: 100 meters.

Robert: With such a small track is there any straightaway?

Robb: Yeah, there is. The track is not a perfect oval so you do have a straightaway between the corners. ... The corners are about half the size of the straightaway.

Robert: It must be very exciting with so many turns?

Robb: It is very exciting! It's really something. ... When you get to the finals and you have the best skaters out there, the passing that goes on and the skill level is pretty amazing. And there's lots of action throughout the race.

In road racing, it generally comes down to a field sprint at the end. But in indoors, you have several people fighting to get into good position throughout the race, and there's lots of jostling and race rubbing and passing back and forth --- and that starts happening long before the end of the race.

Robert: Do the skaters use different equipment indoors?

Robb: Not really.

Robert: What kind of wheels do they use?

Robb: Up until last year, everybody was just running 84s [84 mm wheels], except for the younger kids, who can't use the bigger wheels. But this year I think we are going to see if the skaters can wear the 100 mm wheels that have come out recently.

Robert: The 100 mm wheels are gaining popularity outdoors. Do you think they will catch on indoors?

Robb: I don't know. Some people say they won't work indoors. But I heard the same thing about 84s when they started to appear. ... Some people say it's just a matter of adapting ... learning how to skate on the new wheels.

Robert: Is the indoor surface more slippery than skating outdoors on pavement?

Robb: When it's got a well coated floor, it's not slippery at all. They put a roll-on plastic coating on the floor so you get very little slipping.

In fact, if the floor is real tight, if it's grippy like it should be, you only have slips if you are going too fast.

Robert: A number of the top U.S. skaters, including the Wolverine's own Julie Glass and Jessica Smith, have come from the world of indoor speed skating. What accounts for the success of indoor racing programs?

Robb: As a matter of fact, the majority of U.S. skaters who go on to win world championships start indoors ... the vast majority. I can't even think of any who didn't.

The reason for this, I would say, is that indoor provides a bit more structure. Under USA Roller Sports [the sanctioning body for indoor speed and artistic skating], there are many clubs, and the kids come to a club and feel like they are part of a team. And then they go to a competition and they find that they enjoy competing; and maybe they win a trophy; so they keep working at it and emulating the high-caliber skaters.

Another thing that helps the indoor skaters is that indoor racing is so competitive that when they get to the outdoor races, they already have the racing mentality.

<<< Part 1|2|3|4| >>>

Discuss:

Some skaters love skating indoors; others would rather be flash frozen ... How abou you? ... Add your comments here!