[SkateDC] Enjoy NC spring and inline skating and get some skillsand drills

Wed Mar 14 12:05:05 EDT 2007

I participated in the February Roadshow in Clearwater, FL.  The majority of 
skaters were near or at racing level -- I am an intermediate level skater 
(meaning I can roll forward but am on the verge of GREATER talent...lol).

There aren't enough words in the English language to sufficiently wax poetic 
about the benefits gained by attending this workshop.  Having just returned 
from the Squiggy Inline Classic in Tampa and reunited with fellow Clearwater 
Roadshow grads I believe I can type for them as well.

Eddy Matzger's much celebrated skating prowess is equaled by his ability to 
teach what it is he does so well.  Possessing the talent to do AND teach is 
rare indeed.  In fact, it's rather freakish...but I digress.

At the kick-off dinner Eddy asked all to chime in with introductions and 
individual goals for the weekend.  I thought it to be the standard ice 
breaker moment where most are really more focused on whether or not to order 
dessert.  In retrospect, Eddy on-the-fly was mentally tailoring the lesson 
plan to structure the workshop in a manner that all participants, 
irrespective of level, gained measurable benefit.

I arrived 1.5 levels above needing to learn how to put on skates while the 
other participants who coast on big wheels at 18mph (without brakes) signed 
up to learn the double push and how to shave a tenth of a second off their 
mile-per-minute marathon record.  Even my smart mouth couldn't calm my 
worries about the incongruent levels...so, absent a pint of Ben & Jerry's, I 
just piped down and polished off the bread basket.

By the end of the weekend, the speed demons had learned in minute detail the 
components to the double push...and I learned how to put on skates as well 
as intermittently effect smooth crossovers (leaving the double push for 
another day...the same day I give up my brake?).  To name just a few, 
lessons included balance drills (lots of balance drills), crossovers, double 
push, pacelining, and starting block/finish line techniques.

The drills were challenging for all at each level.  No small feat of 
instruction given that the lessons weren't dumbed-down for the lowest common 
denominator (ummm, me) leaving the skate geniuses bored nor taught in such a 
way as to exclude those desiring to learn components that racers don't 
bother to even think about anymore.  Not sure how Eddy managed to pull out 
the rabbit and bridge the gap but it happened at some point when we weren't 
looking and no doubt laughing about something.

The Roadshow is a powerfully efficient and highly entertaining way to 
ratchet up your skate level by two notches (at the least) no matter where 
you are on the skate ability yardstick.

So, if you have that weekend free and really love skating, SIGN UP.

(For the record, I am not affiliated with Blake's club, nor have I had the 
pleasure of meeting Blake, nor do I live in North Carolina.  I'm just a 
Roadshow grad and spectacularly impressed with the quality of instruction 
not to mention the added benefit of getting to make the acquaintance of 
fellow skaters and lovely human beings.)

Warmly,

katharine

>From: "blake at blakelambert.com" <jblambert at yahoo.com>
>Reply-To: "blake at blakelambert.com" <jblambert at yahoo.com>
>To: skatedc <skatedc at www.skatedc.org>, masf <masf at yahoogroups.com>
>Subject: [SkateDC] Enjoy NC spring and inline skating and get some 
>skillsand drills
>Date: Wed, 14 Mar 2007 06:36:13 -0700 (PDT)
>
>From:
>http://roadskater.net/index.php?q=skate-bunnies-converge-on-greensboro-nc-for-easter-2007
>
>Hi to roadskaters everywhere.
>
>We here in North Carolina need your help with something that might be 
>helpful to you as well.
>
>We are scheduled to have Eddy Matzger here on Easter weekend, April 6-8. 
>Most of you know how great a teacher Eddy is and that it is a great way to 
>kick start (to the side, not back) your inline skating season in the 
>beautiful south's warm springtime glow.
>
>We don't want to take anything away from your club's events, of course, and 
>if Eddy is coming to your town and you can make that date, please do that!
>
>But we need your help making our minimum for the workshop or at least 
>getting enough folk so it's fair to Eddy to drive down from the SkateFarm 
>to hang with us. We're pretty close and feel that we'll make it, but you 
>could help us be sure by signing up for the "RoadShow" inline speed 
>workshop in Greensboro NC April 6-8.
>
>If you would like to be part of a smaller-sized group with a great chance 
>at more personalized attention, early in the season, and maybe even away 
>from all those people who know you watching as you learn, give the 
>Greensboro NC session a shot!
>
>If you need it, we'll try to help you find free floorspace or even a bed, 
>will do our best to help with transport, and anything we can if you let us 
>know ahead of time what you need. Aside from that, Greensboro's hotels are 
>VERY inexpensive (the area near I40 and NC68 is safe and inexpensive, 
>especially at the clean and safe motel6.com), our GSO airport is a 
>dreamland of convenience, and weekend car rates are very low as well. The 
>savings in time and travel make flying into Greensboro the best choice in 
>my opinion, though you can try RDU and Charlotte but could get stuck in 
>some Friday afternoon traffic.
>
>How else are you going to spend 20 hours focusing on skating in one 
>weekend? It's hard to do any other way, and you can't help doing that at 
>Eddy's weekend of skatefulness.
>
>The biggest draw of course is Eddy himself, and his great way of seeing 
>what someone needs and can achieve at a given point, and helping them get 
>there, with a few things to work on for the next year. Many people have 
>increased their speed and endurance greatly after Eddy's workshops, and 
>many others who were not focused so much on speed have kept in touch with 
>their love of skating through these rejuvenating weekends. You don't have 
>to be a speedskater to get lots from the workshop. Eddy works with you in 
>person on your level even as he leads the group in many drills and skills 
>over the weekend.
>
>So come and spend Easter with the skate bunnies down south, and bring your 
>family along to enjoy the warm blossoming of North Carolina in the 
>springtime. While you're skating, your family can enjoy great golf courses, 
>plenty of shopping with less traffic, High Point furniture outlet stores, 
>the Guilford Battleground National Military Park historic site, old-style 
>Country Park without the ping of aluminum bats, the North Carolina Zoo in 
>Asheboro, Old Salem in Winston-Salem, and lots more quiet fun with sweet 
>tea and sunshine.
>
>If there's anything I can do to help you decide to do this, please let me 
>know! For more info on the RoadShow, please see:
>http://skatecentral.com/page32.html
>
>To see Eddy's schedule, please see:
>http://skatecentral.com/page84.html
>
>To register or for info on costs, please see:
>http://skatecentral.com/page20.html
>
>Here's a tip. Join as a member of the Roadskater.net team (or get together 
>a group of your own) to receive a discount if we have enough on the team 
>there (we should). Email me for details about joining our team. It's free 
>and the goal is simply to skate for charity and to represent your sport 
>with skateylove.
>
>Skateylove,
>Blake
>_______________________________________________
>SkateDC mailing list
>SkateDC at www.skatedc.org
>http://lig.net/mailman/listinfo/skatedc

_________________________________________________________________
Find what you need at prices you’ll love. Compare products and save at MSN® 
Shopping. 
http://shopping.msn.com/default/shp/?ptnrid=37,ptnrdata=24102&tcode=T001MSN20A0701