Skate skills:

SKATE TIP OF THE WEEK
Inline secrets from the world's top skaters and coaches

This week's tip:
Skating in the Rain

By Kim Perkins
(Oct. 20, 2006)

If you don't mind getting wet, skating in the rain can be buckets of fun. But don't expect to set a new speed record or zip around corners with your usual dazzle.

You'll find less traction on wet pavement. And that means slower speeds and less control. So when rain is falling, lower your expectations and skate more cautiously, or you'll be falling, too.

Stop Slipping and Start Gripping

Most skaters know to avoid painted patches of pavement in the rain, and to use grippier (softer) wheels. But here are a few other things you can do to avoid "slip-sliding away."

1.) Keep your feet under you. That sliding feeling sneaks in when your feet get too far away from your body at the end of your stroke. Shorten your stroke to maximize friction.

2.) Use the double push. You don't have to do it perfectly or do a full-out Chad. A little under push in the middle of your stroke can help compensate for a shorter classic push.

3.) Practice makes pain-free. Rain skating uses slightly different muscles than dry skating. After a long wet skate, your adductors (inner thigh muscles) may be throbbing. To toughen them up, practice some duck walking (walking in your skates with your toes pointed out) or step up your gym routine.

4.) Use more caution on turns. Take the corners more gradually and at slower speeds. (Remember: Everyone goes slower in the rain. Not just you!)

5.) Give yourself more time to stop. No matter what kind of braking method you use (heel brake, t-stop, etc.), it's going to take longer to stop on slippery pavement. So plan accordingly!

6.) If you are worried about wet feet or skates, buy a pair of Ezeefit's rain/wind covers. They'll keep you dry.

7.) If you plan to use your bearings again, clean them fast ... before they rust. This is true for most standard bearings. However, skaters with greased bearings (store-bought or packed with engine grease) often go months in rainy conditions with no problem. Oiled bearings can be flushed with WD40.

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Kim Perkins has plenty of experience with wet-weather skating. She won the rainy 2004 Athens to Atlanta Road Skate (it was her third consecutive a2a victory). She has also spent the last six years in Northern California, which — reputation aside — is visited yearly (Oct.-Feb.) by monsoon rains. Since retiring last year from racing, Kim has continued to coach skating, but recently she has been spending most of her time at San Francisco State University, where she is taking graduate classes in social psychology. As far as skating goes, she says: "I'm getting really slow!" ... (But we don't believe her. We believe she is just saying that so she can make us look silly again!)

Related links:

• Kim's web site.
• Skate Tip of the Week Archive.
• Beginners Guide to Outdoor Racing.
• Beginners Guide to Inline Skating.