Sunday Streets San Francisco

Last year in 2008, C.O.R.A. was involved in Sunday Streets San Francisco. This is where streets in the City are closed to car traffic and people come out and “play in the streets”. Well, we are doing it bigger and better in 2009. You are invited to come experience the concept of “Recreational Asphalt” in the 2009 series of Sunday Streets events.

The first event is Sunday April 26, 2009. The Embarcadero along San Francisco’s waterfront will be closed to traffic from 9AM to 1PM so that people can skate, bike, run, walk, dance, hula hoop or otherwise enjoy the roadway without the chance of being run over by cars. There will be activity pods along the route. There will be free skate rentals and skate lessons all day along with Roller-soccer demonstrations and dance Skate demos. The Fisherman’s Wharf/Pier 39 businesses will have live bands and a health/fitness expo at Aquatic Park.

AT&T Ballpark will be open so that you can come in and go onto the field. You and the kids can run the bases like an all star major league player.

Come learn about the California Outdoor Rollersports Association, a registered 501c4 nonprofit corporation. Get information on C.O.R.A. efforts to promote skating as fun, healthy exercise and as viable alternative transportation. Come participate in the C.O.R.A. SkateFit Program. http://www.cora.org/CoraSkateFitProgram.htm Get info on the Black Rock Roller Disco, http://www.cora.org/BlackRockRollerDisco2008.html The Skate Against Violence Campaign http://www.cora.org/SFtoLA2008.htmand races like the Napa Valley Inline Marathon http://www.cora.org/2009NapaIM.htm and the “Do you Know The Way To San Jose” Roadskate.

We are going to have a fantastic time. We will be doing this 6 times in 2009, so please come out and show your support for Sunday Streets San Francisco. For more information go to http://www.cora.org/SundayStreets2009.htm

WE NEED VOLUNTEERS!!!!! Please reply if you can help!!!

K2 Women Team rockt Vattenfall Halbmarathon, Berlin 05. April 2009

Ein sonniger Morgen begrüßte uns und versprach einen super Tag, eine trockene Strecke und Sonne soweit das Auge reicht.
Das Rennen war gut besetzt knappe 1800 Skater – fast 50 Damen im Startblock A. Der Start war hektisch:

2 Minuten vor dem Start, Anja schaut nervös auf die Uhr “wo bleiben Annika und Simone”????
1 Minute vor dem Start (die Uhr lief schon Rückwärts) …. endlich Simone und Annika stehen im Startblock A und binden sich in Windeseile die Schuhe zu.Nach dem Rennen die Erklärung von Simone: “Eigentlich kann ich mir gar nicht erklären, warum wir am Start so spät dran waren, wir haben eine Std. vor dem Start angefangen uns aufzuwärmen, dann Skates angezogen und dann war es auf einmal schon recht spät, das wäre eigentlich auch kein Problem gewesen, wenn uns das Ordnungspersonal nicht auf einen falschen Weg geschickt hätte, so dass wir uns durch Menschenmassen regelrecht durchboxen mussten. Am Start angekommen war der Adrenalinspiegel dann so hoch, dass er uns beim Schuhe binden zu Höchstleistungen angetrieben hat . (Anm. von K2 Skates: Das ist ja mal wieder eine K2 Performance…)

Das Tempo war die ersten 10km moderat und es gab keine nennenswerten Attacken. Die Mädels ließen es zum Saisonstart langsam angehen. Mayke hatte früh die Koordination des K2-Teams übernommen und sich immer wieder mit Annika und Simone im ersten Drittel des Feldes positioniert. Somit haben die Konkurrentinnen auch gemerkt, dass wir K2-Mädels voll im Rennen stehen und uns in der GIC-Serie stark präsentieren werden. Michaela musste sich die ersten 6 km erst einmal von hinten nach vorne kämpfen – unterstütze dann auch Silke bei einer (kleinen) Attacke innerhalb des Feldes bei ca. km 12.

Silke musste bei km 17 nach einer Attacke abreißen lassen und fuhr mit 40:51 ins Ziel.
Michaela hatte nach ihrer langen Krankheit einen super Start in Berlin hingelegt und blieb bis zum Zielsprint in der Spitzengruppe. Bei der Zielsprint-Attacke fiel sie dann ab und kam hinter der Spitze ins Ziel.

Mayke, Simone und Annika waren ein super Team und Simone hat nun in diesem Jahr mit Mayke und Annika endlich eine professionelle Unterstützung bekommen und muss nicht mehr, wie im letzten Jahr, alleine in der Spitze aushalten.

Kurz vor dem Ziel haben Annika und Simone die entscheidende Attacke leider verpasst, es tat sich eine kleine Lücke auf, dass sie aufgrund des hohen Tempos welches vorne gefahren wurde nicht mehr schließen konnten.

Am Ende konnte man mit dem ersten Ergebnis des K2-Teams Women mehr als zufrieden sein:
Siegerin war Cecilia Baena aus Kolumbien vom Powerslide Matter World Team mit einer Zeit von 38:28.Minuten

Mayke kam unter den ersten 10 ins Ziel, eine Sekunde hinter Cecilia Baena, bei dieser beachtlichen internationalen Konkurrenz war das eine grandiose Leistung.

Ergebnis K2-Team:
10. Mayke Exterkate             38:29
14. Annika Gentz                38:33
15. Simone Kohls                38:33
26. Michaela Heinz-Gerten       39:53
27. Silke Heiss                 41,53
46. Anja Cheylus                51:23

K2 Skates On Twitter: http://twitter.com/k2skates

See what the K2 Skate Crew is up to and let us know what you are doing as well.

Asphalt Beach/K2 Team at Squiggy

AN UPDATE FROM STEVE LARIOS

Squiggy was a hoot. First, I can’t say enough about what a great job Birgit and Jessica did. This is one of the best organized and skater friendly races in the country now. That is evident by the huge number of bad-ass pro skaters from all over the world that show up for it. The quality of the field was pretty scary.

Team Asphalt Beach-K2 placed 3rd in the Team Time Trial event on Saturday. We covered the 7 mile course in 21:48.28. It was Jessica, Harwell, and me. We lost to the Texas team that had Hernan Diaz and Renee Coffman by 21 seconds, and the Simmons Team – who killed the course in 18:49. It was good to be on the podium given that competition – and Harwell held a K2 Pro Longmount for the official photo.

The marathon was a great result for Jessica. She got 6th in Pro Elite Women with 1:19:54 – her best marathon result to date.

Bob Clare and I finished together in 1:23:09. Harwell was a little back at 1:23:58. That’s 11th, 12th & 15th in Pro Master Men. We probably lost 4 or 5 minutes due to all the rink-rat grab-ass in the pack. We would either skate 23mph or 16 mph – those kids would race anyone that went to the front to pull. It was kinda frustrating, but that’s racing.

We got some good publicity for our team and sponsors. I’m needing to skate some hill repeats between now and Texas

-Steve Larios

Email of the Week!

“The best kid’s skates you can buy!”

I bought the K2 Raider skates for my 6 year old daughter after looking tirelessly at what was offered for kids. I actually bought two other pairs, Roller Derby Coyote and Ultra Wheels Transformer. Both are good skates for the money (cheaper than K2, I would recommend the Coyote over the Ultra Wheels) but they don’t compare with the K2 Raider.

The K2 skate has a soft boot that is extremely well made. It has 70mm wheels and quality ABEC-3 bearings. The wheels spin freely and easily and are very quiet. The skate size is easy to adjust and very comfortable according to my daughter. She has been skating since she was four so I wanted a quality skate for her that would allow her to keep up with her nine year old sister. The K2 Raider fits the bill perfectly! And at this price, it simply cannot be beat!

Julie Tersigni is Playing In Traffic

I’m either crazy or brave, people say. I skate in New York City traffic. Street skating here’s an adrenaline  rush requiring split-second timing, razor-sharp reflexes, and mind-reading skills. Obstacles abound: cars, pedestrians, sewer grates, cyclists, Pedi-cabs, oil slicks, traffic lights, rough surfaces, and on and on. You’ve gotta be aware at every moment–or else.

In a city packed with people, skating gives me a sense of autonomy. You can get to your destination, save money, and do your part for the environment. Not to mention it’s great for your butt. ; )

But here’s the thing about street skating: Something always happens! Like that standoff I had with a city bus. (He won.) Or the guy that was honking at me cuz I had on my short shorts that day. This is serious business, people! I can’t be waving and smiling at ya, I gotta keep focused!

Which reminds me. The things people yell at me, sometimes they crack me up. But the best thing anyone ever said to me, I was bombing down Central Park South, weaving a bit because there wasn’t much action behind me, when a man shook his head and said, “Don’t die too young!” Put a big smile on my face.

And I gotta say, the hotter or colder it gets, the better. I love to skate in next to nothing, sweat pouring down my face when I stop. I love the sting of bitter cold air in my nostrils, the slight ache of it in my lungs. I love it when coworkers ask, incredulously: “You’re not skating in this heat (cold) are you?!” “Umm, yeah…” (I call it rekindling my warrior spirit. But I don’t tell them that. I don’t want them to feel bad about their pedestrian lives.)

What else? Well, there’s skitching. I’m not gonna lie. Grabbing a free ride on a truck handle is almost irresistible at times. Except that once they sped up so much I had to let go, and found myself zipping along in lanes of fast-moving traffic on 8th Avenue! And one time I grabbed hold of an idling taxi’s wheel well and it took off fast, its rough metal ripping skin along the inside knuckles of four fingers. Ewwww…

And then there’s road rash. Oh, the ignominy of falling in the street! Oh, the kindness of strangers! Oh, the weeks that bleed into months of bandages and Neosporin and itchiness! But a little road rash now and then is the price you pay for the thrill. Just hope the payment ends there, cuz some serious shit can happen. Like dooring. Once I came up alongside a cop car that was, I learned later, responding to an emergency. The officer didn’t look before opening his door really really fast and BAM! that door whacked me on the thigh so hard–I got “the bruise that ate New York” as the ER doc put it. And it was summer! I remember going to the pool in the park and getting stares, I mean–it looked like someone had whaled on me with a baseball bat!

And, of course, you can break bones. But I had to do a road race in rural Georgia for that! Some lady late for church ran into my speedskating ass and I popped up into the air like a cartoon character! Landed in a grassy ditch with a fractured tibia and fibula at the ankle bone. Learning anatomy the hard way. I don’t recommend it.

But back to New York. Please. Now we have a super-terrific bike path that goes for miles and miles. OK, I admit, I’ve been enjoying the relative safety of the path, bopping along to some tunes, checking out the river and laughing at the bumper-to-bumper action on the West Side Highway. The adrenaline  junkie of my youth wonders if I’m going soft. Yeah, maybe a little. But at least I’ll live to tell the tale.

Street Gears: Free Inline Skate Game

The gPotato.eu team is glad to announce the official release of the inline skating MMORPG Street Gears. With over 50 000 players participating during the open beta-test phase, everyone can now download the game for free at the www.gpotato.eu gaming portal. With Street Gears going live, players can discover a bunch of new features, including new races, a new playable character, and lots of other surprises.

Street Gears is a free-to-play inline skating game where players can become “riders” fond of freedom and extreme experiences. The city of Park Town has tons of activities for all riders of all levels, such as speed-based races on lots of different tracks, team tournaments, and the possibility to show-off by doing impressive tricks and stunts. From today, all players can enjoy these features, and try the brand new ones that come with the official release of Street Gears.

These include the ability to create any second character on your account. Pick one of the classic characters or ride through the Park Town streets with a fresh, new rider called Rush, an ex-soldier with a love for inline skating. A new race mode is available to players, the Reverse mode. There are new additional quests and a new license, the Pro II, available from level 25. Players can put their reflexes to the test on the new Enberton track, challenging the riders with its various tricky landscapes. Finally, players can plug any USB pad into their computer and enjoy Street Gears as we announce controller support.

To celebrate the release of the game, this final version kicks off a lot of activities like the final events of the Asian Love Festival, which started on the 12th February during the open beta-test phase. In a festive atmosphere punctuated with exotic multicolored lanterns, a big team tournament will take place from today to the 12th March, the last day of the Asian Love Festival. The winning team will have the chance to see its logo displayed on the X-Game Stadium half pipe and win many other extraordinary rewards. Riders can also participate in a special event from the 5th to the 18th March, and win a lot of great prizes.

Check it out:   http://www.gpotato.eu

Commuting on Inline Skates

I’ve been skating to work for the last fifteen years. At first that entailed skating down Broadway from 100th Street to 45th. I was a novice, but soon got to the point where I could see a co-worker entering the express subway station at 96th Street and yet beat him to the office. I typically skate in a tie, which I think makes the drivers behave a bit better than they would otherwise.

My current commute goes straight down Fifth Avenue, though sometimes for variety I go through Central Park and Times Square before cutting over. That route is particularly fun when there are crowds in Times Square to greet the arrival of a pop star to the MTV building. I take the middle lane and pretend the screaming is all for me.

In fifteen years, I have come close to being doored only once, and it was by a limousine. I turned back to yell at the passenger as he emerged from the car, only to see that it was Henry Kissinger. Then his bodyguards got out and I elected to continue on home.

-Michael Stern

The Commission Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

K2 Confesses Involvement with The Commission
Powerful, New Skate Collection Controls the Paved World with Versatile Designs

SEATTLE, Wash. (12/22/08) – Powerful, stylish, discreet and fast on its feet, The Commission is K2’s newest family of in-line skates designed in the underworld and brought to the surface with performance features and looks that will tame any street.

Available in spring 2009, The Commission family tree consists of six men’s and women’s skates that are groomed to excel for hours in specific skating environments from trails, to streets and rails. Comfort and style are paramount with high fashion herringbone, houndstooth and winter camo facades that mask an arsenal of K2-centric design features.

The Il Capo men’s skate is the head of the family with top-grade performance features designed for urban freeskating. It’s dressed to the nines with Hyper Concrete wheels, a Fatty Pro Stability Cuff, shock absorption and an extruded aluminum frame. The Il Capo has 80mm wheels, ILQ-7 bearings and a shorter wheel base that delivers speed, maneuverability, control and versatility for jumping, grinding, slaloming and cruising. The skate’s tough demeanor masks a myriad of interior comfort features with K2’s unparalleled Softboot design that pampers and protects the feet from the cold, cruel world.

The Rita women’s skate flexes a toned muscle in her own right with high-fashion style cues backed by an arsenal of high-performance features, including an aluminum frame, 80mm wheels and ILQ-7 bearings. The versatile skate takes on all concrete environments in comfort with K2’s Softboot construction that is proven to coddle the feet during extended daytime missions and after-hour escapes pursued under the cloak of darkness.

“The Commission?” said Jeff Mechura, K2 Skate boss. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The Commission is an offshoot of K2 Skate, formed in 1993 when a U.S. National Cross Country team member and U.S. Olympic speed skater collaborated with K2 on the development of the first Softboot skate. The original K2’s fit like a comfortable boot and performed at a significantly higher level than the stiff hockey-style designs of the day. The design permanently reshaped the market and positioned K2 globally as the number one skate brand, a position it still holds today. Offering styles of men’s,  women’s and children’s  skates for everything from family recreation to professional competition, K2 Skate is the world leader in in-line skate technology.

K2 Eco Page Launch

Check out our newest section: K2 Eco (launched 1/19). We know sustainable design is a major skate in the right direction and look forward to providing you with the details of what we are doing to make a difference.