Skate Coach:

Skate instructor Kathy McSparran's regular column of skate tips and inspiration.

Kathy's columns are listed below in reverse chronological order:

Nov. 16, 2007
Winter Skating
Kathy McSparran has two words for those who say you can't skate in the winter: bah, humbug!
• Winter Skate Tip
• Skate Tip Archive

Nov. 27, 2006
Happy Feet, Part 1
What to do when your feet are screaming? ... Skate Coach Kathy McSparran prescribes the cure in her latest column.
• Go to Kathy's column.

June 29, 2006
Beat the Heat!
Too hot for skating? Never, says Skate Coach Kathy McSparran. In her latest column, Kathy shares her desert-honed tips for skating through the summer scorchers.
- Go to the Planet story.

Top 10 Real World Skate Tips
Hills, water hazards, broken pavement, snakes. (Yes ... even snakes!) It's a jungle out there on the trail! But fortunately we've got Skate Coach (aka "Skates With Snakes") to help us on our way. (Read Kathy McSparran's Top 10 Real World Skate Tips.) (April 14, 2006)

Climbing Those Hills ... One Lung or Two
Planet columnist Kathy McSparran explains how anyone — even an asthma sufferer — can learn to surmount hills on skates. In the process, she tells the story of the lung cancer survivor she helped scale the hills at the Disney Inline Marathon. ... It's a great read! (Go to Kathy's column.) (April 6, 2006)

See and Be Seen - Invisible might work for the Invisible Girl. But not for the night skater. He or she must remain visible to motorists or risk undesirable "meetings." Fortunately, we've got Skate Coach Kathy McSparran to advise us on the gear we need to stay out of Hummer's way. (Go to Skate Coach.) (Jan. 25, 2006)

Putting the Power in Your Heel Stop - If you've followed the first two parts of Kathy McSparran's series on the heel stop, you've learned the basics. Bend, scissors and brake. Now it's time to learn to make that brake pad sing. Burn rubber, baby! (Go to Kathy's latest Skate Coach column.) (Dec. 14, 2005)

Dispensing the Rx for the Perfect Heel Stop - Is your heel stop in need of a check up? Does putting pad to pavement trigger unexpected events, such as turns, spins or pirouettes ... or does it leave you feeling a little unbalanced—if not ready for the loony bin? ... Come along then. What you need is a visit with the Skate Doc, Kathy McSparran, who this week dispenses cures for common diseases of the heel stop. (Go to Kathy's column.)

How to Brake Without Breaking! - Striding may be the foundation of skate technique. But knowing how to stop is the skill that builds a skater's confidence (and also keeps him or her from becoming a human hood ornament.) In this first part of a series, certified instructor Kathy McSparran provides a step-by-step guide to mastering the heel brake. ... Even if you think you are already a pro, you are likely to pick up some pointers from the Skate Coach. (Go to the Skate Coach column.) (Nov. 8, 2005)

Staying Up ... Or How to Stand in the Bathtub on Soap Shoes - To a beginner, balancing on inline skates can seem as precarious as standing in a bathtub on soap shoes. But with a little help, it's not as hard as it seems, as certified skate instructor Kathy McSparran explains in the debut of her Planet column: Skate Coach. Kathy's column will focus on advice for beginning and intermediate skaters ... you know, the ones we need more of to keep the inline universe growing. (Go to Kathy's Staying Up column.) (Oct. 25, 2005)

Related reading

• The Beginner's Guide to Inline Skating

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Copyright © 2006 by Robert Burnson