UrbanSkaters – Inline Skating Blog

I’m swapping my inline skates for a pair of Trainers next month.  On July 12th I’ll be taking part in The British 10k London Run.  I’ll be running on behalf of The Transplant Trust, a charity dedicated to raising awareness and educating the public about organ tissue donation for transplantation.  They also carry out research into all aspects of donation and transplantation, in order to improve outcomes and quality of life.

Please help me to raise £1,000 for this amazing charity via our Just Giving page here.

I’ve put together a list of inline skate shops in Paris, France. Click the shop name below, or a marker on the larger map to view contact details. If you know of any shops that aren’t listed, please use the comment form to leave me your recommendations.

Hawaii Surf | Nomades | Llios | Sport West

Show larger map.

Let me know if I’ve missed any shops out and I’ll add them to the list.

It’s a scientifically proven fact that the mind doesn’t know the difference between what’s real and what’s simply being imagined. Athletes use visualisation to improve their performance all the time. Lewis Hamilton had been using visualisation before winning the F1 Canadian Grand Prix. Even before he’d set foot on the track, he had already run the race perfectly in his mind 100’s of times.  If this sounds too simple, then that’s because it really is!

When you truly immerse yourself in visualisation, your mind begins to create the same neural pathways and chemical responses, exactly as it would if you were doing it for real. More interestingly is that the part of the brain responsible for muscle movement also gets activated, resulting in noticeable muscle improvement to. Imagine being able to improve your skating technique, without even putting on your inline skates.

Read more…

For the past few years there has been a growing interest in Roller Discos around the UK, a trend which has almost literally come back from the grave. Roller discos were pretty huge around the world throughout the late seventies and most of the eighties. Nearly every leisure centre and roller rink across the UK would attract large numbers of people on a regular basis to skate around to the music of the day and get hot and sweaty along the way.

The majority of the roller discos now available in the UK take place in nightclubs and are aimed primarily at the over-18’s who are reminiscing on their youthful exploits on 8 wheels. However, what started as a retro skate revival is now taking off in a big way that is not just a gimmicky night out. People up and down the UK are finding that roller discos are a great way to have fun, express themselves, have a cheap night out and get fit all at the same time. As soon as you strap those roller-skates (yes, as in the old-fashioned wheel-at-each-corner variety) to your feet, you’ll forget about the so called “credit crunch” and all the other worldly weights on your shoulders. The music will flow and within minutes of taking to the rink you will be asking yourself where roller disco has been hiding all these years! The vast majority of roller discos now found in nightclubs around the country will have well trained roller-marshals on duty to help you find your feet, but don’t worry about the odd bump- it can be a great way to “meet” that foxy lady you’ve had your eye on all night.

Read more…

Once a year Camberley Skaters organise a Roller Marathon to raise money for charity. The event takes place at the Goodwood Motor Circuit and is open to all skaters, skateboarders and other non powered, small wheeled users. No bikes I’m afraid!

The video below shows you just how much fun Goodwood Roller Marathon is.
The video was filmed in August 2008.

There are four race lengths to enter ranging from 2,5,11 and 22 laps. The two lap race is roughly 4.84 miles long (7.74 Kilometers) while the 22 lap race is a staggering 53.24 miles long (85.68 Kilometers). Most intermediate to advanced skaters enter the 11 lap race, which is 26.62 miles long (42.84 Kilometers). First timers might want to stick with 2 laps

For more information and registration details, visit goodwoodmarathon.co.uk