Boards n' Blades

		Street or Snow?! Get the Gear Street Smarts Understand the Basics Go Pro Ice-Skating Inline Skating/Rollerblading Skateboarding Snowboarding

OK Girlfrenz, time to get out, get moving and get with it! Your challenge is to get moving on a board or blades. Skateboarding, Snowboarding, Ice-Skating and Inline Skating (Rollerblading) are just some of the cool and funky sports you can do that are fun, good for you (yup!) AND cool. They all involve balance, gravity defying moves, the fear factor and SPEED!!!

Street or Snow?!
Naturally it depends on where you are and what season it is! If you’re not in a town that has an ice-rink then no ice-skating for you sorry. Ditto for snowboarding if it’s summer or you’re nowhere near a ski-field. No reason NOT to get out tho ‘cos you can skateboard or inline skate just about anywhere there’s a little asphalt.

Get the Gear
OK, so before you can do any of these numbers, you’ve actually got to get access to a board or blades. This does not mean a giant outlay of money! You can hire snowboards at the skifields and ice-skates at the rink. Some towns have outlets that hire out rollerblades/inline skates (especially at popular skating areas like the park or the beach if you live near one). Alternatively, stores like the Warehouse have pretty cheap options. It is probably best not to go buying the most fancy, expensive number you can find until you’re sure that you’re totally into it and are going to get your money’s worth out of it. Skateboards are also available pretty cheaply but maybe see if you can borrow one first!

You are DEFINITELY gonna need some protective gear though. It’s all about your joints – ankles, knees, wrists and elbows. Oh, AND your head!

Knee pads, elbow pads and wrist guards are all available widely and reasonably inexpensively, or you could try hiring them. It is SO worth getting these cos a fractured wrist really sucks. You might want to think about your head too – especially with skateboarding and inline skating – landing on concrete headfirst while attempting a 360 is not going to be pretty. Skateboard shops all stock protective head gear. If you’re going to be attempting some fancy moves, then get some hardware for your head.

Street Smarts
Be savvy with the street sports. Go to popular, busy areas that are well lit. Go with a friend and always tell someone where you’re going and what time you’ll be back. Watch for traffic and pedestrians. Take care on footpaths cos so many drivers just pull out of their driveways to the road without checking for action on the footpath first. Practice in a skatepark, empty carpark, or school yard and get totally skilled at stopping before going anywhere near moving traffic! Better still, never try boarding or blading on the roads or near traffic – stick to the parks and rec areas. You’re the vulnerable one, without the protection of a car body around you, so you have to be the most observant.
If you’re on the mountain snowboarding, stick to the areas that you’re confident you can handle. Don’t go off the public slopes into unchartered territory. Tell someone which slope you’re gonna be on.
OK, so we’re saying be sensible. This doesn’t mean its no fun!

Understand the Basics
Click on the links to the right to get a few tips we’ve put together and then search for some more yourself. Try using “learn to inline skate/snowboard/ice-skate/skateboard” in a Google search or “basic skateboarding (etc) moves” – remember to be netsmart when surfing tho. Go to your local library and look at books and mags on how to. Find a good mag in your bookshop. You can also take lessons in snowboarding on the skifield and in ice-skating at the rink.

Go Pro
OK, so you’ve given it a go and found you really dig this sport. Take it to the next level!!! Maybe take some lessons in figure skating or speed skating. Why not master some of the jumps in snowboarding or skateboarding. Keep an eye out for extreme sports competitions and go watch the masters at work – heck, why not get good enough to actually go in the competitions???

Inline Skating as a category in running events is becoming really popular – you could tackle a 5 or 10km or even a half marathon! (Maybe a full marathon one day!!!) The skaters start off ahead of the runners. Check with the sports/rec department of your local city council.

FINALLY, remember that no matter how much reading you do on these sports, the only real way of getting good at them is by DOING!!!
Get Out, Get Going & HAVE FUN!!!

Ice-Skating
Here are a few tips to get you moving on the ice for the first time!

1. You’re probably going to hire skates from the rink and it’s important to make sure the boots fit properly. Your heel should be snug at the back of the boot and you should be able to wriggle your toes ever so slightly. You’ll know if they’re too tight. If they’re too loose go down half a size. It’s worth taking the time to get the right size because you want comfort, not blisters! You then need to lace them all the way up to the top. Often you’ll have a lot of lace left over once you’ve tied the top. Don’t wind this around the top of your boot – its not good for the boots or your circulation. Instead, loop it back over the hooks down the front of the boot.
2. Once you’re in your boots, get used to the feel of the blades by walking around the area just outside the rink for a while. Note you have three edges on your boots – the inside edge (from your big toe to the side of your heel); the flat edge (down the middle); and the outside edge (from your little toe to your outside heel).
3. When you do step onto the rink, move along the rail a little and then do some squats as a warm-up. Stand up straight with your feet hip distance apart and bend your knees just slightly to get used to your new centre of gravity. Do this a few times and then increase how far you bend your knees. The more you can bend your knees, the better you’ll be able to skate so its worth doing a few of these to get you warmed up.
4. Follow the rink etiquette – skate in the same direction as everyone else and don’t link arms with more than one or two people.
5. To stop you can always just aim for the barrier and catch it with your hands to stop. If you’re more confident you can try the T-Stop. This is where you put one foot behind you, in a turned out position, so your feet form the letter T. Your arms should be out to the side, palms down. Start with your left foot going straight forwards on the flat and your right foot turned out sideways and pulling behind you. This will slow you right down to a stop. The pull will feel fairly heavy.
6. If you fall over – who cares? Everyone falls over. Haven’t you seen those Olympians on telly take a tumble now and then? If they can do it and get up again, so can you!

Inline Skating/Rollerblading
Did you know that Inline Skating is the official name of the sport? Rollerblades are a brand name of skates that were developed by a company early on and the name stuck with the sport (like Xerox stuck with photocopying and Coke stuck with cola).
The key to inline skating (once you’ve got your balance) is figuring how to stop. Pretty important – especially if you’re blading anywhere near traffic and/or pedestrians. Practice different ways of stopping somewhere safe, such as an empty carpark or schoolyard until you have it mastered.

Basic Ways to Stop:

1. Run-Out.
   If you’re skating on a path that has grass or a dirt tack next to it, then just skate onto the grass (and then step, step, step till you stop). You will slow down quickly so be prepared. If you do tumble at least you’re on softer ground!
2. Wall Stop.
   Skate (hopefully reasonably slowly) towards a wall or other solid, stationary object, and use your outstretched arms to absorb the impact as you stop. Turn your head so you don’t bump your nose and bend your elbows (like a spring).
3. SnowPlow.
   If you’re not going too fast and want to come to a rolling stop, point the toes of your skates together until they bang together and you cruise to a stop – you might tip forward a little so brace back a little to prevent this as necessary.
4. Brake-Pad.
   One of your blades will come with a brakepad – which unfortunately can e quite tricky to get to grips with. It basically involves skating with your brakepad foot in front of the other, toe up and heel (brake) pressing down. Keeping your back straight and your knees bent you slow down and stop. It’s quite hard to balance at first and our ankles might feel a bit wobbly but its worth learning properly. Check out some skating site on the internet to get a fuller description of how to.
   

Avoid hills until you are ready and always skate under control. Remember that you will gain speed quickly, even on a small hill or gradual decline. Finally learn to fall properly – its best to fall forward onto your wrist guards and knee pads. Use the internet to search for other basic skating tips or get some books out from the library.
Happy Skating!!!

Skateboarding
OK so starting and stopping isn’t SO hard for this one. Just put a foot on the board and push off with the other. Put a foot on the ground again as your brake. Sounds simple huh? But I guess the balance bit can take a while! There are a zillion fancy moves and tricks to be done on a skateboard. Perhaps the most common one to get you going is the “Ollie” (named after Alan “Ollie” Gelfand – the skater who invented the move in the seventies). It’s basically about getting airbourne and is the basis of several advanced moves.

Follow our step by step guide and you’ll be in the air in no time!

• Find a good, safe, flat area to practice on
• Set off at a moderate pace (You could practice standing still, but it’s actually easier with a little momentum)
• Position your back foot at the tail of the board and your front foot in about the middle of the board
• Bend those knees
• Shift your weight slightly to your back foot
• When ready, quickly press down on the tail of the board with your back foot
• Exactly as the tail snaps down, kick your front foot forward to the bolts at the front of the board.
• And as you do that slide your back foot up to the bolts at the back and hop up (its basically a “step down, kick, hop” all at once manoeuvre)
• AIRBOURNE (we hope)!!!
• Try to level out a bit and BEND YOUR KNEES as you land and try to stay on balance on your board.
  It’s important to bend you knees as you land to absorb the shock because you could snap your board otherwise.
  Ta Da!!!! As Easy as Ollie.
  Actually, it might take you a long while to get this one perfect but then you’re well on the road to skateboard supremacy!!!

Snowboarding
First thing to figure is if you’re ‘regular’ or ‘goofy’ – whether you stand with your left foot forward (regular) or your right foot forward (goofy). If you skateboard you may already know which way you prefer. One way of finding out is to run through the kitchen or on a wooden floor and slide to a stop – which foot came out front? Or get a mate to give you a little push from behind and see which foot you instinctively put forward first. Once you’ve decided then you get your bindings set on the board. If you’re hiring a snowboard and boots, the technicians will help you work it out.

You can take lessons to get to grips with turning and stopping and jumping and all that fancy stuff. Most snowboarders argue that its easier to learn to snowboard than it is to ski – you improve and get to a reasonable skill level a lot quicker on a snowboard. Really the bit that we all get nervous about is getting on the ski-lifts!! Who wants to be the one collapsing in a heap on the T-Bar and causing a pileup larger than a smash on spaghetti junction??!!

Here’s a very basic guide to coping with a chairlift:

• When you get to the slopes, try to watch few other boarders and how they do it to give you some visual clues.
• You only have your front foot in the binding and so you can use your back foot to ‘skate’ around. It’s a good idea to practice skating in an open area for a while before attempting to get a lift. Push from both the front side of the board and the back side to see which you prefer.
• Once you’re cool with skating on a flat surface, try climbing up a little slope and practice skating downhill a little (as you’ll have to do when leaving a chairlift). Remember you’ll still have your back foot out of the binding. To start put most of your weight on your front foot and then put your back foot down on the board just in front of the rear binding. Once your back foot is down then distribute your weight evenly between your feet. Glide down till you’re clear and then stop by sliding you back foot about an inch over the edge of the board which will make you turn and stop.
• OK, now you’ve got skating sussed you can skate into the lift queue with your back foot out of the binding.
• Move forward to the line and as the chair comes round take a seat keeping your board pointing forward till it lifts off the snow.
• Try not to be in the middle of the chair – ideally just ride with only one other person not two – it’s just easier.
• Enjoy the view
• As you approach the off ramp, twist a little in your seat so when your board makes contact with the snow its pointing straight. Keep the nose of the board up.
• When you get to the top of the ramp (where it starts to go down), stand up with the weight on your front foot.
• Put your back foot down on the board by the bindings (as you practised earlier) and glide down.
• When you’re down the ramp and clear of other skiers/boarders come to a stop and strap your back foot in
• You’re away!!!

Fun Activities
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Fitness Tips
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