FINAL STORY - " IN FLIGHT "

If you would like to see Josh Wood and the final pictures and video in this series of 3 stories, you will need to visit my original blog "WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE A SPEED SKATING SPECTATOR".


Originally I had planned on writing all of these stories on that blog.... let's face it, I was just a "spectator"while Josh and Steve did all of the work. But some how the story got started on this page because it "became a story" that was intertwined with the Inline March Madness Invitational.

And I guess I just like to keep people looking around at all of the different things that are happening, so what better way to do that then mix everything and everyone up?!! LOL Hope you enjoyed it as much as I have.

Stick around because we have THE BATTLE IN SEATTLE coming up in just 8 days. Starting on April 10th with practice at Pattison's West in Seattle, WA, I hope to be uploading pictures, video or a story daily if time permits. After the completion of the meet, Josh and I will be sticking around in Washington for 7 days. No, it won't be for the snow that they have had recently but for clinics that will be held in two of the local rinks every night but one, and we will finish up the following weekend (April 19th and 20th) with the NORTHWEST 2008 Regional Clinic Qualifier for the upcoming OUTDOOR NATIONALS. So there should continue to be lots of photos, video and links throughout the course of the 11 days that we (o.k.--the kids) will be skating. Bookmark this site or better yet, hit the RSS feed button so that you are notified instantly when anything new is added to the SPEED SKATING SPECTATORS site. Enjoy.

RECORD NUMBER OF HITS TO SITE!!

I honestly think the ONLY reason you all came back today is that you all are waiting to see if Josh "biff's" it and that if I catch it on video!! LOL Here is Josh - in the middle of the jump, just as the flash goes off. This is what I captured.








This next picture is from Steve's
point of view! Check out those beautiful clouds. I can't imagine trying to hold a camera still (without a professional stick), as the athlete is skating towards you at a pretty good rate of speed. The athlete jumps fairly close to your face, skates, wheels and feet are still a little low as your subject flies over the top of you! But can you imagine the excitement of the speed, the adrenaline, the height, the danger and the coolness of the photo. It looks as if Josh were to come straight down he would be...... well, it wouldn't be pretty!!!



We had a record number of hits to our site yesterday to see Josh as a STUNT SKATER. Thanks for visiting the site. If we get close to the same amount today, I think Josh will need to find new work as a stunt skater.



Today I am adding a couple more of his jumps by video. Here to the left is the "normal" photo that they originally set out to do and one from when Steve was sprawled out on the ground.
Before I do that.... I was reminded to remind YOU the skaters..... DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME. THE PHOTOGRAPHER IS PROFESSIONAL, THE WRITER IS KIND OF PROFESSIONAL, AND THE ATHLETE.... WELL HE'S FALLEN SO MANY TIMES HE WOULDN'T KNOW IT IF HE WENT DOWN AGAIN.

So skaters... keep your feet close to the ground and wear your helmet.

Enjoy........ oh... and more video and pic's tomorrow, see ya then.

JOSH WOOD-STUNT SKATER???????

Josh Wood recently returned to his home in Sacramento, California for a little R&R after training on the ice for the last 7 months. With the ice season over and everyone else taking a step back and relaxing, Josh found another way to "chill". Let's just call it "his way".

If you know Josh, he doesn't like to "rest". He likes to have fun doing physical things. Today would be no different as Steve Harriman, our photographer from the City of Rancho Cordova, captured at least a few hundred photos of Josh skating at the recent marathon site in Rancho Cordova.

This is the same race site that Josh was unable to attend due to prior ice commitments. So with camera in hand and a couple of extra lenses and even a "stick thing" (yes that is MY professional name for the thing that holds the camera still - I think), Steve and Josh took off around the business park to take photos in different areas and at different angles. Steve had enjoyed shooting his very first inline speed skating marathon on March 9th, 2008, and had requested a little time with Josh. He had some ideas that he wanted to try out and Josh was game.

Of course I followed for awhile and then I headed back to the car where I found Ananda Jolliff (who has been living with our family for the last 10 weeks), fast asleep after getting only 5 hours sleep the night before. She had worked at the rink and did not realize that Josh wanted to train so early or she would have been at home and in bed asleep long before the 1am time that she finally plopped her head down on the pillow! In the meantime I told her to catch a few ZZZZZ's while the guys made their way around a portion of the marathon course taking photos.

After about an hour and a half, it was finally winding down and Steve asked Josh if he could jump??


Knowing that I didn't want an injured skater... I jumped in with, " Well typically Inline Speed Skaters usually work to keep their feet on the ground......." as if I weren't even there...... Josh piped in with, " Sure I can jump....... over what and how high?"



My stomach dropped as they both laughed. By now.... do you have ANY idea what was going through my head?? Well you all know how much I LOVE crashes...... I figured if Josh was going to go down.... I was going to capture it on my camera (sadistic? No, I just like crashes! And he obviously was going to jump with or without me watching). So here is part one of the video "outtakes" ..... and a few photos that I took. I still have not seen the ones that Steve shot. If this is any indication, they are gonna be cool!!

Of course we will have those available through Steve's website as soon as they are ready. Enjoy.....lol.... oh yeah.... you didn't think I would show you EVERYTHING today did you????

Yep, ya gotta come back if you want to see more.... video AND photos......LOL Linda
p.s. although the resolution is very low on these still shots taken from my video camera, don't be afraid to click in the middle of the photo to enlarge it and see how crazy this REALLY was!

ROSS CREVELING introduces "Early Morning Warm-Up"

Ross Creveling, INLINE MARCH MADNESS'S incredible announcer, decided to try something for the first time at our meet. It's something that will become the standard across the USA, mark my words!

Ross is well aware of Dynamic Flexibility and how important it is for the skaters to be warmed-up anytime, but especially in the morning when their bodies are tired and it is cold. He should know, he has 3 skaters/children who do it on a regular basis. Oldest son Patrick Creveling, who made the US Marathon Team the first year it was introduced, competed in the 2002 World Championships in Belgium. Daughter Chelsea Creveling has skated numerous National Championships, and represented Team USA at the 2005 World Championships in the marathon as well. And finally the baby of the family (sorry Chris... someone has to be the baby), the quiet and reserved Christopher Creveling who has qualified for at least the last 4 World Championships and holds at least one silver medal in the relay event and is "one to watch" in the new WhIP program, "inline to ice". Chris has chosen to compete on short track. And all three of these skaters are known to use this warm-up program.

Ross asked me after the first day, "Linda do you mind if we have the kids warm-up BEFORE the warm-up? You know.... the Dynamic Flexibility warm-up?" I said of course, that's a great idea.. and it was the next morning that he started the "Warm-up" before the warm-up drill. Many skaters participated and many skaters stood on the side wall watching. Possibly for the first time and others because they just weren't awake enough to realize what was happening. By the next morning we had triple the amount of skaters participating as we did the first day.

Thanks Ross for such a great idea! We tell our kids to do it before they skate and usually ask them to warm-up in the back of the rink or down the side isle, but now such a simple suggestion will turn what some skaters view as still an unnecessary thing into "what, you don't warm-up??" The video above was just a few seconds of one of the drills they did the first morning. Linda

BE CAREFUL WHAT FACE YOU MAKE!

Remember how your mother used to say, "be careful.... if you keep making that face, it might get stuck that way"?? As I take pictures and the kids make funny faces, I tell them "don't make a face unless you're o.k. with it being seen by thousands of people"!!

Some of these kids listened and others.... well I'm not so sure! Hope you Enjoy.

Corina Blas doesn't like mornings!! Normally a smile would adorn her face, but not today!! I told you to smile Rina...



Andrew Simmons from Washington was full of smiles during the clinic and had no problem showing it! Do you have a photo from this past weekend that you would like to share? Send it to woodsk8@yahoo.com and I will post it with your story! Linda



Chelsi Legualt from Idaho decided to hide her face, but that left something "else" for me to capture!! Chelsi, next time just smile!!

Where would YOU spend your 28th wedding anniversarry?

Pete and I in the middle of the floor
on our 28th wedding anniversary, March 8th, 2008
NOTICE the stop watch in Pete's right hand??

Many things are special to my husband, Pete and myself. Our children, our families, our friends and speed skating! Somehow all of those things intertwine anyway. You see our wedding date wasn't some "special" date that we had to get married on. It was a date that was "left over". What do I mean by left over???? LOL

Back in the 80's I was heavily involved in artistic skating. I taught 6 days a week and traveled often (surprise... nothing has changed except the spandex.... wait, that hasn't even changed!).

Well March 1, 1980 was a league meet so we couldn't get married on that date and March 15th, 1980 was the weekend of a local Invitational so that weekend was out. So we choose Saturday, March 8th, 1980 to get married. Since that time many important things in my life have centered around competitions. Some of them are easily explained here... and well others... most people might not understand unless you knew just how "quirky" my family is!! If you dare... ask me sometime about my mom and her love of skating!!!! :)

Since we spent our 25th silver wedding anniversary at practice and we had dinner at KFC (Pete I will NEVER let you forget that!!!!), it would only be appropriate to put on our own invitational on our wedding anniversary where we could be with all of our family and friends (except Josh-and he forgot to call me-I won't let HIM forget about it either!!). So that's where this little story comes from. That and I wanted to introduce you to my "other" children. Most of you already know Josh Wood, but his older sister Antoinette (Toni) who works undercover.. notice the t-shirt!! And Brian Wood, Josh's little brother who could kick his butt in a heart beat but loves his brother dearly, except when yu remind him how his brother and sister tied him to a chair when he was just 4-yrs old and stuck a sock in his mouth while I was at work! LOL Then the fire lights up in Brian's eyes and we all stand back....

Toni has a very ODD sense of humor like her father!
She works UNDERCOVER - don't you think that's weird?
LOL....

Skating has been very good to our family. Not financially by any means (LOL), but friends, families, memories and so much more. I guess I will get over not being together on birthdays, or anniversary's or some holidays as long as we have our "other" family members to spend them with!! How 'bout you?

Brothers till the end! Josh Wood - 25 years old used
to beat up little brother Brian Wood - 21 -years old.
But not any more!!! And YES... they do have the
same mother and the same father! LOL

DO I HAVE STORIES ??!!

Things were crazy throughout the competition - just like the swirls on Sidney Titus's head. Sidney from WASHINGTON, finished 1st place in the Standard Sophomore
Men's Division. Gotta be the hair-do!

How can so many things happen over such a short period of time?? I knew it would be a roller-coaster ride ..... and I wasn't disappointed! I know you all want to read the stories and see the pictures. Unfortunately I was not able to take as many photos as I usually do. Some of it was due to time (or really I should say, lack there of), and other reasons I can't believe... like the 3 different sets of batteries that I have for one of my cameras were ALL run down or the fact that I own two cameras and only brought one... or how about this.... I forgot my video camera??!! I think this has been the worst weekend for me capturing what happened. But I am counting on a few people to help me out. Mark Virtue from WASHINGTON who took so many photos his finger is probably hanging by a thread. And to Laura Burns from CALIFORNIA who video taped almost every race promised me that she would get us a copy as soon as she could.

We did have two injuries somewhat serious that I will tell you about (one indoor and one outdoor - one I observed the other I did not), the playing or singing of two National Anthems each morning for two of the four countries that were represented at this meet. And even the photos taken by one of the top dog officials at City Hall, who did a spectacular job. His photos are here: http://www.pbase.com/steve1h/rc_ils_3_9_08

Let's not forget the High Point Award that went to SOUTHGATE/AUBURN, WA team for their superb Indoor Racing... and even two skaters who flew in, rented a car, spent the night and were UNABLE to participate in the Marathon. These and more stories will be flowing this direction. So come back often to check in and see what's new. If the information is not about this year's Inline March Madness Invitational, it most certainly will be about the IMMI in 2009! We are so excited.

Thanks again to ALL of you who traveled, whether it was a few miles from the rink in Sacramento to those of you from the East Coast or another country (Canada, Hungary and Belgium), we are so glad that you could attend. We look forward to having you back again next year! TRIAD RACING and Linda Wood :)

California Girls get together during the clinic with Justin
Stelly and Emily Scott for a brief moment while I capture
those smiles!!

IMMI Indoor Competition goes LIVE!!

Yep.. that's right. All of the Primary Girls and Primary Boys made their television debut with Channel 31's GOOD DAY SACRAMENTO and reporter CODY STARK!! check it out here... http://cbs13.com/gooddaysacramento Once on this website, scroll across the videos until you come to the one that says "Cody goes skating". Of course it is not the complete hour of reporting, but it is cute!!

More pictures and results will be coming soon... after we finish tomorrow's marathon. Wish us luck... our few volunteers meet out at the road course at 5:00am (really 4am) and start unloading barricades and setting up the course which must be complete by 7pm. In the meantime American Red Cross is due to show up as well as our food, Porta-Potties (we know how important these are for a race) our 30 yard dumpster (smallest one that they would DONATE to us!! Thank you Allied Waste and the "Beirn Family") . Stay tuned and check out the photos we do have!

WEATHER CHANGE AGAIN!!

Most recent update (not that it matters and not that I can control it) says it will be in the mid 70's on Sunday in Rancho Cordova!!!!!!!!!!! Talk about excited. Do you know why the weather turned around??? Because I asked our staff to purchase 100 ponchos to hand out to the skaters if it should rain. That would help keep some dry... and for others it would make for silly photos!

Speaking of photos, Mark Virtue from Washington is here with camera in hand and is ready for all of those action shots!!! Mark will sell you a CD of all of the photos he takes at this meet for a donation to SEND THE BEST. He donates every dime back to skating and his photos are incredible. I will have all of the necessary information for you in the next day or two as well as a link to the INLINE MARCH MADNESS INVITATIONAL photo page. So stay tuned.

By the way, practice was two and a half hours long tonight and the skaters did a super job. We had some more late entries and now Standard Senior Men and World Class Men will join other divisions by having heats instead of just going straight to the finals. We are looking forward to it guys and gals... bring it on! Linda

INTRODUCING OUR "LOGO"

Somewhere in the midst of things I forgot to post our logo! He's kind of cool with that pot of gold and all that green! At least I think so!

He is on everything from the t-shirts (he is on the front and all of our sponsors are on the back IN COLOR), water bottles, programs, souvenir pins, awards and most anything else that he can be printed on! One of the kids noticed he was "skating to the right". I had to laugh because that was one of the first things that I noticed when he was sketched out for us. But as I reminded the young skater, "you know we do skate to the right when we are outdoor and we do skate to the right when we are skating session, so I think this time it will be o.k., how about you?" Of course he thought that was just fine. Good thing..... it was too late to do anything about it now anyway!

For those traveling in today... the roads were clear and there is a slight breeze blowing with the beautiful blue sky as far as the eye can see. Keep your eyes open when driving on the freeways or even local streets, as traffic can be doing 70mph one moment and literally dead stopped the next. I have had the opportunity to drive in many states and several countries and I think California as a whole ranks up there with some of the worst! We are always in a hurry to get somewhere and when we get where we were going, we want to hurry up and leave. Born and raised in California I can honestly say we need to slow down a little and look around, California is a beautiful state! Take it easy and we will see you at practice shortly.... Linda

12 HOURS TO GO

In just 12 hours we will be at the rink preparing for our open practice. Then 12 hours after that, I will be getting up preparing for our FIRST ANNUAL INLINE MARCH MADNESS INVITATIONAL/MARATHON.

I know I have passed a lot of information over these pages and most of the things have changed more often that some kids change their under ware (Oooo mental picture!). I will have the opportunity to write an article about what it is like to put on a larger event for the first time. USA Roller Sports is saving me a spot in their next issue. There are some days that I think, "Jessica will never publish this..." and other days I want to write about all of our great sponsors and how they were so instrumental in our success. What it has been like trying to get the schools to just hand out flyers that were already preprinted about our 2K FUN ROLL. Or how some businesses promised to donate something for our raffle and then declined once we stopped by to pick it up.

Well I would love to ramble on but I need a few hours sleep before this all starts. To be honest... I feel like that Novice kid who is at their first big race. I can't sleep, I feel like I have forgotten something important, like my skates or my uniform (no... I do not wear a uniform so don't even think about asking!).... but excitement as we pull up to the rink. The butterflies, the anticipation, the nerves.... I can't wait!!! See you tomorrow.. actually later today! Linda

MARATHON TIME CHANGE.......

Sunrise can be one of the most magical times of day. The way the sun reflects as it is rising up onto the water or the way the natural light outlines the peaks and valleys of a mountainous range even before you ever see the actual sun itself, can be something forever etched in our minds or on a picture.

Ahh but for inline skaters sunrise can actually be the signal that a race is officially started as in the case of the INLINE MARCH MADNESS MARATHON!

Originally we wanted to fire the gun at exactly 7:00am on the morning of March 9th, 2008, but it doesn't look like that will happen. With the changing of the guards (or the dreaded quote, "springing forward"), we will not only loose an hour of sleep officially at 2:00am Sunday morning, but we will also loose an hour of daylight at the start of our day. Now if you are confused that's o.k. because with the loss of sleep you will be way too tired to even care!!!

The good news is that we will not officially start the race until 7:30am. With sunrise beginning at 7:27am, we will already have had 3 minutes of new daylight under our belt to light the way for the World Class Men and Ladies and the Pro Master Men and Ladies Marathon competitors.

If you are like me, I want to start preparing now for the dreaded loss of that precious hour of sleep! If I could, I would change my clocks today so that on that important day I would be no more tired than I am right now. But sometimes life is cruel. And for me that will be Sunday morning at 5:00am (which is really 4:00am-but not really 4:00am because it officially changed) when we are out there setting things up to ensure that the road course is safe.

For those of you attending the indoor competition, we will have maps as to where you can park and when you must be in the parking lot prior to the road closing. And if the road is closed, where you will need to go so that you can park... and to those coming in just for the marathon, our staff will be happy to deliver the same maps to your hotels if they are within a few minutes of the host hotel, the MARRIOTT. If that does not work for you, please do not hesitate to contact me directly for directions which will be available tomorrow, Tuesday. woodsk8@yahoo.com

By the way... if you are joining us early, we will have official STARBUCK'S COFFEE AND TEA available (real HALF-N-HALF) as well as juice, water, gatorade, cliff bars, cereal, muffins, donuts, fruit, food and even candy for those who dare!!!

The weather is changing CONSTANTLY. I have NO CLUE what it will be like... so bring layers of clothing an umbrella, sunglasses, poncho, snow shoes, lip balm and suntan lotion and you won't go wrong!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Stay tuned for the update on scheduling... Linda
p.s. the sunrise pictures are courtesy of YAHOO SEARCH and the ones I liked the most, hope it doesn't infringe upon some kind of legal rights thing!! :)

RIGHT NOW - 37 MPH WIND GUSTS!!!

I woke up to things clanging and banging and to the sounds of things "blowing" across our backyard at about 5am. I couldn't stand the thought of what all of that meant. The MARCH WINDS were blowing in. So I pulled the blankets up over my head and went back to sleep. In 8 hours not much has changed!

Not that we haven't had the winds off and on throughout the month of February, because we have, but we were not holding the March Madness Inline Marathon in the month of February so it didn't really matter! As crazy as that sounds, it's the mind of a "race promoter"!! Currently the wind is blowing at 27mph with gusts up to 37mph. I thought I would share with you what happened LAST month to our fence during some of the stronger winds. Take a look at our fence BEFORE and the neighbor's fence AFTER the last storm.

Our fence before the last storm....

We live on some property and the good thing is that all the homes that surround the 3 sides of us are responsible for their own fence. There is no typical "good-neighbor" fence that surrounds our property like most homeowners. Not because we aren't good neighbors (funny guys... were not even home half of the time!), but because that's the way the original land owner set it up. Good thing! As you can see, this is same section of fence from 3 different angles. Picture #1 middle picture: In the neighbor's backyard-the fence fell onto our white trailer.

Picture #2 Right Side: 4 - eight foot sections fell onto our white trailer - side view

Picture #3 Below: Standing on our property looking into 2 neighbor's backyards - because I can!

So lets hope that the winds die down and I will keep you updated on the lastest with the weather! And remember ....this happened LAST month in February... not this month in March :) I WILL stay positive!! Linda

ARE YOU READY ?????

I have received several emails this week where the sender has said something to the effect of "I can't wait to come to Sacramento. You know it's only 6 more days until the meet?!!". And I'm thinking.... "no kidding, only 6 or 7 more days. There is NO WAYYYYYYYYY I am going to get everything done!!" I sure hope that everything that I am supposed to do actually does get accomplished.

I need to finish up with the Fire Department. I just realized that I have not heard back from the American Red Cross (someone remind me we have to contact them again!!). The barricades need to be ordered and picked up. Who is going to rent the UHaul and pick them up? Where will they be stored until Sunday? How about the trophies.. did someone remember to order them? I'm sure they did. But did they PAY for them?! And the rooms for the referee's. Can't they sleep 6 to a room like we do? LOL And the 100 extra chairs should be ordered but since I didn't do it I don't know for sure. And the bleachers need to be put together. Who is bringing the BBQ to the outdoor race? How about the coolers? Do the volunteers know what to do? How many left hand turn signs did we order? Don't forget there are right hand turns too. And make sure that you make enough covers for the drains. Tell the street sweeper we don't need the gutters cleaned.... we need the STREET cleaned!!!! And the Porta-Potties and the dumpster can go over in that parking lot, but make sure they are close enough for the participants. did someone order the t-shirts? O.k. so did you pick them up? What do you mean the vendors need tables? Electrical... for what? Uhhh I was supposed to do that???

Yes, all of those things must be answered or done or designated to someone else and we better make sure it's done this weekend!!! Wow, now I am really worried! :) If I forget something, let me apologize for it now. We all know I can't remember my own kids names half the time and the other half I mix them up so how am I going to keep up with all of this??!!

Well I have a great team of parents and coaches who will keep me in line and get everything done!!! :) I'm looking forward to meeting all of you, so please stop by and say hello and if I look frazzled... I am!! Linda

BEAUTIFUL WEATHER...

Currently the weather is PERFECT skating weather. According to the next 10-day forecast, we can expect the weather to remain the same. This picture is of the finish line area. Bright sunshine and green grass encircle the whole marathon course.

This photo was taken on the way to the road course today. Blue sky's and light, thin, white clouds as far as the eye can see! Including the next 10 days... let's hope for the next 13 days!!! If you haven't signed up for the marathon or the 5K, you have only 4 days left before the price goes up!

Although we would LOVE to give the winners of WC Men, Women and Pro Master Men and Women, thousands of dollars in prize money, you need to be real... and we are. So with that said, please know that in OUR hearts and minds you already are millionaires... however in your envelopes you will find the following payouts:

First Place $125.00
Second Place $100.00
Third Place $80.00
Fourth Place $65.00
Fifth Place $50.00

Now if a sponsor comes along in the next 13 days and decides to add to these amounts ..... of course we will drop that additional amount into your envelope ..... but if not, you are at least guaranteed the above amounts!!

So sign up now if you haven't already.... and we will see you in just 13 days!!!!!! Linda

OFFICIAL SCHEDULE

Here is the most current TENTATIVE official schedule. Some of you are probably saying, how can it STILL be tentative???? People are still calling and asking if they can enter, some are adding events and did not realize that we have "pool relays" or "inter-club relays" where a skater who is the only one from their club can be put into a "pool" of other single skaters to make one team or many teams. This allows every skater more opportunity to skate as many events as possible!!

One thing I learned very early on in this sport... be flexible!! It's ok that things change... change is good... kick back and enjoy it... go along for the ride.... I know... just print the official TENTATIVE schedule!! :)

Wednesday - March 5th - Open Practice - 5:00pm - 7:30pm $5.00

Thursday - March 6th - Doors Open - 6:00am

First Event - 7:00am

Novice Division Long Distance-Older divisions first
Novice Division Short Distance-Older divisions first

Awards for all Novice Divisions

Early Lunch Break - 10:00am - 12:00 noon

SPECIAL CLINIC HOSTED BY POWERSLIDE'S:
Current World Team Members - Justin Stelly & Emily Scott
12:00 - 1:30 pm

Only $10.00 - Space is limited!!!!! Please contact ME, Linda Wood to reserve your spot. Spend an hour and a half with two World Team Members! POWERSLIDE to include "goodie-bag" for each skater. Photo opportunity as well as autograph session. Ask the experts what their training secrets are. Find out how to get off the line quicker or how to make that smooth "late pass". Then be ready to apply what you just learned in the 4-Person relays!!

1:30 - 2:00pm - Open Practice - No Charge

2:00pm - 4-Lady Relays
4-Man Relays
4-Mix Relays

Standard Division - Short Distance
World Class Men & Women 100m
Older Divisions will skate first

** Please be ready to skate at least one-hour prior to your scheduled event, except for the first event. All USARS rules will apply as well as the added "Mary's Rules". Since "Mary" is not here, LINDA will enforce her rules in good faith!! ** If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me, Linda Wood at: woodsk8@yahoo.com

Friday's information will be posted shortly.... we hope to let you sleep in a bit.... so as soon as we know.... YOU will know!!!! Thanks so much.... Oh, and be ready to participate in a SPECIAL race on Friday!!!

FRESNO SKATER "RATES" IMMI MARATHON COURSE

Hi all:

I just HAD to include this information that I found on INLINE PLANET about our Marathon Course! A skater from Fresno named Rich posted a few days ago that he had an opportunity to SKATE our marathon course. When I first read this.... I felt sick to my stomach. Not because the course isn't exactly the way I have described it, but because some skaters feel that when you hold a marathon or any kid of race outside, that it should be on perfectly SMOOTH asphalt. WRONG... it's a road course, designed to be on a road. And I don't know about other states or even cities, but we feel extremely blessed to have a place to skate that WANTS US (Rancho Cordova City Hall) and is willing to help us any way that they can. So when I went on to read that he not only skated the course, he used his new GPS high tech thinga-ma-jig to test it out and then downloaded (or uploaded - depending on your level of internet knowledge) the information and I could watch it... well it wasn't too hard to call me impressed!! You really need to check this out... even if it's only for what the GPS unit can do!! In the meantime there is only 10 days remaining before we start the indoor portion of our INLINE MARCH MADNESS INVITATIONAL.... why aren't you out training??!!! LOL Enjoy... Linda

1. Go to Inline Planet: www.inlineplanet.com

2.  Go down to February 19th articles and look for "On
the Forum" MARCH MADNESS COURSE

3.  Click on Rich's post and then read.  I post after
him.

But the cool thing is you are going to want to see
what his GPS can do.  So follow the link he has
provided in his post.  Once you are there... click on
the DASHBOARD and then if you are not impressed
enough... then click on MAP PLAYER and really get
excited!!

MORE ENTRIES RECEIVED TODAY

We still have one day remaining to meet the entry deadline and then it will be "nose to the grindstone" as we set up the schedule and get that out to the skaters and parents. We appreciate your patience as we have waited for the final entries to arrive. In fact today we received 3 more club entries.

So starting Saturday night after practice, a couple of us will get together and start putting the divisions together with times. We can tell you for sure that we are having practice on Wednesday evening from 5:00-7:30pm and the price is $5.00 per skater. During this time skaters can register and purchase colorful meet t-shirts or hoodie sweetshirts (limited quantities) and meet programs. Parents can purchase the weekend pass bracelets or wait and purchase a one-day pass each day. Competition will start Thursday morning with the doors opening at 5:00am and the first event at 6:00am. We will start off with the Novice division. Going completely through each distance before we start the 4-person relays.

We will be able to give you more details in just a few days. Our "goodie-bags" that are slated for the outdoor race... are going to be so full of cool things you might miss your race just going through your bag!!!

Have a great weekend... and check back here at the beginning of the week for our schedule!! Linda

VENDORS IN PLACE AS ENTRY DEADLINE EXTNEDED

With our entry deadline extended until this coming Saturday, February 23rd, entries are still coming in.

In the meantime confirmation has come from the following vendors who will be attending the 1st Annual Inline March Madness Invitational! We would like to thank BONT, LUIGINO and POWERSLIDE for brining their skaters and setting up a booth for all three days indoor and outdoor for the marathon.

Our team of parents are doing some amazing things as they finalize gift baskets, hotel rooms and other gifts that will be raffled off during the competition.

We would like to thank all of our sponsors. Without them this meet would not be possible!! Check them out on our official website at: www.inlinemarchmadness.com

As always... any questions do not hesitate to contact us! We want your visit to Citrus Heights and Rancho Cordova to be one of your most memorable!! Linda Wood

MAP OF MARATHON ROAD COURSE

Skaters:

The city just released a copy of the marathon road course. We have it available in a PDF file. Check it out....
If you are unable to enlarge this, please go to: www.inlinemarchmadness.com and on the main page scroll down looking for the words 2/14/08 NEW Marathon course.


By the way we have extended our deadline date for the indoor portion ONLY. Please note that your entries are now due on Saturday, February 23rd with a rink check, money order or cashiers check. The outdoor portion has not been extended. Those fees are still due no later than February 23rd for the $65 entry if you are not skating indoor and $85.00 if the fees are received February 24th through March 8th NOON. No entries will be accepted after March 8th, 12:00pm except for the 2k Fun Roll. Come join us for the first Inline March Madness Marathon AKA Rancho Cordova City Inline Marathon. We look forward to seeing you in 20+ days!!

Linda Wood

Additional Information

Hello. I have added a few more things but this time it's posted on the HYPER website. I like to spread my information around LOL. Drop by and read some of the new things that we have in place.

As ALWAYS.... do not hesitate to contact me, Linda Wood at: woodsk8@hotmail.com OR click on the email link on our website or our Blog. You can't go wrong!! See you in a few weeks

HYPER LINK

MARATHON COURSE INFORMATION

The last 6 days it has done nothing but RAIN! I have left my home on 2 separate occasions to specifically do nothing but drive the course, inspect the roads and take pictures for the BLOG site, only to have to turn around and come back home due to the weather.

Sometimes the weather has been severe enough for us to receive "Severe wind and rain" advisory's. Including the one tonight with constant rain and winds steady at 25-35 miles-per-hour and wind gusts up to 50 mph. Honestly I cannot remember the last time that we had this much rain consistently over a period of time. So that is why you will see rain spots in some of these pictures.

The course will be held in the RANCHO CORDOVA BUSINESS PARK. It may not be quite as scenic like Duluth with Lake Superior or Long Beach Marathon that had skating on the beach, but the area is clean, the parking lots are large and the streets are WIDE. I believe that the Department of Transportation (DOT) for the city stated that most of the roads are 60-feet wide, which is the equivalent to a 4 lane-road (regulation width is 12-feet - I learn something new every day).

The course is 2.4 miles long and has 10 turns which help make up the course. There are 4 right-hand turns and 6 left-hand turns, which incorporates one "S" turn. It will take the skaters 11 laps (just a tad under) to complete the marathon.

I would love to tell you this course is as smooth as a baby's behind, but (no pun intended) it is a road that appears to have "business" usage! So what is "business" usage? It's in a business park where speeds are 35mph maximum and delivery trucks as well as "Monday through Friday" business employee's use the roads to get to work. There are no paint lines on 85% of the course. The only time a skater will see those are as they cross through intersections with STOP signs. Again with most of the roads being 60-feet wide a skater could be with 10 other skaters and still be skating "alone". Check out my pictures here and then check out Live Maps here: RANCHO CORDOVA BUSINESS PARK.

We are working on many exciting projects for not only the skaters, but spectators alike! Remember to keep checking back often. More information will be added as soon as it becomes available. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at: woodsk8@gmail.com Thanks and have a GREAT week! Linda

RANCHO CORDOVA OPENS THEIR STREETS!

I just want to thank the CITY OF RANCHO CORDOVA!

The Transportation Department, the Fire Dept, the Police Dept, the Planning Dept and all of the other people that I met yesterday. What was originally a meeting of 4 people (or so I thought) turned into a boardroom full of "Head Honcho's" and I was at the head of the table pitching our plea for street closures for our upcoming Inline March Madness Invitational Marathon (say that fast 5 times)!

Although we finally decided on my 3rd choice for a course (only because it was shorter), we all left knowing that this race WILL become an "Annual Event" that we will continue to build upon. We all want this event to become the Duluth Marathon on the WEST COAST and this little City is ready, willing and able to take it on.

There are so many questions that we just don't know the answers to until the first race is over and done with, so we are taking baby steps to ensure that we do things right the first time. Things like parking, bathrooms, hand wash stations, food, electrical, barriers, volunteers, water stations and of course the weather! But we are diligently working on all of those avenues and the City is holding our hand from start to finish.

So with that said, I will be out at the site taking pictures over the next couple of days, figuring out the exact distance (somewhere around 2.2 to 2.5 mile loop) and bringing that back here to you, along with a course map and continual updates as the things are accomplished.

Thank you to all of you who have asked questions, made suggestions, and lent your support through emails and phone calls. This may be our first time but it will be an event to remember! It is all about skaters, skaters, and more skaters!!! Stay Tuned!!! Linda

ENTRY FORMS POSTED

We are so excited about our upcoming race and have been answering phone calls from skaters and their parents from many different states!! We even have a club from CALGARY, CANADA joining us with their 9 skaters!!! Some of the skaters that I have spoken to are from Virginia, Pennsylvania, Texas, 3 different clubs in Washington, Idaho and Colorado!! So be sure that you have your hotel booked and that you bring your alarm clock (we will be starting early!) and we will see you in just a few short weeks! Remember if you have ANY questions, please do not hesitate to contact us, we will get right back to you!!

www.inlinemarchmadness.com

OUR MOST CURRENT INFORMATION!!!

Parents and Skaters...

Thank you for your patience! Things are moving along but it feels like they are doing so in slow motion!

The host hotel is filling quickly and you may need to call the hotel to book your room if you are coming in on Wednesday evening. There were a small amount of rooms available at the $98 rate on Wednesday night and the next tier was at $125 a night. Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights all remain at $98 a night and are available until February 14th when the rooms will go back to $199 a night. So NOW is the time to book a room if you haven't done so already! The link is located on the left side of this page. ( When you call the Marriott ask for Alison or Kristin in Group Sales-tell them you are with Sunrise Rollerland Speed Meet).


More information has been added to our main website at: www.inlnemarchmadness.com Just scroll down the page for the latest information on prices, divisions and due dates. More will be added this week on a daily basis as it is available to us.

Here is how you can enter the indoor competition. Your coach or club representative will need to enter you if there are two or more skaters from one club. Please no single registrations unless you are the only skater representing your club. The entry forms are located on the left side of our main website up near the top on the page. Once you open that-please read and then proceed to the bottom of that page where the entry forms will be listed.

Those skaters not competing at the indoor portion of the competition may enter individually for the Outdoor skate. Once again, please see the individual link for the "Outdoor Only" portion and follow the directions on how to enter. Our course HAS changed and we should have the final layout by Friday, January 25th with a map included. The City of Rancho Cordova Roadway Department has approved the race we are waiting for the final approval from the Fire Department and the Police Department. We meet with them this week!

SCHEDULE: I know this is very important to those of you making reservations. Thursday morning will start with the NOVICE division - both distances. Next we will start 4-person relays followed by STANDARD division races.

Because we must wait for entries to come in (we have already received some entries) we cannot give you an exact time as to when each block of skating will begin. Sunday's outdoor schedule will start as early as we can and we HOPE to be finished by 2pm at the very latest. You are approximately 20-25 minutes away from the airport if you are leaving directly from the outdoor site. I PROMISE.... you will know as soon as we know!!!!!

Keep your eye on the deadlines!!! For the HOTEL it is FEBRUARY 14th or when rooms run out. For the INDOOR ENTRY it is: SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16th.


OUTDOOR ENTRY:

Every skater who enters our Outdoor competition will come away with a t-shirt, goodie bag and a participation award. Remember we will skate rain or shine!!

MARATHON - 42K - (26.2 miles)

Entry included with you indoor entry: $50. 00
Only skate outdoor: $65.00 Deadline: FEBRUARY 23rd

Registration after February 23rd up until Saturday
afternoon 3/8/08 12:00pm (noon) $85.00


ADVANCED/INTERMEDIATE/RECREATIONAL - 5K - (3.12 miles)

Entry included with your indoor entry: $35.00
Only skating outdoor: $45.00 Deadline: FEBRUARY 23rd

Registration after Feb 23rd up until Saturday
afternoon 3/8/08 12:00pm (noon) $50.00

BEGINNER/FUN ROLL - 2K - (1.2 miles)
MUST BE BEGINNER!!
ROLLERBLADES OR QUAD SKATES ONLY! $20.00
Deadline - day of race 8:00 AM