Welcome to the New SkateLog Blog

Welcome to the new version of the blog assciated with the SkateLog.com Web site.  We will use this blog to highlight skating events and new information on the SkateLog Web site and also to feature interesting discussions in the SkateLog forum.

Ask About Skating (moved to) SkateLog Forum

In August of 2006 the forum at AskAboutSkating.com was completely transformed and moved to a new domain. It is now called the "SkateLog Forum" and it is located at SkateLogForum.com.  The forum software has been changed from phpBB to vBulletin. [Visit the SkateLog Forum Now]

Photos of 2007 Skates from ISPO

Champion slalom skater Vincent Vu Van Kha of France took these photos of new 2007 skate models at the ISPO Sporting Goods trade show in Munich, Germany.

2006 SkateLondon Festival

The 2006 SkateLondon event will take place July 22-23 and it is being organized by the LondonSkaters Freestyle Club. On Saturday, July 22 there will be high jump and slalom cone skating competitions sanctioned by the International Freestyle Skating Association. On Sunday July 23 there will be a picnic in Hyde Park followed by fun roll through the city of London.

A New Inline Skating Marathon in Texas

The first annual Houston Inline Marathon Weekend will take place October 14-15, 2006. On Saturday, October 14 there will be a vendor expo and a 5000 meter team pursuit event and on Sunday, October 15 there will be both full-distance and half-distance marathon events. The official Web site will be online soon at HoustonInline.com. For now, you can stay informed about the event by joining the Houston Inline Marathon Yahoo Group.

Photos of the 87 Mile A2A Route

Twenty-one photos of the hilly 87 mile route for the Athens-to-Atlanta Road Skate.

Jon's Photos of the A2A Route

A2A Official Web Site

IFSA Slalom Cone Skating Event in London

The fourth event in the 2006 International Freestyle Skating Association's (IFSA) cone skating series will take place in London July 22-23, 2006. There will be freestyle and speed categories and the top skaters will qualify to compete at the IFSA finals in Barcelona, Spain. [Read More In Our Forum]

New Inline Marathon in Houston Texas

The first annual Houston Inline Marathon Weekend will take place October 14-15, 2006 in the town of Katy, which is about 25 miles from downtown Houston, Texas. There will be a skating vendor expo and a 500 meter team persuit event on October 14 and full and half marathon events on October 15.

Houston Inline Marathon Yahoo Group

Houston Speed Skaters Yahoo Group

(Marathon Web site coming soon to HoustonInline.com)

Live Coverage of U.S. Banked Track Nationals

USA Roller Sports will provide live, online coverage of the 2006 United States Banked Track Speed Skating National Championships, May 26-28 at the Velodrome of the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The coverage will include play-by-play reports in a chat room and live streaming video from a Web cam mounted on the Velodrome tower. For more information see:

USARS Live Web Coverage Announcement

USARS Banked Track and Road Nationals

2006 Downhill Inline World Championships

The 7th annual World Inline Downhill Championships will take place in Teolo, Italy August 4-5, 2006. The opening ceremonies will take place on August 4, the inline downhill contest and a party will take place on August 5, and the long board and dual race competitions will take place on August 6. For more information, see the Official Announcement from FIRS

2006 Master Marathon World Championships

The second annual World Master Marathon Championships will take place in Imola, Italy on June 3, 2006. There will be separate categories for men and women, and age group categories will include 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, and 60+. For more information see the FIRS Announcement sent by Dr. Roberto Marrotta, president of the speed committee of the International Roller Sports Federation. See also the Wall Poster for the Event.

Skating Events in May of 2006

May 6-7: Rennes Sur Roulettes (France)

May 11-21: Ice Hockey World Championships (Riga Latvia)

May 13: Hannover Inline Half Marathon (Germany)

May 13: Biel Swiss Inline Cup (Switzerland)

May 14: Karstadt Ruhr Marathon (Germany)

May 14: Dan Burger Racing Series #2 (California USA)

May 14: Northern Highline Marathon (Wisconsin USA)

May 20: Bern Swiss Inline Cup (Switzerland)

May 20-21: Ohio Speed Tour (Ohio USA)

May 20-21: Skate Around the World in 24 Hours (Worldwide)

May 27: Wolverine Inline Marathon (Michigan USA)

May 28: National Capital Inline Marathon (Ottawa, Canada)

Photos of the Basel Swiss Inline Cup

Here are 17 photos of the Swiss Inline Cup in Basel, Switzerland this weekend. Thanks Sean!

Korea World Inline Cup Video Clip

Here is a video clip, race results, and a photo gallery of the April 2006 World Inline Cup Event in Seoul Korea, courtesy of Bont Skates of Australia. [View Video Clip]

Review of the New QuadLine Skates

QuadLines are a new skate being marketed by Lee and Carol Cole of Skates.com, a skate shop based in San Francisco. The Coles mounted inline skate wheels on quad skate boots with wide trucks, in order to produce a quad skate that is more suitable for fitness skating on trails then conventional quad roller skates. [QuadLine Skate Review]

Young Inline Skater Busted for Doping

From an April 8, 2006 article in the Colorado Springs Gazette:
"The Colorado Springs-based U.S. Anti-Doping Agency announced that Corey Gahan of Lady Lake, Florida, an inline skating champion, accepted a two-year suspension for his use of testosterone, nandrolone and chorionic gonadotrophin, a hormone that stimulates testosterone production.".
Read the full article and tell us what you think in our forum:

Full Article in the Colorado Springs Gazette

Forum Discussion About Doping

Congratulations Joey and Brittany!

Congratulations to Joey Mantia and Brittany Bowe for finishing first at the Disney World Inline Marathon in Orlando Florida. Here are all of the pro skater results and reports from some of the skaters who particated:

Disney Marathon Pro Skater Results

Reports from Disney Marthon Skaters

Skating Events in April of 2006

Apr 1-2: 2006 Disney Inline Marathon (Florida USA)

Apr 9: Greg Levien 50k Memorial Race (California USA)

Apr 21-23: Spreewald Marathon Weekend (Germany)

Apr 21-23: Great Lakes Artistic Pre-Regionals (Illinois USA)

Apr 22: Rosarito to Ensenada Roll (Baja Mexico)

Apr 22: Metrodome Inline Marathon (Minnesota USA)

Apr 23: Ohio Speed Tour (Newark OH USA)

Apr 24-28: Great Lakes Artistic Regionals (Illinois USA)

Apr 29: Basel Swiss Inline Cup (Switzerland)

Apr 30: Rhein-Ruhr Inline Marathon (Germany)

MORE EVENTS: Calendar of 2006 Skating Events

YOUR EVENTS: Announce Your Events in Our Forum

Sonic Sports Talks About Bearing Lubricants

In this article, Sonic Sports owner Cliff Chi talks about lubricants for skate bearings, including the difference between grease and oil-based lubricants, and the difference between petroleum-based and synthetic lubricants.

Bearing Lubricant Article by Cliff Chi

Talk About This Article in Our Forum