Planet News Archive Week of Oct 2, 2005 Monday
(Oct. 3, 2005)
Fila Says World Cup Didn't Provide Enough Visibility - Fila has released  an official statement explaining its reasons for taking a "vacation" from the World Inline Cup. It says the World Cup's "structure and organization" didn't provide enough visibility, making it difficult to attract co-sponors. (Go to Fila's statement.) (Oct. 3, 2005) Grow Inline Speed Posts Comprehensive Race Calendar - The  Grow Inline Speed web site has gotten off to a fast start with its new inline speed skating calendar. In all, the calendar lists about 70 races and training seminars. For October alone, it lists 13 events. Included are both indoor and outdoor races and links, when available, to more information. ... It's easily the most comprehensive race calendar on the web. (Go to Grow Inline Speed's calendar.) (Oct. 3, 2005) Elsewhere on the Web ... Colorado Skaters Raise Money for Hurricane Victims - The owners of the Skate Castle  roller rink in Loveland, Colo., wanted to do something to help the victims of the storm-ravaged Gulf Coast. So they hosted a skate-a-thon. Rather than charging admission Sunday afternoon, they asked for donations for hurricane relief. (Read the story at the Reporter-Herald web site.) Tuesday
(Oct. 4, 2005)
Rollerblade To Introduce Twister to U.S. Market - Rollerblade  has gotten serious about its Twister freestyle skate. Gone are the playful color schemes of 2005. Replacing them is an elegant black-and-white design that would make Fred Astaire's head turn. ... And it won't just be available in Europe. Rollerblade is bringing the Twister to the States. (Go to the Planet story!) (Oct. 4, 2005) Fila Manager Says World Cup Should Do More To Promote Itself - Fila's skate manager Claudio  Balconi says the organizers of the World Inline Cup should do more to spread the word about the race series. As it stands, he points out, few people outside of Switzerland have ever heard of it. ... Balconi made the comments in response to the Planet's request for more information about Fila's decision to leave the World Cup. (Go here to read Balconi's statement.) (Oct. 4, 2005) Elsewhere on the Web ... Winning Trophies, Dodging Police - Ocala, Fla., isn't  only home to several of the best speed skaters in the United States (Joey Mantia, Brittany Bowe and Emily Scott), it's also grind central for David Sizemore, the U.S. amateur aggressive skate champ. (Read a story about him at Ocala.com) Wednesday
(Oct. 5, 2005)
Modest Drop in Skate Sales Noted for 2004 - Sales of  inline skates dropped modestly in 2004 but appeared to be leveling off after years of steep declines, according to SGMA International. Wholesale sales were about $100 million last year in the United States, the trade organization said. By comparison, the monster sporting goods industry grew slightly. (Go to the Planet story.) (Oct. 5, 2005) Godfather Schedules Late Season 50 K in Calif., Sets Date for Napa Marathon - D. Miles Jr. has  added a late season event to the California skate calendar: a 50 K race in San Mateo on Sunday, Oct. 30 (the day before Halloween). The race will be on a closed portion of Canada Road at the Crystal Springs Reservoir. No starting time has been announced. But Miles, the self-appointed Godfather of Skating, usually starts Canada Road races at 9:15 a.m. ... Miles has also announced a date for next year's Napa Valley Inline Marathon: June 11. ... Get your wine glasses ready! (Read more event news from the Planet.) (Oct. 5, 2005) Grinders Peel Off Protective Gear (and Then Some) for London Tabloid - The Sun has hit upon a unique  strategy for getting young women to disrobe for its cameras: "Take off your knickers, and we'll publicize your event." ... Its latest photo story, titled "Get your skates on," features five top aggressive skaters, including Jenna Downing (above) and Fabiola da Silva, getting their clothes off. The feature serves as an advance for the LG Action Sports World Championships (Oct. 21-23) in London. (Go to the Sun. Caution: includes several semi-nude photos.) (Oct. 5, 2005) On the Forum:
What About the Women? - Tahiti Girl wonders why Rollerblade doesn't plan a women's-specific model of its smart-looking Twister II Pro? (Respond in the Forum.) Thursday
(Oct. 6, 2005)
Satori on the Outlaw a2a: One Woman's Story - For many of its fans, the  Athens to Atlanta Road Skate is much more than an ultra-marathon: it's an 87-mile celebration of roller freedom. So when the a2a was canceled this year, diehard fans barely carved a turn before announcing an outlaw a2a, which would follow the same route but without the benefit of police controlling traffic. The non-event was Sunday. It drew a handful of diehards (including eight-time a2a champ Eddy Matzger) ... and rolling along with the skaters, apparently, was that old a2a magic. (Here's a report by outlaw skater Elizabeth Bailey.) (Oct. 6, 2005) Elsewhere on the Web ... Building on the Aggressive Core - Aggressive inline skaters talk about their outcast status, their fall from the X Games and their deepening roots. "Things are coming around slowly but surely," says the publisher of the Daily Bread skate magazine. "We're growing up." (Go to the story from the San Diego Union.) Friday
(Oct. 7, 2005)
Darlene Prois Photos of the Napa Marathon - Better late  than never, they say. ... Professional photographer Darlene Prois sent the Planet a batch of beautiful shots of August's Napa Valley Inline Marathon. We've been too busy trying to keep up with current events to post them ... until now. (Go to Darlene Prois' photos of the Napa Marathon.) (Oct. 7, 2005) 10,000 Attend Opening of Shanghai Skate Park - A crowd of 10,000 gathered in Shanghai, China, yesterday for the opening of what the city says is the world's largest skate park. On hand to entertain the crowd were 40 extreme sports stars, including aggressive skaters Eito and Takeshi Yasutoko from Japan. The skate park is a 12,000-square-meter complex of bowls, banks and rails. It cost $12.35 million to build. The company licensed to manage it plans to use it to host international extreme sports competitions. (Go to brief story from the Shanghai Daily.) (Oct. 7, 2005) On the Forum:
Thumbs Down on the Salomon Pilot 9 Pro 2 - Greazer notes some design problems with Salomon's hi-lo 90mm fitness skate. ... And then there's the wheels that make you feel like you are "skating through bubblegum!" (Read his post.) Saturday
(Oct. 8, 2005)
On the Forum:
Which 90mm Wheels Are Best? - Smoo is wondering which 90mm wheels to buy when it comes time to replace the ones on his VO2 Max skates. ... Do you have any suggestions? (Post them here.) | 
