Planet News Archive Week of August 14, 2005 Monday
(Aug. 15, 2005)
Online Registration Ends Tonight for St. Paul Inline Marathon - The number of skaters signed  up so far for Sunday's St. Paul Inline Marathon is in the mid-1500s. ... That's a healthy number. But organizers hope to register at least as many skaters (1800) as they did last year, the first year of the event. ... Event organizer Mike Cofrin suspects that Minnesota's hotter than usual summer has discouraged some skaters from signing up. But he points out that Sunday's forecast is near perfect: sunny skies with a high of 77 degrees. ... Get there if you can! Online registration ends Wednesday but you can still sign up in person at Saturday's Skate Expo at the Radisson Riverfront Hotel. (Here's the official web site!) (Aug. 15, 2005) Disney Selects Earlier Date for Inline Marathon - Disney has moved its  inline marathon to an earlier spot on the race calendar to avoid the late spring rains that played havoc with this year's event. The date for the 2006 Disney World Inline Marathon is April 2nd. ... This year's race was scheduled for May 1st but canceled under heavy thunderstorms. ... May is a wetter month than April in Orlando, Fla. The chance of rain during the first week of May is 23 percent, compared to 11 percent for the first week of April, according to the Weather Underground. (Here's the official site.) (Aug. 15, 2005) Italians Finish on Top in the Swiss Inline Cup - Rollerblade's Laura Lardani  won the final race of the Swiss Inline Cup on Saturday to capture the 2005 title. Fila's Max Presti had an off day in Bern; he finished 20th in the 30-kilometer race. But he still had enough points to narrowly win the men's title. ... Rollerblade's Jorge Botero finished second in the rankings. The Colombian needed a sixth-place finish Saturday to catch Presti but only managed 16th with Presti less than a second behind him. (Here are the full results.) (Aug. 15, 2005) On the Forum:
• Going From a Honda Accord to a Kawasaki Ninja - That's what it was like when Glenn made the transition from quads to inline skates in the mid-1980s. He was one of the early adopters. (Here's his post!) • Do Big Wheels Go Faster? • That's what they say. But how do they perform on sprints? Or climbing hills? And what accounts for their speediness or lack of? ... Dave wants to know. (If you've got the answers, post them here!) • Got a question, comment, events to publicize or press release? ... Post a note on the Planet Forum Elsewhere on the Web ... Dad gets a lesson in sportsmanship from the aggressive skaters on the half pipe. (Christian Science Monitor) Tuesday
(Aug. 16, 2005)
Ohio to Host Final Event of 2005 Downhill World Cup - Downhill racers from around the world will converge on Bainbridge, Ohio, this October for the final event of the 2005 World Cup. The event will feature inline skates, skateboards, gravity bikes and street luge -- all going insanely fast down the appropriately named Jester Hill. "This hill is typically known for high speeds (55-plus mph)," says downhill skater Mark Henley. ... Demon Promotions is organizing the event (Oct. 14-16) under the auspices of the International Gravity Sports Association. (Here's the event announcement.) (Aug. 16, 2005) Black Ice Alert: 'Roll and Stroll' Planned for New Pa. Highway - Skaters in Pennsylvania will get a  rare opportunity this fall to roll atop a virgin, traffic-less freeway. A "roll and stroll" is planned for the 12-mile Big Ridge section of the soon-to-be-completed North Lewistown Bypass (US 522/22). The Oct. 15th event is open to skaters, cyclists, walkers and runners. "The event will offer the community a chance to enjoy the spectacular view from Big Ridge and see the highway from a unique perspective," a highway official said. The road will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Here's a story about the event from the Lewistown Sentinel.) (Aug. 16, 2005) On the Forum:
• "Tuck and Pray" - Dev talks about the, uh ... downhill technique he used on his first day on inline skates. (Here's his post.) • "Nothing Goofy About that!" - Skaters welcome the news that Disney is sticking with its inline marathon. (Here's the thread.) • Skate Makers Turn Blind Eye to New Brake Design - The inventor of the Ezskate brake laments what he says is reluctance on the part of skate makers to look at anything new. (Here's his post.) • Got a question, comment, events to publicize or press release? ... Post a note on the Planet Forum Elsewhere on the Web ... Skate champ Jay Etheredge attracts the young and old ... and even some hockey players ... to his speed skating sessions in Orange, Calif. (Orange County Register, reg. required.) Wednesday
(Aug. 17, 2005)
Group Announces an 'Old School' Athens to Atlanta Group Skate - It will be similar  to the first Athens to Atlanta Road Skate in 1982: a group of skaters taking on the challenges of 80-some miles of open road. There will be no traffic control, no timing devices, no official results. "This is not a race; more a group skate with lots of hills," says organizer Bruce Belden of the Atlanta Peachtree Roadrollers Skate Club. The club is organizing the Oct. 2nd event to help fill the void left by the cancellation of the 2005 a2a. (Here's more info.) (Aug. 17, 2005) On the Forum:
• Why the Mouse Moved - Disney event manager talks about why the Mouse moved the marathon to an earlier date. (Here's the post.) • Race & Roll Arrives! - The new inline skating magazine has started appearing in mailboxes. ... So far it's a hit with readers. (Here's the thread.) • Three Blocks, No Mas • Melon didn't want to bust his ... uh, melon on his first day on inline skates. So he took it easy. But not for long. Now he's the Marathon Man. (Here's his story.) • Got a question, comment, events to publicize or press release? ... Post a note on the Planet Forum Elsewhere on the Web ... Thunderstorms don't only wreak havoc on inline events - i.e., last May's aborted Disney Marathon. ... On Saturday, a violent storm forced race officials to cancel the National Triathlon Championships in Kansas City and then marooned the rental cars of hundreds of athletes in the mud. (From the St. Petersburg, Fla., Times.) Thursday
(Aug. 18, 2005)
Watch ESPN Sunday for Highlights of the St. Paul Marathon - Inline skating will grab a sliver of  the media spotlight this weekend as the ESPN cable sports network broadcasts live from the finish line of the St. Paul Inline Marathon. We talked to ESPN producer Marc Weiner today about the coverage. He filled us in on what to expect. (Here's the Planet story!) (Aug. 18, 2005) Replacement a2a Will Have Everything But a Road Skate - The organizers  of the Athens to Atlanta Road Skate have announced an "alternative program" to replace this year's a2a. The program packs three days of skating and social events into what was supposed to have been the a2a weekend: Oct. 6-8. Included is a Friday night "fun and adventure" skate, a Skate Hash (described as "kind of a treasure hunt on wheels"), a dinner, a barbecue -- and for hard-core a2a skaters, a timed training skate at Stone Mountain. "Choose your own distance," the organizers say while noting that 16 laps of the course will equal the full a2a distance: 87 miles. (Here's the alternative a2a info.) (Aug. 18, 2005) On the Forum:
• Why Newbies Shouldn't Forget Wrist Guards - The first time the publisher of Inline Fitness Magazine (due out next spring) buckled on inline skates, he forgot his wrist guards in the car. Guess what happened on his way back to the car? ... Yep. Kaplooie! (Here's his story.) • Got a question, comment, events to publicize or press release? ... Post a note on the Planet Forum Travel Advisory! ... If you are flying Northwest to St. Paul this weekend, be prepared for a possible strike. The mechanics union has set a strike deadline of 6:01 p.m. (EDT) Friday. (Here's a Seattle Times story with strike travel tips.) Friday
(Aug. 19, 2005)
Skaters Mix It Up With Cyclists in Tour of Tanglewood - The Tour of Tanglewood has a proud 20-year history  as a bicycle event that mixes good times with a good cause (the fight against multiple sclerosis). But the tour is not just for cyclists anymore. Since 1999, it has been joined by a group of skaters as it rolls through the hills of central North Carolina. The tour starts and finishes in Greensboro and overnights at the famous Tanglewood Park in Clemmons. It covers 49 or 66 miles (your choice) on the first day (Saturday, Sept. 24) and 44 miles on the second. Mornings are devoted to the road; the rest of the day to wining and dining. (Here's more about the event. And if you plan on skating, check out Gatorback's fund raising offer.) On the Forum:
• Fresh Green Rookie Pronation! - It sounds like Avi, a new skater, is pronating. ... So what's the cure? (Help Avi skate straight!) • Why 100s and Which Ones to Use When! - Gatorback endorses 100-mm wheels, saying they are more comfortable and "slightly faster." He also opines on when to use which kind (Star Grip, Hyper or Supersonic). (Here's his post.) • The Forerunner 301 Doesn't Fit the St. Gallen One-Eleven - Citybird says his Forerunner 301 works flawlessly. But he wishes it could handle more than 100 kilometers of data. ... Why? Because he skates the St. Gallen 111! (Here's his post.) • Got a question, comment, events to publicize or press release? ... Post a note on the Planet Forum Travel Advisory! ... If you are flying Northwest to St. Paul this weekend, be prepared for a possible strike. The mechanics union has set a strike deadline of 6:01 p.m. (EDT) Friday. (Here's a Seattle Times story with strike travel tips.) | 
