Planet News Archive Week of Nov. 13, 2005 Sunday
(Nov. 13, 2005)
Nelson, Rookard win the Silver Strand - The Bont North American  racing team grabbed the top two spots in both the men's and women's divisions of today's Silver Strand Half Marathon in San Diego, Calif. Jilleanne Rookard and Stacey (Eldridge) Smith finished first and second among the women. Jordan Nelson and Norm Kirby finished first and second among the men. Brian Talley finished third. (Here's the official results.) A pack of 10 to 15 skaters (including Rookard and Smith) led for most of the race before Nelson and Kirby pulled away for the victory. (Go to Planet racing news) (Nov. 13, 2005) Monday
(Nov. 14, 2005)
Skaters United Shall Never be Defeated - The head of the  California Outdoor Rollerskating Association says skate clubs and teams should form an umbrella group to spearhead efforts to rekindle inline skating in North America. (Go to the Planet story.) (Nov. 14, 2005) Hedrick Smashes World Ice Record ... Likes to Hoist a Few - Inline-to-ice champ Chad Hedrick  maintained a sizzling average speed of 30.3 mph on Sunday to smash the world record for 5000 meters on ice. Skating on the Olympic Oval in Calgary, Hedrick posted a time of 6 minutes and 9.68 seconds. The time slashed nearly five seconds off the old mark of 6:14.66 set by Jochem Uytdehaage at the 2002 Olympics. ... Now here's the crazy part: Hedrick's coach says he comes to practice drunk "every now and then," but still "does his practice harder than anybody else." (Go to the story in the Toronto Star.) (Nov. 14, 2005) Software Engineer Wins Final Race of Downhill Series - Dave Lambert of  Castro Valley, Calif., won the final race of the California Downhill Series in San Dimas. The software engineer drafted part way down the steep racecourse Saturday before passing to take the win. ... Finishing in second was Tim Huber of Southern California. Mark Henley of Redwood City edged out Scott Peer at the finish line to take third. Nevertheless, Peer finished the 6-event race series in first place. (Go to Henley's race report.) (Nov. 14, 2005) On the Forum
Skaters Give Silver Strand Thumbs Up - Despite problems at the finish line (including apparent confusion over the order of finish), skaters are heaping praise on Sunday's Silver Strand Half Marathon. (Go to the discussion.) Tuesday
(Nov. 15, 2005)
The 2005 Silver Strand Half Marathon in Words and Pics - Did you miss  last weekend's Silver Strand Half Marathon in San Diego? Don't despair. There's always next year. And in the meantime, take a look at these photos by Ken Cleaver and Larry Quimby. Larry not only let the Planet post one of his photos, but he sent us his race report to go along with it. (Go to the first photo.) (Nov. 15, 2005) USA Today Picks Hedrick as Athlete of the Week Again -  The nation's favorite airport reading is heaping praise on the Chad-meister ... and inline skating in general! "It's a familiar story by now," the paper says. "Inline skater wins a bunch of world titles, switches to the ice in hopes of Olympic glory and wins. And wins. And wins." ... It's the third time the paper has selected Hedrick as its Athlete of the Week. (Go to USA Today story.) (Nov. 15, 2005) On the Forum
Should the Rebel Alliance Be Formed? - D. Miles Jr.'s plan for the creation of a skaters alliance has gotten the wheel rolling. But it's going to take more than a plan to reboot the skate world. It's going to take all of us working together. ... So how about it ... can you give David a hand? He wants to know what you think of his plan. (Post your note here!) Wednesday
(Nov. 16, 2005)
Carpet Training to Cure the Wobblies - If learning to  skate seems just too hard, start your career with a little carpet blading, suggests Get Rolling author Liz Miller. Begin with the basics, like standing in the ready position and practicing falling. Then move on to the basic positions for braking and turning. Once your body learns the moves, it will be easier to perform them on pavement while rolling. (Go to Liz's tutorial in the Orbit.) (Nov. 16, 2005) On the Forum
If Cyclists Can Do It, Why Can't We? - Cyclists know how to take care of their interests. They have a national umbrella group that gives them high-octane political juice. ... So why shouldn't us skaters have a group of our own? ... No reason. So let's get rolling! (Go to Planet editorial.) Braking Without A Brake - Skaters have devised lots of ways to stop (or at least, slow down) without the use of a heel brake. Fast Eddy Wachter depends on a modified T-stop. (Here's how he does it.) Thursday
(Nov. 17, 2005)
Growing Pains for the World Inline Cup ... A Second Team Drops Out  - The World Inline Cup has been one of the bright spots in the inline fabric in recent years. The growth of the race series has cheered skaters and surprised skeptics. But ironically, the growth is proving a challenge for team sponsors, who are finding it tough to keep up with rising costs. (Go to the Planet story.) (Nov. 17, 2005) On the Forum
Whole Lot a Thinking Goin' On - Skaters are talking about D. Miles' proposal for a national skaters alliance. One posted a list of possible membership perks. Another expressed doubts about skaters agreeing on anything. Still another talks about the difficulty of organizing "an inherently dangerous" sport. (Read the discussion.) Friday
(Nov. 18, 2005)
Brittany Bowe To Keep Skating as She Pursues College Hoop Dream - The world's top junior  woman skater has accepted a scholarship to play basketball next year at Florida Southern College. Brittany Bowe said she chose the college in part due to its willingness to accommodate her plans to continuing skating. (Go to the Planet storylet.) Canadian Ski Team Will Lace Up Rollerblades When the Snow Melts - To promote the  cross-training benefits of inline skating, Rollerblade plans to supply high-end fitness skates to more than 40 members of Canada's National Alpine Ski Team. Team members will each get a pair of Lightning TF skates, which are equipped with four 100mm or five 84mm wheels. ... Off-season training is important for the ski team. Team members spent three months this year in "intense dry-land training" before heading to Chile to hit the slopes, according to a team press release. "Inline skating is a great aerobic work out, which works the leg muscles for long periods of time with less than half the impact to joints than running," the press release says. (Go to sponsorship announcement.) Saturday
(Nov. 19, 2005)
Hedrick Sets Another World Ice Record - A week ago, inline- to-ice champ Chad Hedrick slashed four seconds off the world record for 5000 meters. Yesterday, he sliced a half second off the 1500 meter mark — and in the process beat his rival, reigning Allround World Champ Shani Davis. ... Hedrick's time was 1 minute and 42.78 seconds, 1.5 seconds faster than his previous best. The record came on the first day of the Fall World Cup 2 at the Utah Olympic Oval. ... Davis posted a time of 1:43.41 to finish second. He was the previous world record holder. (Go to Houston Chronicle story.) (Nov. 19, 2005) Elsewhere on the Web
Saturday Night Skate Rolls In Malaysia - They're skating in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. In fact, they've got their own Saturday Night Skate. (Read the story in the Malaysia Star.) | 
