Monday August 27, 2007
THE BEGINNER
By DEBBIE
CHAN
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A little help: Benjamin stands by as I make
my way up the first slope. |
I WOKE up
bursting with excitement but while I was on my way to the Subang
Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) sports complex, my spirits began to
dampen as the rain pitter-pattered on my windscreen.
I had often heard skaters talk about how important it is to skate
on dry surfaces because it is easy to loose balance on slippery and
wet routes.
When I met up with my instructor Steven Tan before the run, he
looked at the wet road and said, “Today is going to be a test for
you.”
Armed with two skate classes, one inline hockey training session
and endless tips, yesterday’s Subang Jaya 10KM Run was my challenge.
Just the day before my run, I had my final training where my
instructors got me to practice going downhill repeatedly until I was
confident enough to handle the slopes at the SJ run.
I learnt how to hill-stop and pace my speed as I breezed down the
hill and also to fall properly in case I lose balance.
I was initially afraid but after several attempts, I was more
certain and began to enjoy the feeling of the air going through my
hair as I skated downhill. But, unfortunately, the practice ended
with some injuries.
We gathered at the starting line and there were close to 30
skaters who were participating in the run including a group from
Seremban, the entire inline hockey team Underdogs, and my group of
instructors- Craig Lee and Ramesh Ramakrishnan.
When we were flagged off, most of the skaters went at full speed
while I struggled to find my pace because I was taken by surprise
when cars started zooming by.
It did not cross my mind that there would be traffic so I began
panicking but Benjamin Tan from Skateline, who was the Skate Assist
of the day, reassured me that I just needed to focus on my route.
I was also quite relieved to see that the road had begun to dry
up and was no longer slippery.
After we made it past the first 2km, I got more comfortable and
began picking up speed.
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All together now: Some of the skaters
getting ready at the event. |
Benjamin
and I zoomed past a lot of runners and a few even made jokes about
hitching a ride with us.
As we approached the first slope, Benjamin reminded me to keep
skating without stopping and we both made it to the top pretty
easily.
The real challenge came when it was time to go downhill. I took a
deep breath and began my journey down, reminding myself to bend my
knees and stay in a stable position.
I kept using the hill-stop technique to slow down my pace because
I knew that if the speed picked up, I would panic and lose balance.
When I reached the traffic light at the foot of the slope, I
shouted with joy.
As we ventured into the second half of the run, I realized that
most of the 10KM runners had finished the circuit and we were
skating on our own.
The traffic control officers had left but we continued to follow
the 10KM signs and went through another two more slopes before we
reached the last part of the run.
I became more confident on the last slope and just breezed
downhill without braking. As I saw the structure of the sports
complex emerging, I felt more enthusiastic to speed up to reach the
finishing line.
Most of the other skaters had already arrived and were cheering
us on as I skated into the complex to reach the finish.
Although I took a long time, it was really thrilling to actually
complete the 10km circuit.
While many were worried that I might fail, I managed to do it
with some determination, persistence and proper coaching.
There will definitely be more marathons and runs in future, so to
everyone who is interested, just put on your skates because if I can
do it, anyone can.
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