There were stops all along the way and we stopped again for a quick pee and coffee and refill the water where we caught up with Quentin and LS Mike. The mountain at the end was the most incredible challenge ever (Bitchy Beaken I think its called??) I just kept going, up and up and up and up and up and up, one step at a time, keep going, keep going, up and up and up and up, people were dropping off like flies and I just kept going, it was an incredible challenge and stopping was just not an option. On the top I felt sooo good about myself. I knew it was all mental, and I realised that I hadn’t had one single negative thought during the whole trip from London and that I was ON TOP OF THE WORLD AND THE REST WAS ALL DOWNHILL.

Read it a bit like a metaphor for life I guess.

Bumped into Mike and Quentin again on the top and chilled with them For a while. The down hill down into Brighton I guess really separated the men from the boys and the girls from the … At first it’s really sweet and nothing and then all of a sudden its this massive drop! Aaaaaaaaargh - thank god for heel breaks! :0)

What was really great about the whole day was that all the way I stayed within my limits and made progress at a comfortable and enjoyable pace. We kept pace by being able to have a conversation at the same time (except for up hill of course) and that really made sense and we still completed it in 5 hours 40 minutes!

Compared to what seems to have been an average of 7 hours for most skaters I feel great about my time. And I have the feeling now that if I can skate from London to Brighton I can do anything! My next challenge, if I get permission, is London to Paris for the British Lung Foundation.

Many people enjoy walking and cycling holiday vacations. Why not skating?

Guided by qualified skate instructors we will roll between 20-40 km per day along smooth paths. Pittstops will help to break up the routes giving you the opportunity stop a take your skates off and finish after the distance that suits you.

Opportunities will present themselves for bathing in lakes or lakeside swimming pools and to stop for refreshments by the waterside. You may need it. Average temperatures will likely rise to 30c at this time of year.

Switzerland’s lush climate makes it very green all year round. Some follow railways, canals or the perimeter of the lake passing through lush green meadows, woods and farmland to every now and then reappear near to bathing venues or lakeside cafes.

We will also travel along the banks of the Rhine in the Rhine valley where the magnificent Swiss Alps will be visible on either side.
We will stay in a beautiful and typical hotel in a natural surrounding environment in the lakeside town of Rorschach. Rorschach is on Lake Bodensee.

We will visit typically European towns and villages in the area for shopping or sightseeing trips – or just more skating if you prefer?

Interested? Find out more at Skate Escape

I confess we were all quite tired by Saturday evening when we retired to the library of the ‘Vic’ (our  famous skater-friendly pub) to do the theory test – despite the familiar and convivial surroundings this for me was the least happy period of the course! However the real moment of truth arrived on Sunday morning when we were each examined in turn whilst giving a group lesson to our fellow students. Our skating skills were tested in the afternoon. The atmosphere remained fun, friendly and mutually supportive throughout, which helped us all to perform at our best. Retiring once more to the Vic, we eventually received our results – all had passed, but it was certainly not a ‘walk-over’ or even a ’skate-over’! Now I am looking forward to passing on basic skating skills to beginners to foster the recreational and sporting activity which we all love…

Alastair Johnston

Adult classes now run in either Hyde Park or East London (Canada Water)

We would like to encourage you to continue in your class and pay for only the remaining hours so you get the maximum benefit. Often people are only starting to ‘get it’ after an hour of class time.

If you choose to attend the Half Day Beginner class, 12-1pm is your free hour. If you wish to stay on from 1-4pm the rest of the class will cost £40. You can pay this to your instructor on the day if you decide you would like to continue. Full details of the Half Day beginner classes to be found here: half day intensive in hyde park

If you choose the 3 week Skateschool course, the first hour of any week1 session is yours for the taking. If you wish to stay on to complete the first week’s 2 hour session this will cost £10. If you wish to continue for the rest of the course (and come back the following 2 weeks) this will be charged at a further £40. Full course dates and information here: 3 week skateschool in hyde park
Whichever option you choose, you need to book in advance so we know you are coming and we will send you your instructor’s contact details and exact Hyde Park location. Please include your phone number when booking.

Children’s Skate Purchases
If you have purchased a pair of childrens skates from Decathlon you are entitled to the
following 2 deals.
- 50% off your first individual class (eg half term classes). These classes cost £10
for 1hr 15mins so you will pay £5 for the first class. Or;
- £10 off our Kids 3 week Courses (total price £45, you pay £35).
Check the Kids Club page for upcoming classes and course dates.

You will need your Decathlon receipt as proof of purchase. Please make sure you bring it with you. You will also need to have protective gear (minimum knees and wrist guards). You do not need to decide if you wish to continue with any class until the time comes to leave. Then you will be invited to stay on and you can decide then and pay your instructor accordingly.

I look forward to your booking choice and getting you rolling soon.

Send an email to Asha@skatefresh.com with your booking.

You know that Spring has well and truly started when the legendary LondonSkate street skate kicks off every April, this year on Wednesday 18^th at 8pm, from the band stand on Serpentine Road in Hyde Park.

This Wednesday Night skate is in its 7^th year of operation (hence the legendary status) and Skatefresh has always had strong connections with this fantastic free event. In the early days Skatefresh used to provide free beginner inline skating lessons and then later we ran our ‘Introduction to Street skating’ course alongside the skate, helping countless wannabes get to grips with the basics of street skating before going on the adventure for real.

This year Skatefresh wishes the LondonSkate every success and we continue to promote and advertise this fun, energy filled, mass rolling movement.

We have moved our street skating class to the more beginner friendly ‘Sunday Stroll’, providing ‘Intro to Stroll’ workshops every 1^st and 3^rd Sunday of the month (2-4pm starting 1^st April and running indefinitely)

Wednesday night’s LondonSkate rolls on with zupped up music bike, great party tunes and beautiful London routes (different every week) to make you boogie and sing out loud as you skate through London.

Intro to Stroll would be great preparation for anyone wanting to participate in any mass street skate, in London or anywhere else in the world.

When asked “What do you do?” the most common reaction to my answer of “rollerblading instructor” is, “Wow, what a cool job”. I do feel very fortunate to have a job that involves spending time with people who are in their free time and enjoying themselves, being outdoors and getting exercise while being ‘at work’. There are some down sides of course like any job (such as a dip in weekend socialising activities and croaky voice) but the balance remains in my favour.

It is with this attitude that I enjoy initiating good skaters to the instructor process in my role as ICP (Inline Certification Programme) UK Director and Examiner. I also enjoy dispelling some of the assumptions about being a skate instructor (mainly that its ‘easy’, involves nothing more than heel braking a lot and is a doddle to pass).

The next ICP Level 1 course will be taking place in London from 20^th-22^nd April with candidates coming from Pakistan, Spain and Portugal to join a host of UK based inline skaters. The group dynamics on a course are always interesting as much work is done in small groups of 2-4 people and candidates learn by teaching each other. This leads to quickly forming friendships and a huge sense of fun within the stress of getting it right and learning properly.

Many different kinds of skaters decide they want to give rollerblading lessons. Have you been teaching your mates for years on an ad hoc basis? Do you want to earn money doing what you love? Do you think this might look god on your CV? Some want to get back to basics to help them progress with their own skating.

Regardless of their motives, all ICP Level 1 candidates share a love of inline skating and a desire to get more people involved. No one is sure what to expect which is why the preparation session a month before was devised, where candidates are shown the required skating skills and the specific level of execution needed to pass the course.

Becoming an ICP certified instructor involves a 2.5 day course plus a 2 hour skating skills session a month beforehand. Most skaters who have been through the process will admit to it being an intensive and demanding challenge, but ultimately a rewarding process.

The course focuses on giving candidates a thorough understanding of the teaching model which allows for lesson planning and a coverage of all essential learning aspects, such as accurate demonstration of skills, breaking up of skills into 3 easy parts, sequencing for easier progressions, monitoring and adjusting students mistakes and providing a summary at the end.

The examination process involves 3 parts, a written theory paper of short answer questions, a skating skills test and a 15 minute taught inline skate lesson.

Many good skaters are surprised at the difficulty they encounter in trying to skate the ‘easy’ beginner skills to ICP specification. This is because ICP believes that a good demo of a skill provides a new learner with a lot of useful information, while a sloppy demo doesn’t help someone learn. This can cause problems when skills are expected to be perfectly demoed on each side (or on each leg) where appropriate. Here, even advanced and experienced skaters come to see their ‘bad side’ as a real weakness and an area of focus. It is surprising how many candidates have trouble with their Stride 2 and Spin stops due to unequal proficiency on different legs. Even instructors have a weak side, but it shouldn’t be visible in a demo!

I look forward to reporting on the progress of this years candidates and welcoming more skaters into my world of being an inline skating instructor, and earning money doing what you love.

Asha Kirkby
ICP Level 3
Skatefresh Manager
ICP UK Director

Their love of inline skating grew as they fell in love with each other and they became Serpentine Road regulars, setting up their own slalom cups (in the days when there was only one set this was quite radical and the start of a spreading trend).

When they finally got engaged, they planned a summer wedding with skates featuring heavily in the proceedings. This YouTube link shows you the fairytale scene of them skating from the church in their first ‘glides’ as husband and wife.

YouTube Video

”People need to know how wonderful inline skating is and how it can change your life - literally!” Mike Rivers

So, what are you waiting for? If you are single, are looking for a way to keep fit and enjoy life more, start inline skating today and join a Skatefresh beginner half day class or 3 week course, and wait to see who you get paired up with for your scooting exercise….

A little apprehensive of my level at first, I was a SpeedCamp virgin. Other participants were well initiated in the world of racing on skates. I was relieved though to find that skaters were at varying levels.

The skating in Mallorca in 2006 was unbeatable. Smooth tarmac and quiet roads. We went on some lovely skates - mainly through fields and open grassland, sometimes coming out by the sea.

Residence was in the friendly Ivory Playa in Porte d’Alcudia which is right on the beach and has a bar and pool to chill out by too. This is important if you’ve been taking your skating seriously. But how serious you are is up to you. I deliberately tested myself by trying to keep up with some of the faster guys (phew).

The itinerary was mostly drills and instruction in speed technique in the mornings. If you’d not done much speed work before, then recovery, D-shapes, pulling, pushing, double pushing, gliding, set down, falling…..the wealth of jargon and schools of thought attached to ‘Technique’ becomes your own language very quickly. Barry who is an expert in sports science and has a way of explaining the bio mechanics of it all in a digestible format according to your level.

The afternoons we’d go off on a leisure skate or do some filming for video analysis later on. Watching ourselves in a video review proved an extremely useful tool for learning. Barry encouraged us to pick out and analyse aspects of both our own and each others skating so that we become more aware of how we skate and what we can improve.

Since SpeedCamp Mallorca (link), I have vastly improved my speed. This is not fitness related but due to learning the how to get the most out of my stride. I am constantly aware of what my body is doing when I skate (and I also watch others closely to see what they can improve on too).

A month later I pulled off my very best inline marathon time and held my teams’ best average lap times at the Le Mans 24 hours race (link).

Many people have returned year on year as this kind of lifestyle holiday can be highly addictive.

Further info:
Linda@skatefresh.com
Tel: 07906 449 437
Website:
http://www.speedcamp.ca/mallorca_2007.shtml
Or email Barry direct on:
Barry@breakawayskate.com mentioning the skatefresh website.

Some of us know Dave personally as he’s part of the slalom skateboard crew who use the Beach end of Serpentine Road. Now that he has returned to UK that he is going to have an inline skate lesson to see how 8 wheels feel compared to 4 and a plank of wood. Watch this space for that report.

He only changed wheels 5 times during the 5 months but wore out 14 pairs of shoes! Like rollerblading, skateboarding uphill can be very tiring and Dave said these were some of his low points during the skate. But the constant support throughout the trip by local inline skaters, boarders, cyclists and pedestrians were his constant highlights.

Dave was interviewed by Richard and Judy on Friday 16th February (5pm) in his first TV interview since returning to the UK. Please help support Dave’s tremendous efforts and donate what you can to his chosen charities. We at Skatefresh look forward to welcoming him back to Serpentine Road and into some inline skate classes. You’ll know who he is, he’s the guy with one calf bigger than the other!

Check out Dave’s website for TV reports, personal blogs and diaries and fantastic footage from his epic journey. What are you going to do when you are tired of your job? Board Free