LONDON FRIDAY NIGHT SKATE TM
& SUNDAY STROLL TM

From: Week on Wheels <wow /at/ lfns.co.uk>
Subject: [wow] Wielding wheels, we wend West
Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2006 12:26:48 +0100

This Week, On Wheels

* This week: Go West
* Last week: Best of London, Vauxhall Park
* T-Shirts have finally arrived
* Instructors on the Stroll
* Profile view: Peter C
* Santa Skate


== THIS WEEK: KINGS ROAD x 2 ==

This week you'll have a chance to perfect your uphill as well as
downhill skills as we head up towards Holland Park via South and West
Kensington. After half time at Holland Park station it's all the way
down Kensington Church Street towards Earl's Court where lead marshal
Sol (or Sonic as we prefer to call her) wants to wave hello to a
friend at Redcliffe Gardens. After this little detour, it's window
shopping all the way down the King's Road, through Sloane Square and
Victoria. We finish with that old favourite, a sprint down Piccadilly
to Hyde Park Corner.
                            http://www.lfns.co.uk/route.php/20060929


This week's Sunday Stroll sees the return of lead marshal Edd. We
asked him what he's planning and in an exclusive interview he told
WoW: "I've decided to dig out an old classic full of high street
chic, fashionistas and smooth surfaces. It snakes around Westminster
and Victoria before hitting the Kings Road and Knightsbridge. It's
shopping heaven so get out your best shoes, frocks and bearings and
come and join the party"
                              http://www.lfns.co.uk/route.php/20061001


== LAST WEEK ==

Whilst a large number of you (and our marshals) spent FRIDAY en route
to the Berlin Inline Marathon, those of us left behind enjoyed a more
chilled LFNS. The rain had threatened to force a stop to proceedings,
but Lead Marshal Christian held his nerve and decided he wasn't going
to be put off. Fortunately he got it absolutely right and took us on a
lovely meandering tour of central London during which he generally
stuck to his trademark smooth surfaces, but from time to time paid
homage to our cobble-loving colleague Markus. We'll be doing a few
more "Best of London" (ie. intermediate level) LFNSs in the next few
months, so if you've never done an LFNS before, look out for one.

                               http://www.lfns.co.uk/route.php/20060922/1

And two days later marked the first official SUNDAY STROLL of the
autumn, but summer was very much alive with sunshine and blue skies and
ice creams for sale at Vauxhall Park. The route was just 7.1 miles and
lead marshal Kensey set a slow but steady pace to welcome all the new
skaters who have joined us over the summer.

After a late start while we posed for the photographer from Time Out,
we set off on our journey south. It was a tale of two cities as we
cruised past Green Park and Buckingham Palace and over the river, to
find ourselves navigating the bus interchange, housing estates and
back alleys of Vauxhall.

Vauxhall Park is one of London's more obscure public gardens, notable
only for the rather underwhelming model village in the garden beds,
but it made a perfect half-time stop. "I didn't know Vauxhall had a
park," several skaters exclaimed as they stretched out on the grass.

The pace was slightly quicker in the second half and we had a couple
of hills to navigate as we traversed westward to Battersea and
northward through Chelsea and Sloane Square.

The music bike is set to return next Sunday - fingers crossed!

                               http://www.lfns.co.uk/route.php/20060924/1


== GETTING T-SHIRTY ==

Yes we know we promised T-shirts months ago - and you thought we'd
forgotten. Well we haven't and they have finally arrived and jolly
nice they are too. As ably modeled by some of our marshals last week,
you can now get your own official LFNS Fruit of the Loom T-Shirts.
They're a rather fetching shade of white and feature our LFNS logo on
them. They come in S,M,L and what someone described as Bren-size (XL
to the rest of you). A snip at a tenner a go, they'll be available
for sale in the Wilton Arms after this weekend's skates. Whilst stocks
last - and then we'll order some more. Any profits raised go back into
helping run the skates.

Whilst we're on that subject, a quick reminder that we do not ask for
donations to help run the skate. So anyone who asks you for money is
nothing to do with us and we're not seeing any of it. Buying LFNS
T-Shirts is the only official way to support the LFNS.


== LOSING YOUR STROLL VIRGINITY ==

If you'd like to try the Stroll but don't think you're up to it, you
could do a lot worse than take some lessons. There are a number of
skate instructors who offer courses tailored to street skating. We've
just heard about two 5-week courses being run by SkateFresh which
might be just the thing to get you out on the Stroll. One on Saturday
afternoons from 1pm-3pm starting Oct 7th and one on Sundays from
12pm-2pm starting Oct 15th, Full details on serpentineroad -

            http://www.serpentineroad.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=20937

If you're an instructor and you're running special courses or events
relevant to our Week on Wheels readers, let us know via the feedback
form on our site. We don't promise to print everything, but we always
like to hear who's turning up on the skates.


== PROFILE VIEW ==

This week our profile features PeterC, who was introduced to the
London street skating scene a few years back, and found it infinitely
more fun than spending hours circling around the ice rink (the tunes
were less cheesy for a start).

His transition to marshalling was somewhat unconventional: one evening
during a marshal shortage, he had a yellow vest thrown at him and was
sent off to stare down London cabbies at junctions. Three years, 4
yellow vests, 2 helmets and countless wheels later, he's still skating
on your right (although strangely, his vest declares him to be a
"Martian" rather than the more popular "LFNS Marshal").

Despite hanging around many of the usual London skate haunts, PeterC
doesn't actually live here, but drives in from his home in
Basingstoke, straining friendships with his requests for sofas or
spare beds (his plans for an 'adopt a marshal' scheme have yet to show
fruit).

Having had a go at most of the skating specialities, he finds that
racing seems to be his thing (although a card-carrying member of LSST
since their early days, you won't see him in Lycra on a street skate
"for fear of frightening the horses"). Now that the racing season is
coming to a close, the occasional snowboarding trip or a go on the
ramps at BaySixty6 should keep him in bruises - not quite as dangerous
as fencing, his previous sport. "And don't call it a sword, it's a
foil" (looks like a sword to me, ed.)

When not on skates PeterC delights in taking things apart, usually
mumbling about something being "not quite optimised" before breaking
things permanently.

His garage at home holds the bits of a non working sports car (a Sylva
Striker for all you petrolheads), and having changed its engine, fuel,
air and exhaust systems, the transition to freelance skate fixer was
an easy one. Altogether a good person to know if your axles are seized
or if you just can't get that frame onto your boot. Peter's part of
the team responsible for the design and maintenance of 'FireBrox', the
LFNS bike. It's all under wraps but his designs for the next upgrade
of the Firebrox will see it lighter, louder and more
futuristic-looking. We can't wait!

His own skate collection has been pared down to a manageable 5 pairs
(including ice boots), 3 of which have at least 2
configurations. After the skate PeterC can often be found practicing
hockey stops and slides outside the Wilton, but the current skate move
he is practicing (the cucumber) is somewhat less dramatic. Having
learned to skate quickly, he's now forcing himself to practice the
technique slowly so he can get a rocket speed boost once he's
perfected it.

He thinks he has a job doing something with web sites, but he is not
that sure, he should have a better idea come tomorrow morning.


== CHRISTMAS TIME, MISTLETOE AND WINE ==

Only 87 skating days left until Christmas! This year the LFNS have
been invited to assist in the SantaSkate, which is operated by our
friends at LondonSkate and is their only event outside of their normal
summer operations.

The 170+ people who attended last year's event will confirm that the
SantaSkate is one of the great London skating events and is now in its
third year, having grown out of its original flash-mob (or skate-mob)
marshals-only affair. With everyone dressed up in Santa suits, it is
visually stunning - the reaction from children (and some adults) as we
skate past is as if all their Christmases have come at once.

The LFNS are supporting the skate: Firebrox will be part of the
integrated music system piping Christmas cheer out of four radio
linked systems, and Bren has special plans to dress it up (his plans
also include 8 scantily-dressed girls but we're not going into that).

So get your tickets for the skate from one of Santa's Little Helpers
(they will be the ones wearing Santa hats at the skates up till the
event itself on the 16th December).

If you missed the fun last year, then take a look at "SantaSkate - The
Movie"

* http://www.skateaddict.org/video/SantaSkate2005.mov
(Quicktime/H.264, 73.9 MB, 9'58 mins, Requires Quicktime 7 or VLC.)

* http://www.skateaddict.org/video/SantaSkate2005_short.mov
(Quicktime/H.264, 20.1 MB, 3'02 mins.)


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