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An Online Resource Station for Avid, R&B Skaters |
This is a different world than what most of us are used to but actress Drew Barrymore is producing a new film about roller derby and movie extras are needed for filming set to take place in Michigan in July and August. Read more about “Whip It”, being produced by Flower Films, in this Ann Arbor News article. Or read this report from Detroit TV news station WDIV.
RST recently received reader questions for Bill Butler which are posted below, along with his answers.
Ginger Moss of the Chattanooga Rollers asks:
This is a question for Bill Butler and the skate plates used for the jammin’ technique. I’ve noticed a lot of the skaters have setups that have the plate shorter than the boot. How does this help? How much shorter should they be? Do the mounting holes on the boots line up? If not what do you tell a skate shop so they can get it right when you order a new pair of skates?
Bill’s answer as given to RST:
Here’s the key to anybody’s foot size: the plate must equal the distance between the middle of your heel laterally, i.e. from side to side, and laterally, the middle of the ball of your foot. As long as the truck, the axle is underneath the ball of the foot – from side to side – and the center of your heel, side to side, you’re good to go.
Once you get one, you get the other; meaning, if that truck is under the ball of your foot, for the most part, it’s gonna be in the center of your heel because all plates are designed a certain way. But if a person makes a mistake to get a plate, for instance, that’s too long for their boot or foot size and puts the heel axle in the middle of the heel, they can jack up the front because the plate was too big in the first place so that means the plate is gonna be in front of the ball of the foot – it’s gotta be both. You can’t say well, I got the ball of the foot, I got it right. No, you gotta have the ball of the foot and the center of the heel equal, then you’re right.
If it’s a dance plate involved, of course, there’s no toe stop but once the axle is in back or front of the ball of your foot, you’re out of luck. You made a mistake.
When we talk about toe stop versus no toe stop, that’s up to the individual because then we’re talking about what type of skating do you intend to do. If you’re gonna do the Jammin’ Technique, you cannot have a toe stop because it won’t allow you to do the six wheel position which means the toe of one foot is down toward the floor so in ‘X’ number of millimeters, degrees or inches the toe stop will come in contact with the floor which [causes the toe stop to] drag and just doesn’t work for the Jammin’ Technique. The Jammin’ Technique needs to have space in the front of the foot so that you can use the two wheel position when you point the toe toward the floor. You want to make sure you understand that and get it right.
David Vallejos writes:
I’m from NY.. I just began Roller Skating after a 10 year layoff. My goal is to learn the “skating the circle” techniques, practice and prepare myself before hitting all the Roller rinks around the TRI-State area.
* Do you have any videos, skating seminars coming soon to NY metropolitan area.
Bill’s answer:
There’s no such thing as a circle technique, per se. What it is, is taking a straight line and making a circle out of it. That’s all. So you have to learn how to skate – that opens up this explanation to the question. Learn how to roller skate and the circle isn’t a problem. That’s what it’s all about. Understand how to adjust your skates. Understand what equipment to have to get what you want done because sometimes your eyes can see some stuff you can’t achieve, so you have to watch it. You can’t blame the skates. You gotta blame the person that’s on the skates.
It’s not the equipment first. It’s you first, equipment second. Then you have to have the ability. And it’s about the ability of the equipment of the person that’s wearing that equipment.
* I don’t do [videos]. The videos I have are in an archive and anybody who’s close to me – like in Georgia – they might end up with a video of something. One of my students has eight videos of some of my work, 30 years of stuff in this video. That’s fine. She’ll give them back and I’ll put them back in the room until somebody else, I’ll say, ‘this might help you. Look at this.’ But if I don’t think the person has any real ability or real ambition toward learning the Technique, they don’t get the tapes because it’s wasteful. That’s a decision that I make but I don’t do [videos] on a commercial basis. I don’t do that. You gotta be right near me or I have to know you to disburse any type of info like that. It’s not that I wouldn’t do it, it’s just that I don’t do it at this present time. I have [them] for my students that are close up and other than that it’s all archived stuff for my legacy.
It just hasn’t come into my space right now to do anything like that. But if you enjoy the Technique that much, get in my face some kind of way, get annoying to me and then I’ll make arrangements because now I know you’re serious. I’ll make special arrangements for that person because now I feel they care about it as much as I do and I say, let me get this person off my back, let me help them out. He’s driving me crazy. If you become annoying, or in my face then I know you’re on the case and Ill a say, I better get on it. This [person] really wants to get this stuff. They might turn me onto something.
Bill thanks you for your questions concerning the Jammin’ Technique and limits his responses to queries in that category.
Check out “My Ultimate Boards” the latest site added to the Links page.
Check out the links page for this new addition:
Urban Skate Links
A reader is seeking to find a former rink owner in the Ypsilanti, Michigan area. If you have any helpful information, please contact him. Here is the message RST received:
I’m trying to contact James Edwards, owner of a skating rink in Ypsilanti, MI that burned down in Jan, 2007. Do you have any information on how to reach him. I have an opportunity for him to get involved in another rink in Ypsilanti. Thanks for your help.
Jack Parr
2 Corporate Drive, Suite 300
Southfield, MI 48076
Direct 248 226 1638
Fax 248 226 1639
jack.parr@colliers.com
Last month a member of the Boston Celtics proudly let it be known that he loves to roller skate and believes he’s the best skater in the NBA. Rajon Rondo also shared that he picked up a lot of his skills skating trios in Louisville, Kentucky. Read more in this Black Voices feature entitled: ”Celtics Rajon Rondo is Serious About Roller Skating.”
Those who suffer from diabetes are encouraged to regularly engage in aerobic exercise and keep their blood sugar levels low. Roller skating is a good way to accomplish both. Read more about that in Diabetes Globe.
A reader suggested we start a maintenance category, so we did, and he recommended this page on how to take care of your Bones bearings. Here’s an illustration of a bearing:
Read valuable tips and guidelines in: Maintaining Your Bones Bearings.
This article speaks of the benefits of skating for children but it follows the benefits extend to teens and adults as well.
….Skating … when mastered works such muscle groups as quads, thighs, buns and calfs. Serious skaters who twist and make tight turns are strengthening their backs while also working their abdominal muscles. Moreover, crouching while skating benefits the arms and chest while toning muscles.
Roller skating provides a complete aerobic workout, and involves all of the body’s muscles, especially the heart.
Read more in Skating for Life, (East Texas Review).
RST received this letter from a soulful Island skater:
I am certainly happy to have found your web page. My name is Henry Harper and I have been roller-skating since I was eight years old. I will be sixty three on April 2nd 2008!
I live in Trinidad & Tobago in the Caribbean and roller skate on weekends around what is known as our Queen’s Park savannah, a three-mile, almost-circular route. I have roller skated in London (UK) - where I lived for ten years - and in Paris.
In Trinidad & Tobago very few people roller skate. In days of old when men were bold we had a club called the Red Circle Roller Skating Club. We put on exhibitions and had racing competitions. For one reason or another the sport is on hold in T&T. So, I stand out like a sore thumb when skating on my quads around the savannah on weekends.
Fact is, I enjoy it! I skate to electronic music and our local “Soca” music.
Thanks for sharing your skate love with us, Henry.
