Planet News Archive For the week of Jan. 1 - 7, 2006 Monday
(Jan. 2, 2006)
Logo Contest Rolls In New Year for Send the Best Project - Have you got an eye for design and a love for skating? If so, enter the Send the Best to Worlds logo contest. The nonprofit group is looking for a design that "expresses our love and support for inline speed skating." The winner will get a one-week pass to the 2006 Indoor National Speedskating Championships in Lincoln, Neb. (Go to Send the Best announcement.) Sexed Up Roller Derby Makes Bid for Prime Time -  The new Rollergirls reality series, which debuts at 10 p.m. on A&E, is collecting mixed reviews from critics. The New York Times damns the series with faint praise: "It could be argued that other reality shows devote just as much time and attention to even less worthwhile subjects." But the Seattle Times says the series is "a pleasure." "It's nice to see a reality series that doesn't strain to intellectualize pop culture, but doesn't trash it, either." (Go to New York Times review. Go to Seattle Times review.) Hedrick Sets Sights on Heiden's Olympic Mark -  Speed skater Eric Heiden's record of five gold medals in one Olympic Games is often considered unassailable. But former inline champion Chad Hedrick isn't so sure. "With a lot of great skating, continuing to work hard and having a little luck on my side, it could happen," he said after last weekend's U.S. championships. Hedrick qualified for all four long track events and is also expected to be selected for the team pursuit. (Go to story at Yahoo! News.) Tuesday
(Jan. 3, 2006)
Two Inline Races Set for Long Beach - Long Beach may be without an inline marathon in 2006. But it won't be without skate races. Audrey Winthrop of racebrake.com is producing two Long Beach events this year, including the Parkinson's Open Road Race on Oct. 1st. (Go to Planet story.) (Jan. 3, 2006) Wednesday
(Jan. 4, 2006)
Latinos Are More Likely to be Skaters - Here's some  good news for skate makers: According to a new report, the fastest growing ethnic group in the United States also happens to be the one that likes skating the most: Latinos. (Go to the Planet story.) (Jan. 4, 2006) Thursday
(Jan. 5, 2006)
Chad Hedrick To Appear on Tonight Show - U.S.  speed skater Chad Hedrick will be a guest on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Monday. "It's very exciting," said his agent, Ti Kilink of Clipse Management. "Chad's one of only a couple athletes who will be appearing on the show before the Olympics. It's a real honor." The former inline champion will share the dais with actors Johnny Knoxville and Natasha Leggero and singer Chris Isaak. (Read more about Skaters in the News.) 2006 May Be Last Year for Philly Freedom Skate - If  you've put off attending the Philadelphia Freedom Skate, don't wait any longer. This may be the last year for the popular weekend skate party. Event director Jon Pearce says falling attendance and the loss of key organizers makes it "very likely" that the event will disappear after this year. This year's event is scheduled for June 16-18th, the weekend of Father's Day. (Go to Freedom Skate site.) Friday
(Jan. 6, 2006)
NBC Affiliate to Hire Inline Skaters to Plug Olympics - The NBC affiliate in San  Francisco is hiring a team of inline skaters to promote its Olympic coverage. The 10 skaters will be outfitted as speed, figure and hockey skaters and will appear (on inline skates) at various Bay Area locations on 12 days, starting Jan. 28th. Team members stand to earn as much as $960. D. Miles Jr. of the California Outdoor Rollerskating Association is putting the team together. (Go to the CORA web site.) Salomon Partners With Bont, Hyper; Dumps Supersonic - The new name  of Salomon's racing team is a mouthful: the MMCmicro Salomon World Team. The "MMCmicro" is shorthand for the team's new cosponsor: the MultiMediaCard Association. ... Salomon has yet to unveil the roster for the new team. But it revealed today that Bont will be supplying the team's boots and Hyper, its wheels. Apparently, Salomon has ended its relationship with the wheel maker Supersonic, which was founded by former Salomon team members. (Go to Salomon's announcement.) (Jan. 6, 2006) | 
