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Let’s face it, inline skating is an activity that makes you sweat. And while there have been many advances in equipment design to help keep padding ventilated and fresh, skating pads are going to start smelling of sweat at some point. You can keep your gear smelling fresher, longer, with these tried and true methods.

Give ‘Em Some Air

Whether you are taking a quick trip around the block or a mini-marathon skate, your protective gear is going to be saturated with sweat when you’re finished. Like other items, it isn’t a good idea to put your protective gear away while it is still wet. If you do, this will cause the growth of bacteria and as a result, create that horrible stench. When you get finished skating let your gear sit out for an hour and dry before putting it away. For additional freshness, throw a dryer sheet in your bag after you pack your equipment away.

Spray ‘Em Down

Another method is to spray your gear with a disinfectant spray. A quick shot of Lysol or a similar product can help to kill bacteria that form from wet pads. We do not recommend household cleaners like Fantastic or Simple Green as this may damage your equipment more than help it and they can also irritate the skin quickly. Try quick sprits of Lysol or Febreeze but understand that even a heavy use of these products can irritate eventually. If you have sensitive skin, try spraying the products to help freshen the smell, then rinse and dry the pads.

Give ‘Em a Wash

If you just want to skip the other methods described here, give your pads a quick wash through the washing machine with this neat little trick. Add 1/4 cup of distilled vinegar and a 1/8 cup of detergent to a wash load before the cycle starts. If possible, let the pads soak for 10 minutes prior to the cycle. Run the cycle and then put the pads out in the sun to dry or in the dryer for 15 minutes. Strong smells will be dissolved after a good washing using this method.

If you are interested in learning how to skate, are already skating and want to improve on your abilities, or you are interested in getting your child into skating, inline skating lessons are a great choice. Almost every major city has skating centers that offer classes that will help with skating technique and skater progression. Classes are typically available by age range, so you can certainly find something suitable for you or your child. Additionally, you can find the classes closest to you by searching for skating centers and classes in your area via the Internet. Here are a few links to help you get started, but understand that the Internet is filled with many sites to help you find instructors and classes.

http://www.skatelog.com/countries/us/inline-skating-instructors.htm

http://inlinenow.com/campsClassesLessons.htm

http://www.craigslist.com

If you’re a bit curious about the last listing, you should know that Craigslist.com is a great way to locate personal skating instructors at very affordable prices. Also, if you are an instructor who is looking for additional skating students, this is a great way to find them, as well as simply offer your services.

What to expect from an inline skating lesson?

Based on our experiences, a skating lesson is most effective only after you have spent time skating on your own. The reason for this is that when you skate on your own, you develop your own skating tendencies. When you begin your skating lessons, you will begin to learn the proper techniques and you will have something to compare your initial tendencies to. If you aren’t willing to lace up your skates and take a few spills before your lessons, you will not gain as much from your lessons. After you have made a solid attempt to learn to inline skate on your own, sign up for a lesson and start improving your abilities.

As far as how a skating less is administered, that is up to the instructor. Each instructor will handle lessons differently, but the concepts and techniques should be quite similar. The concepts and techniques, while similar, will also depend on the skill level you have. If you are a beginner, you will be instructed on beginner techniques. If you are at an intermediate level, you will learn some different techniques. And so on.

If you are going to your first lesson, you will want to make sure you show up a bit early to make sure you get your skates on comfortably, and that you can warm up to get the most out of your time with the instructor. At the start of you lesson, inform the instructor of the areas you would like to work on. If you want to work on balance, stopping, turning, or speed, let your instructor know in advance so they can focus on those areas when working with you.

During your lesson, you can expect to participate in a variety of drills, each designed to focus on many areas of your skating technique. Cone drills will be the most common because instructors can focus on speed, control, balance, turning, and agility. One the many benefits to cone drills is that they are easy to replicate on your own. Therefore, it is easier to practice on days when you do not have lessons.

Your instructor should be an expert on form and technique. Their expertise in these two primary areas should help your with skating faster and with more control. Your instructor should always teach proper form and help you become aware of correct and incorrect tendencies. This way you can begin correcting and analyzing yourself on your mistakes. Once you understand the proper execution of a maneuver, you will know how to fix any bad habits when you are working on your skating technique without your instructor.

For those who are not interested in skating lessons, but prefer the good ol’ fashion do-it-yourself techniques, you can find an abundance of information through skating sites and online skating forums. You can also find instructional videos in stores or possibly online through sites like YouTube.com. Finally, skate with friends because you can learn from one another by sharing information, this is not only helpful, but it’s fun too.

One of the great things about inline skating is that it is an activity that can be enjoyed by the entire family. And let’s just face it, today’s world moves very fast, and sometimes the time you have to spend with your family just seems like it is too little. Inline skating is the perfect choice to get your family together and spend some quality time.

If members of your family are a bit hesitant or skeptical about how much fun they can have, here are a few things to help you get them excited to pick up the sport.

First, learning to skate is easy to learn and you can skate almost anywhere. It is a low impact activity that helps increase flexibility, reduces stress on joints, and allows you to keep active.

Second, it can be fun for the whole family, and be more than just people skating. One of the great things you can do with inline skating is be creative and devise some games to play. Of course you can also take classic games such as tag, hide-and-go-seek, and basketball and adapt them to inline skating. Aside from these classic games, you can also play some others. We have provided a few below that you may like.

-          Beginner Games –

Koosh Ball Scoop: For this game you will need some Koosh balls, or other easy to grab, non-rolling targets. To play, scatter the Koosh balls around the area you plan on playing. Once they all have been scattered, skaters will skate around trying to pick them up, placing them in their or their team’s respective bin. The person/team who gathers the most wins.

Red Light! Green Light!: Another classic game turned into loads of skating fun. This game is perfect for helping beginner skaters with the critical skill of stopping. All players line up side-by-side at one of a skating area while a “cop” call out commands of Red, Yellow, or Green light. On green light, all skaters move forward. On yellow light, skaters glide/coast in preparation to stop. At red lights, all skaters come to complete stop. Any person who violates must start over.

-          Intermediate Games –

RoadRunner vs. Coyote: Begin by drawing a chalk line on the pavement where you are skating. This line will represent the “edge of a cliff”. Skaters will take turns skating as fast as they possibly can towards the “cliff”. As they make their approach a whistle is to be blown, indicating the skater to stop. If they can do so before going off the “cliff,” they are considered the RoadRunner. If not, they are a Coyote. As skaters get better at stopping before the “cliff,” wait longer before blowing it.

Skating Waiter Relay: Many skaters have difficulty keeping their upper body erect and their arms under control when skating. This retro-themed relay race will help remedy that problem. Divide skaters into teams, giving each team a tray and a water bottle to balance on top of it. A whistle signifies the beginning of the relay and each team member must skate to a cone and back without dropping the bottle. They must then hand the tray and bottle to the next teammate. The race ends when all team members of one team cross the finish line.

-          Expert Games –

Cone Slalom: Using a cone of any sort (plastic bottle filled with sand, milk jug, Frisbee, etc.) invent a course to skate through. Skaters must maneuver through the course without knocking over any cones in the fastest time.

As inline skating has grown in popularity over the years, so too have the number of organized events that are available for you to participate in. Whether a marathon, a competition, or even a festival, the number of skating events that occur each year across the world continues to grow.

A large number of events occur each year for aggressive skaters, who have taken inline skating to new heights with dazzling tricks and jumps. Aggressive skaters compete in two types of competitions, Vert and Street. Vert competitions make use of a halfpipe in which skaters will propel themselves in the air while performing a combination of tricks, spins, grabs, and grinds. Street competitions are different in the sense that they do not use a halfpipe, but instead use a variety of boxes, slopes, and rails for the skater to perform similar maneuvers (see image to right).

In addition to aggressive skating events, there are also numerous events that take place annually across the United States and Canada. If you know in advance when an event is taking place it is an excellent way to plan a quick weekend trip or vacation. Unless of course the event is in your area, then you can just make plans to participate in it.

Information on inline skating events can be found in many different ways including: newspapers, magazines, word of mouth from other skaters, and of course the Internet. The Internet is a great tool to use to find new events and gather information for an event you are considering attending. To help you get started finding events, here is a list of events that take place annually. For more information on a specific event, click on the links provided below: 

Chicagoland Inline Marathon

Chicago Metropolitan Area, IL

Skate Boston

Boston, MA

Saint Paul Inline Marathon

Saint Paul, MN

Big Apple Roll

New York, NY

North of the 49 Marathon

Winnipeg, MB, Canada

3 River Roll

Pittsburgh, PA

24hrs Inline Montreal

Montreal, QC, Canada

North Shore Inline Marathon

Duluth, MN

Athens to Atlanta Road Skate Event

Athens/Atlanta, GA

Inline skating is an enjoyable activity that is great for the entire family, regardless of age. But regardless of age or skill level there is one important item that every skater must remember to do, wear the proper protective gear. Every inline skater should wear, at minimum, a helmet, knee pads, elbow pads, and wrist guards. Each of these items provides protection in its own way, in the off chance that you take a spill. Even the most advanced skaters will fall every one in a while, that is just the nature of being on skates. However, if you wear the proper safety equipment, you skate within your abilities, and you skate in safe conditions (dry, flat, un-crowded areas), you will not have to worry about falling or getting injured.

We understand that not everyone owns each piece of protective equipment above. If you can, we recommend that you invest in the items you do not have. If that isn’t exactly an option right now, we strongly advise that you at least get a helmet and wrist guards. When you fall, you will no doubt attempt to brace yourself with your hands. Therefore, wrist guards are very important for protecting against broken wrists or fingers. Additionally, if you fall backwards or lose control while skating, you will want to protect your head from slamming against the ground or any other items in the vicinity or your tumble. You may think you look dumb, but that is a small price to pay for your safety and well-being.

If you are still a bit hesitant to protective gear because you believe it will make you hot, sweaty, and itchy, please note that inline skating protective gear has come a long way in design since the 1980s and 1990s. Today’s protective gear is typically lined with wicking material that not only feels comfortable, but it pulls moisture away from your skin as well. As a result, this keeps you cooler and dryer, eliminating the itchiness of wearing pads. Additionally, the pads are much lighter now too. This makes them practically unnoticeable when skating.

Protective pads have also evolved beyond knee, elbow, and wrist pads, to pads that protect the entire body. Crash pads are new to the market and are designed to protect against broken bones, scratches, and bruises. They are worn like a piece of clothing with small pads on the surface for protection and manufactured from mesh or wicking material to keep you cool.

If you’re looking to do yourself a favor, we strongly recommend that you invest in the right protective gear because it will save you money in the long run, and help you avoid pain and anguish too.