Building the World's Best Skate Park - Easier Said Than Done

Building the World's Best Skate Park - Easier Said Than Done
By L. Winslow

It is interesting to watch skate parks and skateboarding becoming so popular again. Indeed, there appears to be a 10-year cycle in that industry sub-sector. The Online Think Tank is assisting World Class Designers with innovative ideas to take the concept to a whole new level. We wish to re-design them and the skateboards too.

In fact we want to build hoverboard prototypes. These units will need to propel the 90-180 lb. average kid and therefore stay very low in the ground affect. The current hoverboards are the wrong shape, size, power and the aerodynamic flows are incorrect, but with all these new high tech materials perhaps this may in fact change. Materials such as Carbon Nano-Tubes. (yes your future golf clubs too.)

Matter of fact I am picking up an all-carbon 10-speed for my bike ride across the nation soon, charity fundraising effort. But Carbon Nano-Tubes, well that takes the whole thing to a whole new level. Imagine Lance Armstrong on a bike weighing 8 lbs? See ya!

With all the military UAV VTOL devices there is lots of hover parts that are much more powerful than before. "Four of those on a board" now that would life someone up and then they could rock and roll at a skatepark. Building the World's Best Skate Park is easier said than done, especially when one's starts out re-designing the entire sport from the ground up. Can it be done?

Well, the Online Think Tank believes it can and we want the skateboards to fly, literally. If you want to see some awesome new concepts in skateparks, then check this out;

http://www.acconci.com/img/296/bowl2_flat.jpg

L. Winslow is a Skate Board Advisor to the Online Think Tank, a Futurist and retired entrepreneur. Currently he is planning a bicycle ride across the US to raise money for charity and is sponsored by http://www.Calling-Plans.com and all the proceeds will go to various charities who sign up.

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Skates – Tips on Selecting the Correct Skates

Skates – Tips on Selecting the Correct Skates
By Lucy Bartlett

Skates can be used in many different ways. Some of the most common activities with skates are figure skating, ramp, hockey, stair riding, up and down hills, speed skating, commuting and so on. Before selecting a pair skates decide whether it is to be used for speed, hockey or multi-purpose.

The skating sports boom occurred in the 1880s and from that time onwards roller skates were mass produced to meet the demand. Richmond, Indiana based Micajah C Henley was producing more than a thousand pairs of skates every week and selling all of them. These skates were the first model to hit the markets with a provision to adjust the tension through the screws fitted at the base.

Multi-purpose skates are also known as fitness or cross-training skates and recreational skates. Correct translations of these sales terms will be “expensive skates” and “cheaper skates” respectively. Multi-purpose skates with rugged shells, smaller and harder wheels and grind plates made of either plastic or metals are ideal for aggressive or street skating. These types of skates are very popular. For inline skating, multi-purpose skates form a large share of the market. They are made of plastic and contain an inside foam liner. Some models have only laces for tying and some have only buckles and some have a combination of both laces and buckles. Find more info at www.coolskates.info

Hockey skates are made of stitched leather. They are good for use only in rinks and may not withstand the abrasion and shocks of the rough surface of the outdoors. Hockey skates can be properly fastened by using the Velcro straps and the laces.

Speed skates are provided with a wheelbase which can fit in 5 wheels. Speed skates are usually made of leather. Speed skates are sold only specialty stores.

When purchasing speed skates ensure you get a good fitting. Sit down and fasten the skates as if you are going to skate. When you stand up your toes should reach or touch the end of the skate. Bend your knees in the standing position. Straighten your legs and bend them again. Do these exercise a couple of times and check your comfort level. A small toe room should be created when you bend the knees during skating which ensures a good fit. If the toes are touching and feeling the tip of the skates, it indicates a good and proper fit. By using custom insoles you can get a perfect fit.

When the inside of the wheels appear worn or your speed is not picking up, it is time to change the wheels. Your weight, skating downhill and the terrain are some of the factors causing the wear and tear of the wheel.

Lucy Bartlett is a proud contributing author. Find more articles here. For more info visit Skates or Aggressive Skates

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Do You Want To Learn How To Skate

Do You Want To Learn How To Skate

Roller skates are outdated. It is very rare that those skates with two wheels in the front and two wheels in the back are used. Roller blades, on row of four wheels, seem to have completely replaced the old version of skates. They require a bit more balance and make it easier to change direction for turns or avoiding obstacles. The design is very similar to the blades on ice skates. So does that mean you can ice skate if you know how to roller blade, or vice versa? Is it possible to learn to ice skate and rollerblade? If you learn one, will you automatically learn the other?

Not necessarily. Learning to balance on skates is the first lesson you must learn. The techniques for balancing are slightly different between ice blades and wheels. With rollerblades, balance can be easily achieved as long as the wheels are not moving. Once you are able to stand, you can begin to roll. The smoothness of the ground can range from heavy friction to an almost slippery rink. It takes a lot of strength to push the skates and hold up your body weight on a rough surface and it is the best way to begin. Once you have mastered to movement, you can go to a rink where the ride is smoother, and you will be able to skate faster, with practice. It is easier to rollerblade than it is on ice skates because there is more resistance, and less opportunity to slip and slide.

Ice skating is more challenging because of the slip factor. The ice is incredibly smooth, and you have to learn how to balance on the ice. There is less control of your movement, because the blade and slip at any angle on the ice. The control of your weight and speed would have to be adjusted if you know how to rollerblade. Another challenge is being able to stop. It is extremely difficult to stop on ice once you have gained the speed, and you can't stop yourself short because you might topple over. You have to gradually slow down and angle your blade to create more friction between your foot and the ice. (the other option is to run into the wall) When you are on the ice it is nearly impossible to stay still. On rollerblades, you have breaks, and you can pretty much stop the wheels.

Based on the striking similarity of the design of inline skates and ice skates, I suppose if one learns to skate one, they can easily learn the other, but it won't be exactly the same.

So it is definitely possible to learn either one, but it won't come quickly. Both types of skating have their unique traits and it is important to practice when learning any activity like this. Don't just assume that it will be easy. It will however, be easier than if you hadn't learning how to skate at all prior to the experience. If that is the case, then stay close to the wall and hold on.

Deena is a 19 years old teens who just loves skating. She enjoys skating so much that she dreams to become a professional skater. One amazing thing about Deena is that she picked up skating all by herself. When she fell, she stood up and skate again. That was exactly the life motto that her parents have been teaching her. See her website at http://www.skatingsite.info/

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The World Of Skate Parks

The World Of Skate Parks

Many things are a mystery to me. Actually, anything that I am not familiar with seems mysterious to me. I don't really understand the world of race car driving, for example, because it is totally foreign to me. I definitely do not understand people who spend hours each day doing crossword puzzles. I can never sit still long enough to do one puzzle let alone hours worth each day. But to me, the biggest mystery used to be the world of skate parks. I didn't understand why people went to them or what kind of people you could find there. That's all changed now, since I've spent some time at a skate park myself.

The biggest thing I noticed during my visits to skate parks was that they really are their own communities. I saw girls and boys ranging in age from around five years old up till around twenty-five years old. It was amazing though, because age doesn't seem to matter at skate parks. I saw little boys skating alongside teenage girls without any problems. It almost seemed like all the people at the skate parks are actually friends. I guess skating has brought them together and identified them as the same kind of people so that they really begin to look and function like a group. At each of the skate parks I visited it looked like everyone watches out for everyone else. People seem to really care about one another and they seemed to be full of support and encouragement for other skaters.

Another thing I learned from visiting skate parks was that there really is a certain look and vibe among skaters. For the most part, skaters of all ages dressed the same with baggy pants and loose fitting tee shirts. I did not see anyone at the skate parks that was overly concerned with the latest fashion. I guess their concern was only to fit in with the other people within their community, a characteristic typical of members of any kind of community.

I really enjoyed visiting skate parks. They are filled with really talented young people who have found, at least for now, their place in the world. Most of the skaters I talked with said that skating has become their ultimate passion. They never tire of spending hour after hour, week after week practicing at skate parks. They have made a solid group of friends and are very happy with their lives.

It was good for me to visit skate parks because now I understand them better. They moved from being mysterious to be intriguing enough to me that I went out and bought a board. My next test is getting up the courage to return to one of the skate parks and try it out.

By: Belina Storrey -

Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Author Belina Storrey is committed to helping others discover the truth about skate parks. Learn more at www.skateparksplace.info

Skate

SKATE - Online Community For Skaters

You a skateboarder? Inline skater? Figure skater? It doesn't matter, at skaters.com, the fastest growing online community for skaters, aims to allow skaters from all over the world to meet and have fun.

People are allowed to form private clubs and upload their videos. They can also keep a personal blog to update their skater friends the latest update on his/her life. Uploading videos are a great way to learn new skate tricks and share tips. Who knows, you might become famous!