Planet News Archive ... ... for the week of Jan. 29 - Feb. 4, 2006 Monday
(Jan. 30, 2006)
Big Guy Dominates Calif. Downhill No. 1 - Size isn't  everything in downhill racing. The sport also demands skill, strategy and the ability to break into a sprint when you're already going too fast. But it may have helped George Merkert on Sunday when he won the first stage of the California Downhill Series in San Dimas, Calif. (Go to Mark Henley's report.) (Jan. 30, 2006) Big Apple Roll Scheduled for Late July - The fourth  annual Big Apple Roll will take to the streets of New York City from July 28-30 this year. The weekend event features group skates, dining and parties. It is organized by the Empire Skate Club. (Go to more event news.) On the forum
Who Makes the Best Freestyle Skate? - Motor23 wants to know. He's on "a quest to find the perfect freestyle/multi-purpose skates." (Go to his post.) Who Knew Indoor Was So Fun! - Indoor races aren't all serious and somber. They also often include one or more nonstandard events that are more about fun than winning. One such race is the three-person time trial, in which the goal is to get your team across the line together, preferably before the other teams. (Vote for your favorite nonstandard event.) Tuesday
(Jan. 31, 2006)
Ice Skaters Suffer More Head Injuries - Ice skaters may suffer less road rash than their inline counterparts. But they make up for it with more head injuries, according to a new study. (Go to the Planet story.) Leaping Lizards? ... Iguana Cozies Up With Volleyball -  Iguana Think Tank, the organizer of the World Inline Cup, has merged with Global Sports Marketing, the organizer of European beach volleyball tournaments. What does this mean? That's hard to say—and impossible to discern from the hieroglyphs of the joint press release. Probably it's a sign that Iguana mastermind Coni Altherr is looking for ways to a.) Keep the World Cup from stalling; and b.) Employ his genius for event promotion in other areas. (Go to the Iguana press release.) Wednesday
(Feb. 1, 2006)
St. Paul Adds 10-Mile Tour  - The organizers of the St. Paul Inline Marathon are setting out a welcome mat for beginner skaters. They've added a 10-mile skate tour to their event (Aug. 20th). The tour is "designed for newer skaters, those not quite ready for the full 26.2-mile marathon distance and for those looking to enjoy the event together as a family." The non-timed event will take place at the same time as the full marathon. Price of the tour is $35. (Go to event web site.) Inline Remains in U.S. 10K  - Inline racing will once again be part of the U.S. 10K Classic in Atlanta, Ga. Organizers had reportedly been unhappy with the dwindling number of skaters signing up for the Labor Day event. But they were apparently content with the 102 skaters who raced last year. And they found an inline sponsor: T-Mobile. They have scheduled the skate race a little earlier this year: 7:25 a.m. (Sept. 24th), five minutes after the start of the women's cycling sprint. (Go to event web site.) (Go to more event news.) Thursday
(Feb. 2, 2006)
Skate Sales Fall ... But Not So Much - The skate industry  got good news and bad news in the latest SGMA report. The bad news is that skate sales continued to fall in 2005. The good news is that the massive bloodletting appears to be over. The report says the key for the industry is new skaters. (Go to the Planet story.) Toronto Skate Blues -  Money woes have scuttled the 2006 Toronto Inline Race Weekend. The event ended up $6000 in the hole last year, and organizers have been unable to find new sponsors. But don't panic, says event founder Peter Doucet. "We just need to figure out a way to organize races that cost less and put together (or find) a source to fund them." (Go to Peter's announcement.) Saturday
(Feb. 4, 2006)
When to Watch: An Olympic Viewing Guide -  NBC loves skating—at least if it's done on ice! Its Olympic broadcast schedule (Feb. 10-26) is packed with speed skating, not to mention figure skating. And that means we get to watch a legion of great inline skaters (past and present) take a crack at glory. To make sure you don't miss anything, we've assembled an Olympic viewing guide ... actually four of them, one for each U.S. time zone. Happy watching! (Go to the Olympic Viewing Guide.) | 
