RoadSkater.Net - Comments for "Greensboro NC (GSO)"

Sunday I think it was

In reply to Sparky's Tater Ride Greensboro NC Triad Free Weekly No-Drop Bike Rides Skates for Beginners, Restarters & Leisure Cyclists:

Hey jack rabbit thanks for posting that ride. I think you were meaning the ride this morning from McDonald's. By the way you can use create/event when there is a set date (if you like). Thanks for starting to post. Btw I replied to your other post by phone but goofed and lost it. How was the ride today? How is the condition of the trail...skateable.

Two hour ride on Monday morning?

In reply to Sparky's Tater Ride Greensboro NC Triad Free Weekly No-Drop Bike Rides Skates for Beginners, Restarters & Leisure Cyclists:

Is that date correct? Am I forgetting an upcoming holiday?

Sparky's Ride - Aug 23, 2010

In reply to Sparky's Tater Ride Greensboro NC Triad Free Weekly No-Drop Bike Rides Skates for Beginners, Restarters & Leisure Cyclists:

8:00 a.m. - Meet at McDonald's -7069 Albert Pick Rd, Greensboro, NC. approx 20 miles at 10-12 mph.

Latest Info on Sparky's Tater Rides Schedule

In reply to Sparky's Tater Ride Greensboro NC Triad Free Weekly No-Drop Bike Rides Skates for Beginners, Restarters & Leisure Cyclists:

These basic notes from Sparky but remember LOCATIONS AND TIMES SUBJECT TO CHANGE:

Sparkys Tater Ride all rides start at 1pm.
After May 1st start time 10am.
Tue and Thu typically meet at back of Bur-Mil Park.
Sun typically meet at Panera Bread New Garden.
All rides 20 miles or so, 10-12 mph or so.

Sparky posts to local ride lists and keeps a private list going too for the taters. I think there's a slighly different ride memorial weekend, as mentioned here:

"Also this Sun May 30 meet at 9am. Old Battleground and New Garden. Last change I promise."

Another Story of Blocking the Bicentennial Greenway

In reply to Old Battleground Road at Guilford Battleground NMP: Easy to Fix Danger:

See if you can get someone to tell you about the time Guilford County had a paving crew at the north end of the parking area at the Guilford Battleground National Military Park (Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Greensboro, NC). The paving crew showed up ready to pave the gravel lot to improve the greenway and perhaps to provide more parking. This property was supposedly owned by the county according to my Guilford County source, but the crew were convinced by the acting park director in dramatic fashion that they could not pave that gravel area. According to my source some years ago in the Guilford County government, the paving was paid for, but never completed. Given the way the NPS has treated the Bicentennial Greenway I hope they never get their paws on the section of Old Battleground between New Garden Road and the south end of the park. It should be kept as a multiuse plaza even if it is closed off as is the plan. There's no need to destroy that asphalt unless all non-historic roads are to be treated the same. Just my opinion of course, but you knew that.

Reply to Why Use Old Battleground Road Instead of Rail Trail?

In reply to Old Battleground Road at Guilford Battleground NMP: Easy to Fix Danger:

This is a reply to something on a local list, and references the above article...

This has long been a problem, this section through the National Military Park at Guilford Battleground. They built a parking lot on top of the old rail trail greenway route, then set about a policy of discouraging through-use. I wrote about it in June 2006, and have talked with Greensboro, Guilford and Park Service people since 1999 or so, mostly giving up after it was clear they knew the problem or non-problem and were not going to do anything. My thoughts from 4 years ago are above.

In addition to those comments, here are some more...

I urge the City of Greensboro and County of Guilford to keep all rights of way they have rather than releasing them to the Department of Interior National Park Service. For a while there was a painted line tacitly acknowledging that this was in fact part of the historical rail line that existed BEFORE the national military park and even before the park was originally built by people from Greensboro, who rode the train up from Greensboro to enjoy the pleasureground, as I recall.

As I said, a few years back there was a clear strategy adopted to discourage and impede the flow of road cyclists and others on the greenway and to force all they could onto the city policed road through the use of gravel, mulch, fencing and in the case of skaters, threats of federal tickets, even for putting on skates in the parking lot just as a way to leave to use the greenway without entering the park loop. Even on organized bike rides I have been threatened with federal tickets as I skated through the parking lot on Old Battlegound Road with a hunderd or more cyclists.

Mary and others are right about the roots growing up on the pavement of the rail trail along the southern end of Old Battleground Ave. The city staff are aware of this and have been for at least 7 years. There's no evidence of any repair as of the last time I was there. It's much sexier to build new trail than to maintain current trail. And as you are responsible for your own safety, at some point you consider a place dangerous enough that you stop using it.

During one discussion seeking help with that pavement, a city parks employee suggested that rather than repairing the root problem they could put up signs disallowing certain uses for the multiuse path. This was a few years ago and the problems are still there.

But even with a perfect greenway, it's not up to one road user to decide how another road user will choose to travel any more than it is up to them to tell you not to choose Old Battleground to get home if you hate it so much. Separate but equal is fiction. The presence of one road (even one for bikes) doesn't force all road users to use that road. My parents often drive their car on roads other than the interstate as a matter of choice and prudence based on their experience and feeling of safety.

And if the city builds a multiuse path and the multiusers don't use it then they built the wrong path...they had a failure to communicate with the potential users of said path. Or they didn't build it wide enough for as many multiuses as they thought. Or they didn't count on the NPS splitting their rail trial in two. Or they didn't keep the multiuse path repaired. Or the trail starts nowhere and goes nowhere and connects to nowhere.

Surely you have not ridden from Strawberry Road to Lewis Recreation Center on your bike lately. I've skated much of it, and in addition to the roots near on the southern end, the path is getting worse with cracks in the direction of travel near "the culvert" at the beaver pond as well, not to mention that the culvert itself is practically a hazard, especially when it has collected gravel. And the connection at the old north end by the ponds near the barn to the newer section leading to Strawberry Rd is not the greatest. Double right angles around blind turns are not the best transportation management technique one would think.

If they want to discourage people from using their multiuse path, they're doing OK at that.

There's much to love about Greensboro and human transportation here, but there are certainly times we have to choose the safest, happiest route, and carefully. Hopefully someones in the city, county and National Park Service will read this and think it worthy of consideration.

I love Country Park! But can we get some soap in the bathrooms and some way of accessing a bathroom without a steep hill being involved? :o)

Fall big or go home!

In reply to Road Rash!:

Or fall big, then go home :-D

There's nothing like wiping out in front of a bunch of cyclists. I did that at the start of Tour de Kale one year.

I hope you heal up quickly too, Jack! And you're right, there's nothing like getting a decent fall out of the way early on in the season. I won't say 'they come in threes' or anything ridiculous like that, but I will say I enjoyed a two or three year run of not falling at all, but have made up for that steadily since last November!

Ouch, Elizabeth. Sorry.. It

In reply to Road Rash!:

Ouch, Elizabeth. Sorry.. It usually happens to me once a season, then I'm good to go. This year it was on black ice with randomly positioned and paved over chunks of rock poking up out of the pavement. The humiliating part was that it was on a four lane thoroughfare with about 25 cyclists doing about 20 mph right behind me. On top of all that, Blake didn't even get a picture of it!!! Oh well, maybe next year. Heal quick!

Justified Gushing

In reply to Eddy Matzger Roadshow 2010 Greensboro, NC Inline Skating Rollerblading Speedskating Workshop:

Well if you know Skatey-Mark and Roadskater, you know we don't just love everything. I can spot a crooked lampshade from a mile away, thanks to my genetics. But this is where we agree that if you want to get some FUN skate WORK done, the roadshow workshop is a great place...and Greensboro always has a big enough but manageable size group away from the drudgeries of your home. But the key is Eddy is a world class teacher who happens to be a world class skater, and yes, he can spot where to tweak and can give you as much or as little as you want to work on.

There are a few things I try to do every year and the Greensboro Eddy Matzger Roadshow inline skating speed workshop is one I always want to do when Eddy can get us on the schedule. We'll get on it quickly this time and try to lock in a date as soon as Eddy can do it. I hope it can be the week after tax day next year, ha. But whenever it needs to be, it is worth hosting, talking about, trying to help people attend, and attending.

definitely notebook

In reply to Eddy Matzger Roadshow 2010 Greensboro, NC Inline Skating Rollerblading Speedskating Workshop:

Haven't used an iPad, but it doesn't interest me at all. Same goes for an iPod Touch or Kindle. My company gave me an MSI netbook to use for testing, and I don't like it one bit. It's too small to be useful. Typing is a pain. Navigating with the stupid touchpad thing is awful (I *hate* those things). Screen is too small. I think the netbooks will be a shortlived phase and that tablets like the iPad will take over that space. I doubt that typing on an iPad is any more problematic than it is on a netbook. Hell - i can just about type as fast on my LG Env phone as I can on the netbook.

I'm not a fan of desktop pcs anymore, either. Laptops/Notebooks have plenty of computing power for anyone and have the benefit of being portable. I like my notebook quite a lot (granted, it cost more than $600). But I'm sure there are plenty of options in the $600 range that would work.

another awesome weekend

In reply to Eddy Matzger Roadshow 2010 Greensboro, NC Inline Skating Rollerblading Speedskating Workshop:

This was perhaps the best weather for any workshop I've ever attended. Absolutely perfect. Literally, not a cloud in the sky. Perfect temperature. If only we could get this lucky every year!

This was either my 6th or 7th Eddy workshop, since my first one in 2002. I have to say that after skipping last year, I wish I had made more of an effort to attend one of the other roadshows or make the pilgrimage up to Skate Farm. (There wasn't a roadshow in Greensboro last year.) Last year, I struggled with a couple parts of my technique that took Eddy about 2 seconds to diagnose and start making suggestions on how to fix them. I'm hopeful that I'll be able to iron out some of the wrinkles over the summer and be ready for some of the events in the fall.

Even if I hadn't learned anything (which is impossible unless you're not trying at all), the weekend is such a fun time that it's worth going. I look forward to my skating vacation every year, and the sore muscles afterward are a pleasant reminder of everything that happened.

It was great having such a small group, as we all got a lot of individual attention. Still, having the larger groups in years past was fun too. I've never met an unfriendly person at a workshop. In fact - it was after taking my first workshop in 2002 that my skating obsession started.

I know people probably get tired of me gushing about how great the workshop is... It's just that I think everyone should be able to experience it first-hand and make the same improvements that I've made over the years. You don't have to be a competitive skater to appreciate the workshop - you just have to love skating and want to do it better.

We're so lucky that Eddy continues to come to Greensboro, and especially fortunate that he's already committed to coming back next year. I know I'll sign up as soon as the date is announced...

Enjoying the Comments...More After April 15

In reply to Eddy Matzger Roadshow 2010 Greensboro, NC Inline Skating Rollerblading Speedskating Workshop:

As a Certified Independent Professional Procrastinator I thought I'd read Getting Things Done by David Allen part of the day instead of doing things on my Next Actions list. Then I decided some posts might take less that two minutes each, so I'd do them. Of course, they probably don't take less than two minutes each, and I feel this one breaking rules already.

Anyway, the thing is, what I really mean, I'm really enjoying the comments and I hope you'll keep sharing them. It's really wonderful to hear that this workshop and Eddy have made as much difference to most as I have so often and obnoxiously claimed they would.

A great teacher is hard to find and despite all the talk about how important they are, teachers often work everlong for everless. Hopefully we can keep the Greensboro workshop/roadshow profitable enough for Eddy, financially and soulwise, to make it worth the time and travel. He indicated at dinner at Lucky 32 that we'll always have a Greensboro workshop, so we need to a) schedule it when we see him at A2A or soon after, and b) spread the word all year, and c) make sure he knows there's a core group who support the parking lot workshop format as the best way to work on these drills together...which most of us may not do so much outside that safety zone.

OK, computer. Got to go. See you after National Procrastination Day and the 1040 or 4868.

Anybody seen an iPad in person? I'm interested in your take. Seems like printing is problematic, and typing may be an adventure. Would you rather have an iPad; a kindle and a netbook; an iPod Touch and netbook; a $600 notebook PC; $600; some other combination? Feel free to launch a new thread if you want to get serious on this one.

Greensboro SkateFarm Roadshow

In reply to Eddy Matzger Roadshow 2010 Greensboro, NC Inline Skating Rollerblading Speedskating Workshop:

I have been wanting to do an Eddy Matzger skating clinic for a long time, and finally had my chance this past weekend. It turned out to be all that I expected and more. On top of everything else, the weather could not have been any more perfect.

I was concerned that because it was so early in the season I would not have the strength or endurance to keep up. To an extent that was true, but things are structured so that you can go at your own pace. There is absolutely no pressure to keep skating all the time. You get tired, you can take a break, and learn by eyesmosis ( a Skatey Blake-ism).

The other thing that I learned was that it is probably a good idea to wear all the protective gear, including elbow and knee pads. This is because, as Eddy so aptly puts it, if you aren't falling, you aren't trying hard enough. I definitely felt that I was holding back to avoid falls that might have compromised my ability to get back to work on Monday! By playing it safe, I felt I missed out a bit. The good news is that you learn so many drills and moves that you can practice to your heart's content once you get back home.

As has been stated by so many before me, the heart of the roadshow is of course Eddy himself. He has such mastery of his skates that just watching what he can do is probably worth the price of admission alone! At times, I had to tell myself that he has been doing this daily for over 20 years, and I shouldn't expect to be able to ever do everything he does. I know I will never be a competitive racer, and may never master the double push, but an important thing for us old people is to continue to learn new things. Why not on skates? Balance becomes ever more important as we get older. At any rate, Eddy has an incredible number of exercises to learn and do, and his ability to teach them is unsurpassed. He is indefatigable, patient, entertaining. ( Anyone remember the Ed Sullivan show? I felt like Topo Gigio for the number of times I said "hey, Eddy").

The weekend was overall a really fun time, not only because Eddy makes it fun, but the folks who turned out made it a fun time as well. Thanks to Blake for hosting, and for arranging great meals at some of the local spots. The venue for the social skate on Friday, and the site for the clinic, were great choices. It was good to meet up with those who become friends over time, eg from attending events like A2A, T2T, NYC. It was also nice to meet some new skateys who will no doubt be turning up at some of these events in the future.

What did I come away with? I asked Eddy what I could do about my tendency to pronate, and after going over issues of alignment and proper setdown, the problem disappeared immediately! The mechanics of stroking were broken down to the basics, then put back together. I remember long ago hearing about how if you have the proper balance you can skate with your laces undone. I could not have conceived of the very idea back then. After some balance drills, Eddy had us do just that- skate without lacing up. Voila- it didn't seem to make a difference!

I look forward to practicing the drills on my own, and perhaps trying the advanced drills requiring conter-traction with Patrick. ( It is great if someone you know comes along as well).

My hope is that I will be able to make it back next year, and will have been able to incorporate even a little of what we aere taught into my routine.

Thanks to Eddy, Blake, Elizabeth, Skatey Mark,Patrick, Jonathon,Marianne, and Craig for a great weekend!

SkateFarm Roadshow!!

In reply to Eddy Matzger Roadshow 2010 Greensboro, NC Inline Skating Rollerblading Speedskating Workshop:

So after attending this weekend long workshop - and recovering for a day to let my aching muscles rest, I am actually looking forward to finding a parking lot and working on many of the drills Eddy taught us.

What a great way to spend a weekend, meet new people, re-connect with 'old' friends, burn many calories, and get a whole lot better at skating. And oh yes, it helped me overcome (at least for a large part) my fear of falling while skating. I can't remember how many times I fell - but because I was always trying to skate low (hence the soreness in unspeakable muscle groups), and Thank God for knee pads!! - falling was no big deal. Of course - it's also quite possible that I didn't try hard enough, didn't skate fast enough to really get hurt. OK - fine. I still had an amazing weekend, and can honestly say that I have regained a good bit of confidence on skates. Not that I am ready to do Tour to Tanglewood on skates any time soon mind you; but doing this workshop made that seem less of an out of reach thing than I would have ever thought possible after doing it once, a long, long time ago....

If any of you have been wondering whether to do this workshop or not - wonder no longer! Sign up for the next available one. Go for it! And if you have done this workshop before, do it again! Like Jonathan said, Eddy spends time with individual skaters, so there is always a lot for you to learn.

Marianne

alginate fibers

In reply to Eddy Matzger Roadshow 2010 Greensboro, NC Inline Skating Rollerblading Speedskating Workshop:

All of these products are also great for pressure ulcers or bed sores. The fibers, which can also be obtained in a rope, where designed for larger, deeper wounds (read 1-2 inch deep crater, possibly down to visible bone). I don't think they would work very well for our surface wounds.

Jonathan S

Eddy Matzger rocks!

In reply to Eddy Matzger Roadshow 2010 Greensboro, NC Inline Skating Rollerblading Speedskating Workshop:

Alright, so I came to this thinking, "I'll learn a few drills, get a little better on classic technique, end of story"

I think we had accomplished my expectations in the first 4 hours! I now have about 25 drills I can rotate thru to practice different parts of my stroke. I am not only better at my classic technique, but I know exactly which areas to focus on. This is were Eddy excels! He can take a quick look at you doing something and immediatly pick out what part is failing. It's not just a bunch of "do it like this", but rather "that's good, but try to push harder here, relax there, cut this tighter". Every drill is made very personal to the individual skater. This translates into being able to jump by leaps and bounds ahead in skating ability. One of my biggest weakness' was I weaved all over the road when I skated. You would have thought I was an artistic skater watching me! Eddy showed me how to set my skate down closed so I would track a straight line and then open it up to push. I know have drawn a straight chalk line down the road in front of my house just so I can continue to practice this.

Here are the bonus things I learned, above and beyond my expectations. I now can do a front T stop, which not only works great, but also looks wicked cool. I can now do a double push, not a great one, but I think it was a huge step since I came to the clinic not double pushing at all. Before I could crossover, but I wasn't really putting any power to the ground. Now I understand how to get some speed out of the corner.

The other bonus was just spending time with Eddy. Not only is this man a god on skates, (he skates better than I can walk), but he is very caring, laid back, personable, and invested in helping everyone be the best skater they can. It was both an honor and a pleasure to learn from him.

So to anyone out there who would like to go, but has any reservations, I say if you only do one skate event a year, this one is the best. I don't think you could go and not become a better skater by leaps and bounds. This roadshow was my first, and I will now be there every year after, no matter what it takes.

Jonathan S

Hydrophile

In reply to Eddy Matzger Roadshow 2010 Greensboro, NC Inline Skating Rollerblading Speedskating Workshop:

Thanks Jonathan!

All this time I thought 'Duoderm' was just another manufacturer's term to try to outdo the other product, Tegaderm. So then I might go back and get those large sheets of calcium alginate for $20. Falling without pads is expensive. They also sold the calcium alginate fibers in a clump that presumably gels upon contact with fluid. It looked like mini roof insulation.

I appreciate any info you may have because frankly it's overwhelming in the first aid aisle - which by the way seems to always be the absolute furthest aisle from the front door - when faced with several types of gauze, hydrocolloid, alginate, various drainage capacities, number of dressings in a box, various pricing....gah....I feel a spreadsheet coming on.

dressings

In reply to Eddy Matzger Roadshow 2010 Greensboro, NC Inline Skating Rollerblading Speedskating Workshop:

I'm no expert eebee, but you sparked my curiosity, so here is what I can figure out.

Both the duoderm we used and any kind of alginate dressing are great for a draining wound. They both maintain a moist environment, which helps our road rash wounds heal quickly with little scaring.

The main difference in function seems to be that duoderm is recommended for light to moderate drainage and the alginate dressings are for moderate to heavy drainage. The alginate dressing material is hydrophilic (read water loving) so it natural attracts drainage to it.

I'm afraid I'm still enough of a rookie that I could not give a recommendation which would work better for you in this area. Both keep the wound moist, which is our main goal. You may want to add some neosporin to the mix just to cover your bases.

Jonathan S

Here's how the workshop went!

In reply to Eddy Matzger Roadshow 2010 Greensboro, NC Inline Skating Rollerblading Speedskating Workshop:

You're right Tim, it was absolutely beautiful! Sorry you had to miss it this time. It was great to see Don and Patrick come all the way from Boston for a whole weekend of nothing but skate focus. It was of course tons of fun, and I was sufficiently relaxed to be able to actually absorb some more concepts. Unfortunately I was so relaxed on Sunday I wiped out pretty badly. But a calm chat with Marianne on a grassy bank, plus outstanding professional medical skills from Jonathan (and medical supplies!), and a hilarious roadrash story from Skatey-Mark made me feel so much better. I think I laughed for a whole three miles straight on the way home down I-85 at Mark's previous workshop/roadrash story.

I just spent a good half hour in CVS staring at the different boxes of wound dressings. I finally asked the pharmacist if she could explain the new calcium alginate dressing to me. The box grabbed my attention because it promised to be suitable for wounds with heavy drainage. These little compede hydrocolloid patches aren't holding much (hmmm, we sell hydrocolloid material in 5 liter cans where I work...). She admitted to not being familiar with the calcium alginate dressing (any idea Jonathan?), but explained that keeping the roadrash moist is the primary way to reduce scarring, and with smaller, non-leaky abrasions on non-covered body parts the same can be achieved through Bacitracin or Neosporin. At this point I was relieved to know I didn't have to shell out $50 on absorbent gauze pads. My needs are twofold: to be able to bend and straighten my knees and elbow, and reduce scarring as much as possible. However, it gets old really fast when you're continually mopping up ooze, and it doesn't look good in a professional setting either!

Funny post-workshop, post-roadrash story. At work today we needed to call in the phone technician. He called in the morning saying he didn't think he could make it due to an 'injury' but that he would make the effort if it was urgent. Well I was sat there secretly thinking 'Hey I came to work with all these stupid oozing wounds and my jeans sticking to my knees!', and I actually told the poor guy it was pretty urgent and that he should come in! About an hour later the phone technician comes hobbling up to the front door on crutches!! I felt pretty bad. Later we swapped horror stories: his - softball, mine - skating. He acted somewhat ashamed but I congratulated him on getting out there and trying it.

For me, I can't learn something new on skates unless I fall. A lot. I also learned for the twentieth time that it's prudent to wear knee and elbow pads when trying new maneuvers on skates.

And once again I have quite the to-do drill list for my upcoming evening skates (which is going to look weird to anybody watching). Somehow it's so much easier to make a complete fool out of yourself at the workshop/roadshow, and difficult to skate like a monkey at the local park in the suburbs!

But for goodness' sake!! When I was first learning how to balance vertically on skates, I was falling and stumbling all the time and didn't care who saw me! These days it's so tempting to just lace up and let it rip, especially if there are people walking their dogs or jogging - I want to look 100% competent and in control in front of those people, to advertise skating as a kick-butt fun form of exercise. So then I skate the same way each time, not trying anything new, and not applying things I learned at the workshop.

I am hereby reminding myself not to do that this year.

Looking forward to the reports

In reply to Eddy Matzger Roadshow 2010 Greensboro, NC Inline Skating Rollerblading Speedskating Workshop:

I was thinking of you folks this weekend, as I sat in my late-schoolyear-weekend daze. I wouldn't have been any good for anyone out there, but it looked like it was an absolutely beautiful weekend for those who participated. I hope all went smoothly and that it was fun and rewarding for all.

A note about fitness fatness and the roadshow workshop

In reply to Eddy Matzger Roadshow 2010 Greensboro, NC Inline Skating Rollerblading Speedskating Workshop:

Just in case anyone is out there wondering if they're good enough or fit enough for the workshop, here's what I think...

You don't need to be a racer or want to be a racer. You just should want to learn more about skating at get better at it by working on it for a weekend.

You don't need to be a great skater, but you probably need to be at the point where you are able to stay up on skates mostly except when learning new things and pushing the envelope, so to speak.

You don't need to be skinny. You don't even need to be as skinny as you used to be. I'm neither right now! But I'll be there giving what I can to learning and relearning to get my year off to a better start than without the workshop. Of course I'd be better off if I didn't take winters off, perhaps, but that's the way it is so I'll be there doing what I can.

You come to the workshop to participate as much as you are able and to work at your level. Eddy will work with everyone at their level and he's very good at observing skills and adjusting his teaching based on who is there.

If it were not so great we would not host this event as many years as possible. It is a great weekend for your skating and your life.

If your family wants to come to town, we have lots of golf, tennis, shopping, etc., and springtime is in bloom in Greensboro.

More on the Eddy Matzger Roadshow Greensboro Apr 9-11

In reply to Eddy Matzger Roadshow 2010 Greensboro, NC Inline Skating Rollerblading Speedskating Workshop:

Here's a revision of a note I sent to a potential attendee at our Greensboro workshop which is ON even with currently low reservations.

This is your BEST EVER opportunity at some quality time working with Eddy. We've had low signups for this year's workshop here (not sure why other than economics and family and event conflicts on the date). I'm not sure where we are now but it looks like maybe only 4 or 5 others. Even with double that, you'd have lots of time to work with Eddy in the small group and also some time alone with him taking video (you get a DVD afterward of all of us skating for the "test" and highlights of the drills, included in the registration, delivered to your mailbox).

Day one is usually a review of classic skating technique similar to ice, but very useful stuff for much of the time on skates for many of us. It's important because it contains all the fundamental concepts for either classic or double push skating. Eddy shows lots of on and off skates drills and exercises, and just by being around him you'll see what could happen to your skating if you stay in your skates a lot and are not afraid to work at it on and off skates, letting it be part of or even in some cases most of your life.

He intros some yoga poses that are skate helpful, some jumping and balancing drills (there's one especially useful one done off skates that helps in understanding how a double push works and feels), and lots of things to practice on your skates the rest of your life.

At some point during the weekend depending on various skill levels, Eddy introduces or reviews the whole idea of double push skating, which many skaters have put to such good use in winning races. He takes the key elements learned the first day and applies them to the double push method, where you get twice as many pushes per cycle. instead of glide-push / glide-push as you can do efficiently on ice, it becomes push-push / push-push or perhaps push-glide-push / push-glide-push for the asphalt, which has way more resistance than ice of course.

OK it's hard to say in a quick summary so that's why being around Eddy for sixteen hours talking and watching and doing skating will change your mind and your skating life. Even if you're not a racer and don't want to be, you'll have some new tools in your box for just when you need them most... to catch up, keep up when someone's trying to gap, or to gap someone who keeps kicking your frame skating two-wide in the road.

Regardless, you'll get the concept if you don't have it, and if you do know it already, Eddy will see it and help you improve. He is great at SEEING where you are instead of where you think you are, showing you on the video, then finding the NEXT ACTION to work on to improve your skating and the fun and power within. He'll find out how you plan and hope to enjoy skating, and help you do that, instead of trying to talk you into something he's done.

Aside from the irrelevant to your skating fact that Eddy has won lots of races or is well known as a roadskater, the real value is he knows skating AND is a GREAT and WILLING TEACHER who works full time for those who paid to do a workshop, and will keep you working on it the whole weekend in bursts of presentation-effort-review-microrest-repeat, with time to reflect and watch video saturday evening.

Friday we'll do a social skate around 5 or 6 pm if weather is fine, most likely on a rail trail we've used many times. It's very nice countryside skating. just getting to know each other on skates with no racing planned.

Saturday is usually 3-4 hours then lunch with Eddy, then 3-4 hours then dinner on our own then Saturday night video probably at Craig's house.

Sunday is usually 3-4 hours then lunch together while Eddy writes up notes and advice then 3-4 hours with review and "awards" finishing at least 6 or so, then maybe dinner together with Eddy if he can stay long enough.

If you fly in by early afternoon it'll be fine, and fly out as late as you can/like. Dinner with Eddy if we do it is a nice relaxing review of the skating but also just getting to know him more not as teacher so much but as new skate friend. Even if Eddy has to go, some of us will likely want to go eat and talk it all over and get to know each other off skates.

The best place to stay is near the airport at the intersection of NC-68 and I-40. there's a Hampton Inn, Motel 6, Sleep Inn, and various others in various levels of cost and appeal at that intersection. This gives you best access to the less congested roads leading to our locations. I'll verify locations in an email early the week before the workshop.

You will probably need a rental car unless we can make arrangements for your rides, but rentals are inexpensive in Greensboro usually. The area is spread out and we have not found a suitable location very near the hotels that is not also crowded. details to come but that's the idea. I'll check for new asphalt nearer to the hotels but for now we plan to use our prior locations.

Hope you can come. You will get a lot from the weekend if you can make it. Mostly you'll get a weekend about nothing but skating and new friends.

Let me know if the only thing keeping you from being able to come is transport or floor space. I can TRY to get some help with it if you need it. Hotels and cars in Greensboro are inexpensive relative to other cities, but if we can help get you in we'll try. My responsibility is to eddy first, but i can call on friends perhaps for support. join us!

Reminder to Skate to the Next Level with Eddy in Greensboro

In reply to Eddy Matzger Roadshow 2010 Greensboro, NC Inline Skating Rollerblading Speedskating Workshop:

Here's a copy of a note posted to InlineNC yahoogroups.com group and other places, in case it's of interest or use, and as a reminder the workshop is soon!

Hi again! We're finally getting out to skate some. How about you?

Here's a chance to come skating with many times over Athens to Atlanta winner, great teacher and roadskating enthusiast, Eddy Matzger, and the rest of us here in North Carolina. Consider how great it'd be to come to Greensboro, North Carolina for some springtime skating on April 9-11 during a full weekend of skateyfocus! Join us Eddy Matzger Roadshow Inline Skating Workshop and we'll have 16 to 20 hours of immersion with very few distractions from the fun work of getting back into it, getting to the next level, or learning what it would take to get there!

Most of Eddy's workshops are now at the skatefarm (see skatefarm.com) and that's some awesome hillage for all, but we coaxed him to come down for another Greensboro workshop this year for those who love that format and love our location.

Why am I still hosting these workshops? Well, Eddy's the best skate teacher I know, and if nothing else, it gets me back into inspiration to prepare for the year, ending with the 2-day 90-miles Tour to Tanglewood and the (up to) 102-mile CarolinaCentury. com skate or bike for MS.

Please come join us in the Piedmont of NC for a weekend of happy skate work with people of all levels of skill, to see, hear, and do not much but the sport we love so passionately. Fly in to GSO airport and stay near the airport. Let us know if you need some help with transport, but there are inexpensive rentals available most weekends in GSO. (RDU and CLT are OK, but you will likely spend some time in rush hour traffic if you come in during the Friday afternoon. Usually flying in to GSO costs about the same when all is said and done, and our airport is big enough but still small enough to be convenient.)

Now there are plenty of excuses not to do this, but there are some incredible ways this could make your life sweeter, right? Get in the car, get on the plane, and come on down!

Here's more about the Roadshow and Skatefarm...
http://skatecentral .com/page32. html

It's $300 for the weekend of skate lessons and drills, plus Eddy makes a movie of everyone, including some individual video assessment, and you get a DVD in the mail later as a memento and valuable reminder of what you learned...and some things you may have missed or misremembered!

If you have a Roadshow in your area, then by all means please support that one! If you can't make that date, then consider us as an option. We usually have a nice group but not a huge crowd, so you get some more individual attention from the Edmeister.

Here's the remaining schedule for 2010...
http://skatecentral .com/page84. html

Here's where to register...
http://skatecentral .com/page20. html

Please contact me or the address at skatefarm.com for more info and details on our weekend.

Seriously. Eddy can help people on all levels of skating skill, and he works hard to give great value to all who attend the Roadshow. Join us!

Glorified Nerds

In reply to Graupel:

Talking of which, I notice ex-TWC heart throb Jim Cantore has busted through to the big time and is now presenting NBC's winter Olympics weather...or lack thereof.

It must've been a substantial amount to have made the local news! I'm hoping spring is going to be equally exciting. I believe it has been another El Nino winter, which usually makes the jet streams do unusual things, bringing unusual weather, and often tornadic springs in the South.

"...like being shot-blasted with puffed rice." Now there's a useful application for rice cakes! That might catch on for kids' birthday parties.

I had totally forgotten about this...but I now recall talking to Roadskater on the phone during that mini-storm and hearing him say 'We have snail here!'. He meant there was a mix of snow and hail falling. Why not?! I'm hearing the word gustnado more and more.

groats

In reply to Graupel:

As least you had heard of it and seen it before. I had done neither and had no idea what it was until I got home. All of the local weather personalities were in nerd glory having something new like this to talk about.

It came down hard but wasn't nearly as bad as getting caught in hail or sleet. It was like a Nerf version of sleet. Or maybe like being shot-blasted with puffed rice.

Oh well, I can't cross anything off my bucket list but I don't have to add that to it either.

Nice find for yesterday's radar. That could be handy.

Yesterday's Radar, Telling Yesterday's Weather

In reply to Graupel:

How cool, Timv. This is something I had read about in all my weather books and now looking at a picture of it, remember seeing it. I think I filed it away in my brain as 'that polystyrene-like snow'.

Here's a site for yesterday's radar, which I have needed for past skate event write-ups but not found. Looks like there was plenty of ice in that line.

Graupe is German for hulled grain or groats, so I guess hence the description for this type of precip. I knew hail as Hagel in German, but my old trusty Cassell's dictionary lists both.

Impossible to overstate how great this workshop is

In reply to Eddy Matzger Roadshow 2010 Greensboro, NC Inline Skating Rollerblading Speedskating Workshop:

Blake and I could talk for hours about how great Eddy's workshops are, but the only way to really know is to experience one for yourself. There is a ton of information packed into the weekend - so much that it's a bit like drinking from the firehose... But Eddy is a great instructor and he explains all the concepts in a way that you can understand. You'll learn a lot, and have an absolute blast doing it.

Blake's absolutely right that you don't need to be a speedskater to attend. ANYONE can benefit from this workshop, and I'm living proof. I had never been exposed to, or even considered speedskating prior to taking Eddy's workshop for the first time. (After that, I was hooked - and that's another story entirely.) I need to make a before & after video comparing my skating at the 2002 workshop (my first one) and the 2003 workshop.

At this point, I've taken Eddy's workshop probably 6 or 7 times. (Every time he's come to Greensboro, plus one time in Athens.) I know the drills. I could practice them on my own. But I keep going back because it's such a fun weekend. You also can't beat the personal attention you'll get, and I always learn something new.

Try it. You'll like it!

- SM -

Eddy Matzger Roadshow Prices and Rebate Offer

In reply to Eddy Matzger Roadshow 2010 Greensboro, NC Inline Skating Rollerblading Speedskating Workshop:

Yo me skateys. See how Skatey-Mark got my text above and posted it before I did? Great going S-M! Thanks for posting the event immediately.

I had a query offline about whether the cost was $300 or $260, so I double-checked with Eddy and yes it's $260 for the Greensboro NC Roadshow inline skating workshop.

Also, families of 3 or more and clubs/teams with 5 or more get a 10% REFUND at the roadshow (if 5 or more actually attend and pay from the same club/team, and I imagine that's aside from any host types).

In any case, if you enter ROADSKATER.NET as your team (and have been or are going to be skating with us this year) we should have enough to get you the 10% rebate.

Mention any other teams you are on too of course (ones you're on, actually, not ones you hope to be, like the USA Olympic team, the Radio Shack Tour de France team or such lot).

That's the scoop so now go to skatefarm.com and make us unliars by upgesigning for the greatest roadshow on skates.

By the way, you don't have to be a speedskater to get tons out of the workshops. Lots of rec inline skaters of various levels regularly enjoy and benefit from the weekend (many would consider me a rec skater who wears speedskates). Eddy will find your level and help you get to the next one and beyond.

It truly is fun for all ages as long as you love skating and want to be part of a great weekend of focusing on that. You can take breaks if you need to, but most people really stay engaged in the drills and ask for more demonstrations by Eddy when they're tired! It's inspiring just to see how Eddy and some of the participants have really mastered the art and skill of inline skating.

The three local events I always hope to put time into are Eddy's roadshow inline skating workshop, the Tour to Tanglewood MS Ride and Carolina Century ride and roll for MS. Eddy is so busy he can't always get us on the schedule, so this is a great chance to catch a great springtime workshop to start the season. Join us!

Skateylove, Roadskater

Understandable

In reply to Carolina Century 2009: Fuzzy Llama Funny Llama, Llama Llama Duck:

I hear ya Skipper.
You're a good egg.

Life lessons are all around us. Truly.......they're everywhere. (as I sit here an easy 15+ come to mind)

Fortunately we have you.

So many people look to you as an example of unselfish positivity, even in the face of bad things happening to good people. Your dedication to your fellow good humans is remarkable. Thank you.

Photos, Journal and Weather Reports from Carolina Century Soon

In reply to Carolina Century 2009: Fuzzy Llama Funny Llama, Llama Llama Duck:

Hey MikeB thanks for noticing. I had made a decision to wait until it felt right to talk about the happy times at the Carolina Century, and to post any photos from the event, for a couple of reasons. One reason was I wanted to wait until after the David Sherman memorial ride, and another was, I've been having trouble tracking down some of the pics people were taking for me that day while I was out on the road. I have also wasted a considerable amount of time just trying to find out more information about the hit and run and trying to understand how our courts and law enforcement had not picked up the accused for previous offenses, especially failure to appear in court. More on the Carolina Century to come, when I can be sufficiently joyous about it, I promise.