HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: pae@netwise.com (Phil Earnhardt)
Subject: Re: US source for Rollerblades sought
Keywords: Rollerlade Mail Order
Reply-To: pae@netwise.com (Phil Earnhardt)
Organization: Netwise, Inc.  Boulder, CO
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1992 14:33:57 GMT

In article <1992Apr14.130907.4676@csc.canterbury.ac.nz> cowl@elec.canterbury.ac.nz (DAve.) writes:
>Well, I know what size I need from trying on a friend's pair.
>I also really like the local suppliers - they are good people.

Then the request to not buy via mail-order doesn't apply to you. 

>I simply cannot afford to pay US$ 375 for a pair of TRS skates.

You may not be able to get high-end Rollerblade skates via international
mail-order at all. It's not an issue of whether or not the retail prices in
New Zeland are reasonable; it may simply be that nobody *can* sell the
high-end Rollerblade stuff via mail-order.

Rollerblade is successful enough that the dealers don't need the mail-order
channel; other lines are available that way. Maybe you should set your sites
on a different line of skates.

>If it was simply a case of $20 more, I would more than gladly purchase
>locally.  I will not be buying new skates locally unless they arrange a more
>direct importing method which cuts out the 2-3 middle men which currently
>take a slice of the profit...

Then you simply might not be able to get any Rollerblade skates via mail-order
for the next year or two at least. Rollerblade is very successful at
suppressing this market channel.

>Cheers!
>DAve.

Discussing this here may not be an effective way of getting satisfaction. I
suggest you get a recent copy of In-line magazine and call some of the
mail-order shops advertising there; see if anyone actualy sells Rollerblade
stuff via mail-order.

Phil Earnhardt		pae@netwise.com
Netwise, Inc. 		Boulder, CO  (303) 442-8280

Newsgroups: rec.skate
From: nigel@rs733.GSFC.NASA.Gov
Subject: Re: alternative brakes [Re: Rollerblading]
Organization: Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md, USA
	<ABOULANG.92Apr16170206@kariba.bbn.com>
	<17APR199210490197@ariel.lerc.nasa.gov>
	<17APR199211154850@ariel.lerc.nasa.gov>
Date: Fri, 17 Apr 1992 16:49:48 GMT

In article <17APR199211154850@ariel.lerc.nasa.gov> piltch@ariel.lerc.nasa.gov (Nancy Piltch) writes:

   I wrote:

   >on skates? The main issue is to create a social context in which a new
   >skater is strongly encouraged to get appropriate instruction.

   Let me make this stronger: what is needed is a context in which there
   is strong social stigma to failing to get such instruction.

Hmmm...except that in some parts of the country (or other countries
;-) getting the needed instruction can be tough.  On the other hand if
you live in DC, NY, LA, Denver, Cleveland and other big cities where
you can find lots of inliners wizzing about I agree 100%.

Do any of the RB tapes show good braking technique?  Maybe we all
ought to get together someplace sunny and make a training film ;-).

I vote east coast ;-).

Hmmm...might not be a bad idea...I'll see if the local skate shop
would be interested the next time I stop by.  Their beginner course is
okay.

   Nancy Piltch            piltch@ariel.lerc.nasa.gov
   NASA Lewis Research Center, Cleveland Ohio 44135

--
Nigel Tzeng
.sig under construction
From: aboulang@bbn.com (Albert Boulanger)
Newsgroups: rec.skate
Subject: Re: Ice skating rinks
Date: 14 Apr 92 16:57:22 GMT
	<ABOULANG.92Apr11131625@pilsner.bbn.com>
	<1992Apr14.092902.2318@news.Hawaii.Edu>
	<1992Apr14.161258.23102@cs.cornell.edu>
Reply-To: aboulanger@bbn.com
Organization: BBN, Cambridge MA
NNTP-Posting-Host: kariba.bbn.com
In-reply-to: lasala@cs.cornell.edu's message of Tue, 14 Apr 1992 16:12:58 GMT

In article <1992Apr14.161258.23102@cs.cornell.edu> lasala@cs.cornell.edu
(Steve LaSala) writes:

	   Two possible explanations that come to mind are:

   1)  Otherwise active Northerners who do not ski or snow camp (and even those
   who do) have been spending mpst of the winter indoors and cannot wait to get
   outside when the weather warms up.  The ice is off the lake now, and people
   are beginning to think of getting their boats in shape, and even windsurfers
   when the water warms up a little.  Bicycles and inlines are reappearing from
   basements, parks and trails are beginning to see more people, and the sand
   and salt are being washed from streets and cars.  The last thing on most
   peoples' minds is going indoors to look for ice and cold.


Yes this is the sad seasonal prejudice I was alluding to. It really is
a bizarre Northern behavioral pattern in the eyes of a Southerner.

   2)  Many of the ice rinks with which I'm familiar are outdoors, or under a
   roof with no walls, or at the least are in poorly insulated buildings.
   It would take an enormous amount of energy to keep them frozen all summer.
   The university did lay down some ice for a summer hockey camp, but it was
   pretty thin and soft.

I do not think it as big an energy investment as one may at first
thought think. There is a lot of thermal inertia in water. The cost is
up front to get it in the frozen state, and then you just need to make
up for heat losses. Of course the open kind of rink is a looser for
year round operation. But rinks such as the town of Pasadena's really
is a neat thing to have year-round. Indeed, it is practical to do so
as there are rinks that do it both up North and in the South.

Give me a rink with a good sound system any (even sunny) day.

Regards,
Albert Boulanger
aboulanger@bbn.com
From: grr@cbmvax.commodore.com (George Robbins)
Newsgroups: rec.skate
Subject: Re: Getting a good fit for boots
Date: 8 Apr 92 05:01:03 GMT
Reply-To: grr@cbmvax.commodore.com (George Robbins)
Organization: Commodore, West Chester, PA

In article <92Apr6.194838edt.8764@orasis.vis.toronto.edu> mann@vis.toronto.edu (Richard Anthony Mann) writes:
> I recently bought a pair of Rollerblade lightnings.  In order to get
> a good fit (I have a wide foot) I had to buy a slightly bigger size
> than I need.
> Is there any way to alter the fit of the boot (ie., make the boot a little
> shorter)?  I've heard of molding foam to fit your foot in ski boots,
> does such a thing exist for blades?  Is such a material available?

The techniques are identical to those used for fitting ski boots,
though the desired fit isn't exactly the same.  If you can't find
a skate shop that can do the work, try a ski shop.

> I was thinking of just putting rags or old socks in the toe, but there
> must be a better way!

Well, the problem is you don't really restrain the foot by the toes,
rather the fit the front of the ankle and top of the instep is supposed
to hold the foot to the rear.  Ideally you can touch the front of the
boot by stetching your toes, but they shouldn't be resting against it.

-- 
George Robbins - now working for,     uucp:   {uunet|pyramid|rutgers}!cbmvax!grr
but no way officially representing:   domain: grr@cbmvax.commodore.com
Commodore, Engineering Department     phone:  215-431-9349 (only by moonlite)
Newsgroups: rec.skate
From: savaged@csu.murdoch.edu.au (Duncan Savage)
Subject: Re: Skating in 10k "races"
Organization: Murdoch University
Date:  8 Apr 92 03:43:05 GMT

SASTLS@mvs.sas.com (SASTLS@MVS.SAS.COM) writes:

>>From: debbie@concannon.llnl.gov (Debra A. Callahan)
>>Message-ID: <121906@lll-winken.LLNL.GOV>
>>
>>My husband and I are fairly new to inline skating.  This weekend,
>>our city (Livermore, California) had a fitness day that included
>>5k and 10k runs and a 10k "Rollerblade" event.  We found this to
>>be a lot of fun and are wondering how to find out about these kinds
>>of skating events.
>>
>>Debbie Callahan
>>debbie@concannon.llnl.gov
>>debbie@[128.115.41.8]

Try in-line magazine. They have a regular run-down of results from races and
upcoming events for the next period.
--
===========================================================================
Duncan Savage                       || disclaimer: wasn't me, nobody saw it
savaged@essun2.murdoch.edu.au       ||             can't prove a thing.
===========================================================================
Newsgroups: rec.skate
From: lasala@cs.cornell.edu (Steve LaSala)
Subject: Re: Ice skating rinks
Organization: Cornell Univ. CS Dept, Ithaca NY 14853
Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1992 16:12:58 GMT

In article <1992Apr14.092902.2318@news.Hawaii.Edu> tony@mpg.phys.hawaii.edu (Antonio Querubin) writes:
>In article <ABOULANG.92Apr11131625@pilsner.bbn.com> aboulanger@bbn.com writes:
>>In article <1992Apr11.105457.12457@bronze.ucs.indiana.edu> jll@copper.ucs.indiana.edu
>>
>>   Are there rinks that are open in the summer time?  More particularly, are
>>   there any in or near Princeton, NJ?
>> 
>>This may seem a bit ironic, but I believe that there are more of a
>>relative percent of ice rinks open in the South than up North. I grew
>>up in the Miami Fl area and as I recall ALL the rinks in the area were
>>open year round. I think this is due to two factors:
>>
>>  1) Ice skating is a cool thing to do on a hot day.
>>
>>  2) There is a less of a seasonal "prejudice" to skating in the South.
>
>In Hawaii, our one and only ice skating rink is open year-round.  When I
>visited Michigan a few years ago I was surprised to fine no ice skating rink
>open (at least in the area where I lived) during the summer.

	Two possible explanations that come to mind are:

1)  Otherwise active Northerners who do not ski or snow camp (and even those
who do) have been spending mpst of the winter indoors and cannot wait to get
outside when the weather warms up.  The ice is off the lake now, and people
are beginning to think of getting their boats in shape, and even windsurfers
when the water warms up a little.  Bicycles and inlines are reappearing from
basements, parks and trails are beginning to see more people, and the sand
and salt are being washed from streets and cars.  The last thing on most
peoples' minds is going indoors to look for ice and cold.

2)  Many of the ice rinks with which I'm familiar are outdoors, or under a
roof with no walls, or at the least are in poorly insulated buildings.
It would take an enormous amount of energy to keep them frozen all summer.
The university did lay down some ice for a summer hockey camp, but it was
pretty thin and soft.

Newsgroups: rec.skate
From: egraeler@uceng.UC.EDU (Eric Scot Graeler)
Subject: Inlines - Ultra wheels (Gretzky Wings Air Comprex)
Keywords: Inquiry 
Organization: College of Engineering, University of Cincinnati
Date: Mon, 13 Apr 1992 03:54:18 GMT

Hello Net Landers,

   I was hoping someone could give me some opinions on the Gretzky Wings Air
Comprex by Ultra Wheels.  Thats is if you have them what do you think?  If
you have tried them and other skates how do they compare and contrast?  If
your friends have them what do they think?  I would appreciate any expert
or personal opinions as the case may be.  I was thinking about getting a
pair and wanted to know more before I plunked down ~$275.  You get the
gist of my question here.  Please e-mail or post responses.  Thanks in
advance.

Regards,
Eric S Graeler
egraeler@uceng.uc.edu
egraeler@ucunix.san.uc.edu

-- 
Regards,
Eric S Graeler
egraeler@ucunix.san.uc.edu

Newsgroups: rec.skate
From: kley@dent.uchicago.edu (Holger Kley)
Subject: Re: Inlines: Emergency techniques?
Organization: Dept. of Mathematics, U. of Chicago
Date: Fri, 17 Apr 1992 19:01:11 GMT


People have been advocating courtesy, making various kinds of noises,
etc. when dealing with pedestrians.  But what do you do in the
following case?  I was skating along (quickly) on a down-sloping bike
path;  on either side of the path, there is a (dry) packed-dirt path.
Two pedestrians were walking towards me, one in each lane of
the bike path.  Now I saw them look up at me, but as I got closer,
they JUST DIDNT MOVE!  All they had to do was step inoit the same
lane.  Or onto the dirt.  Or even leave me some room to go between
them.  As it was, I slipped between them, but not without brushing
both of them, for which I received a hail of insults.  

Has anybody else been the victim of similar stupidity?


---------------------------------------------------------------------
|  Holger P. Kley	 		   kley@zaphod.uchicago.edu |
|								    |
|  "Strangers stopping strangers, just to shake their hand..."      |
From: debbie@concannon.llnl.gov (Debra A. Callahan)
Newsgroups: rec.skate
Subject: Skating in 10k "races"
Summary: How do I find out about such events?
Date: 7 Apr 92 00:05:06 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: UC Davis Department of Applied Science at LLNL
Originator: debbie@concannon.llnl.gov

My husband and I are fairly new to inline skating.  This weekend,
our city (Livermore, California) had a fitness day that included
5k and 10k runs and a 10k "Rollerblade" event.  We found this to 
be a lot of fun and are wondering how to find out about these kinds
of skating events.  

Debbie Callahan
debbie@concannon.llnl.gov
debbie@[128.115.41.8]
Newsgroups: rec.skate
From: adchen@room.Princeton.EDU (Anthony D. Chen)
Subject: Inlines:  Racing wheels placement
Originator: news@ernie.Princeton.EDU
Organization: Princeton University
Date: Sun, 12 Apr 1992 09:19:43 GMT

While paging thru Inline Magazine, I noticed an ad by Built For Speed
which had two pictures of Bont boots with two different blade assemblies:

                     /-----------\        /-----------\
                     0  O  O  O  O        O    O O    O

One is your regular five-wheeler, the other is only four wheels but the
length is as long as the five-wheeler.  Also, the two middle wheels are
set the regular distance apart, but both are a wheel-length from the
front/back wheels.

Is this to get the stability of 5 wheels, but to save weight by having
only four?  Or some other reason?  To save wheels perhaps?  


-Tony Chen
 adchen@phoenix.princeton.edu
Newsgroups: rec.skate
From: htr@cbnewsl.cb.att.com (helena.t.robinson)
Subject: Re: World Figure Skating Championship
Organization: AT&T
Date: Mon, 6 Apr 1992 20:22:03 GMT
Summary: comments bout Sports Illustrated

In article <1992Mar31.160551.13495@src.umd.edu> jaya@newra.src.umd.edu (Jayanti Kanal) writes (in part):
>Speaking of gripes, I recently read an article in Sports Illustrated - the one with
>K. Yamaguchi on the cover - and was completely unimpressed. The only times I have read
>S.I. have been after the last olympics and now after this one. In both cases, the 
>articles were limited in technical content and full of opinionated statements regarding
>the skaters' personalities, behavior, and style on the ice. If it were a netnews 
>posting or something, well ok - we all get opinionated on this topic that we love -
>but in a professional publication - what is the deal here? Also, the quality of
>the writing was extremely weak. Perhaps this is S.I.'s style all the time, 
>but I hope not.

Actually, it depends on the sport/event being covered - and the expertise (if 
any) of the writer assigned to it.  Like many other media outlets, Sports 
Illustrated has taken its share of hits as Time-Life, Inc. (now Time Warner)
has had to cut staff over the past few years.  Yes, this year's Winter Olympics 
preview issue seemed less comprehensive than in previous years - might be a 
victim of this stuff.

So, if a publication is going to cut back, chances are it's not necessarily 
going to slash baseball/basketball/(US) football coverage; so snow/ice sports 
are more likely to take the hits.  Having said that, unless enough knowledgable 
fans speak up and say otherwise, don't expect much technical content in Sports 
Illustrated; just like some of us have complained about TV coverage.

Then again, I thought the approach used in the wrap-up report describing the 
Worlds - written as a letter to Paul Wylie ("wish you were here, but you 
were probably better off...") - was kind of neat.

Helena Robinson
AT&T
Basking Ridge,NJ
attmail!hrobinson
From: ian@ohm.york.ac.uk (Ian Stephenson)
Newsgroups: rec.skate
Subject: Re: Rollerblade vs California Pro
Date: 16 Apr 92 10:25:44 GMT
Organization: Electronics Department, University of York, UK

In article <hz9i9j4@Unify.Com> barb@ufycorp.Unify.Com (Barbara Kane) writes:
> Although California Pro isn't usually discussed as one of the "top" brands,
> I bought a pair anyway and LOVE them.  I think they are as good if not 
> better than many of the higher priced brands.  I am VERY happy with the
> quality of the skates and feel I've gotten a real BARGAIN.
> 
> Barbara Kane					              (916) 928-6380 
> Unify Corporation				          Fax (916) 928-6410
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>              "Spending a year dead for tax purposes."  - DNA

Choice of skates over here in the UK is virtualy non existant (I've only ever  
seen three types of skate in the last 18 months). However I picked up a set of  
California Team skates VERY cheap - like 30 pounds!

They're not brilliant, but they work, and were a cheap way for me to get  
started. Had I had to pay three times that price, I may not have started  
skating.

The boots are identical to many of the more expensive pairs I've seen, and I  
can always upgrade the bearings at some point. I'd now be prepared to spend  
more, now that I have a better idea of what to look for. 

Basicaly I'd agree with Barbara that Calafornia brand skates can be a bargin.

Ian Stephenson
Newsgroups: rec.skate
From: ian@lassen.wpd.sgi.com (Ian Clements)
Subject: Re: Inlines: Emergency techniques?
Organization:  Silicon Graphics, Inc.  Mountain View, CA
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 92 18:47:46 GMT

In <1992Apr10.162434.28244@arris.com> rec@arris.com (Roger Critchlow) writes:

>I clap or click the plastic parts of my wrist guards together when I'm
>overtaking pedestrians or others oblivious to my presence.  It seems to
>carry pretty well.  It usually penetrates whatever fog they may be in
>because it's a noise that doesn't fit and it's getting closer.  And it
>fits me since my attempts at verbal alerts are usually too soft to be
>heard or so loud that they startle.

 I think adopting the calls used by cyclists is a very good approach. 
For example; "On your left" means that I'll pass on your left side.  Same
holds true for "On you right".  Be sure to acknowledge the pedestrian's 
effort of moving with a "thank you" as you go by.  Also, try not to be 
negative when calling out.

 Since many pedestrians are already aware of what the two phrases mean, they
are prepared for passing attempts.

 Making an unusual noise may have no effect given that you could be in an
area with lots of strange noises (wildlife etc).  The key is to give the 
verbal warning in enough time so the person can react (consider your speed,
what the other person is doing etc).  Remember too that many people, bicyclists
included, wear those GD headphones and so need a louder yell.

 A little courtesy goes a long way.


--

--
Ian Clements, ian@sgi.com, 415/962-3410
Newsgroups: rec.skate
From: Dale English@watson.ibm.com
Subject: Re: buckles vs. laces - INLINE
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1992 16:19:29 GMT
Disclaimer: This posting represents the poster's views, not necessarily those of IBM
Organization: IBM T.J. Watson Research Center

Go for the laces.  I have a pair if RollerTech inline skates that I got for
Christmas and they have laces halfway up the skate and a top buckle.  Whoever
designed the buckle should be shot because it keeps slipping whenever I put
some pressure on it (skating backwards, things of that nature).  I usually
tie some laces around the buckle and this seems to help.  If I were buying
new skates for myself, I would go with laces all the way.

Dale English
Newsgroups: rec.skate
Newsgroups: rec.skate

Yep.



                                *
                               *
                              ****   ****
                             *  *   *  *
    HEWLETT-PACKARD         *  ********
****************************      *           ALLEN JOHNSEN
       CUPERTINO                 **************************************
From: mdm@bnr.ca (Diane MacMartin)
Newsgroups: rec.skate
Subject: Re: Petrenko as Pro
Date: 14 Apr 92 12:31:13 GMT
Organization: Bell-Northern Research, Ottawa

In article <1992Apr13.112020.17846@cbnewsl.cb.att.com> htr@cbnewsl.cb.att.com (helena.t.robinson) writes:
>- Scott Hamilton skated a brilliant, intense artistic program (after stumbling 
>  a bit in the technical) which deserved to win.  Petrenko made a big mistake 
>  using his Olympic long program for the artistic - he would've blown everyone 
>  away had he used his Elvis exhibition program (which he and his coach had 
>  considered).  As for the others, Brian Orser had his share of problems (as 
>  he's had during most pro events I've seen this year), Robin Cousins seemed 
>  lackluster, and Gary Beacom and Robert Wagehoffer seem underrated (only 
>  Beacom's artistic and Wagenhoffer's technical programs were shown).

I guess Petrenko wouldn't have ever seen a pro competition - too bad.  I
agree that he should have gone with his exhibition number.  Orser's
choice of program I thought curious; it didn't seem to suit him.  I also
agree that Cousins was lackluster, but I never did like his style anyway.
I was disappointed that Beacom had his head covered, no chance to see his
trademark spin, which is accented by his hair.  He did no spins that I
recall, anyway.

>- Anybody else wonder about Katarina Witt's victory in light of her Diet Coke 
>  commercials and the fact that Coke sponsored this event?  Though her 
>  technical program was the best I've seen from her in a long time and her 
>  artistic was better than in her show, I can't help but think Debi Thomas got 
>  robbed.

Hey, that makes sense!  But since the prize is so high ($40000?)
wouldn't Debi Thomas, Liz Manley, et al object?  Would they get
major competitors next time?  That would be pretty blatant favoritism -
7 perfect 10's for posing to "birds do it". It seems to me if you were
sitting more than 5 rows up in the audience you wouldn't have gotten
anything from Witt's performance.  Even the announcers admitted that the
crowd was VERY puzzled by the marks. I thought Thomas was wonderful,
very classic, and Manley did what she does best.  Both were better than
Witt.

Comparing Beacom and Witt, Beacom did a LOT of skating and very
interpretive moves, and "got" the audience.  She got 10's, he got
9.5's.

-- 
Diane MacMartin       Bell-Northern Research, Ltd     Ottawa, Canada
mdm@bnr.ca            Any opinions are my own and do not represent BNR.
=========>> If this is printed on paper, please recycle it <<==========
From: ae299@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Jack L. Wallace)
Newsgroups: rec.skate
Subject: Re: Skating Magazines
Date: 7 Apr 92 03:19:22 GMT
Article-I.D.: usenet.1992Apr7.031922.27946
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, (USA)


Price update

"BLADES on ice"

now  $19.95 for 6 issues and 
     $36.00 for 12 issues.

Substantial increase, I hope it's worth it!

Jack Walace

-- 
Newsgroups: rec.skate
From: piltch@ariel.lerc.nasa.gov (Nancy Piltch)
Subject: Re: alternative brakes [Re: Rollerblading]
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Organization: NASA Lewis Research Center
Date: 17 Apr 1992 12:28 EST  

In article <ABOULANG.92Apr16170206@kariba.bbn.com>, aboulanger@bbn.com writes...
>In article <1992Apr16.184338.14487@netwise.com> pae@netwise.com (Phil Earnhardt) writes:
> 
>   The current wheelbase of 4-wheel skates provides stability. Moving the front
>   wheel further back would decrease the skate's fore/aft stability.
> 
>Are you positive about this? Any theory or experiment to support this?
>(The Biskates is a empirical design datapoint.)

I don't personally have access to experimental results, nor do I have any
evidence that the opposite case would hold, either. However ...
the fore-aft "feel" (and consequently my weight distribution over the
skate) is the same as the fore-aft feel of my ice skates. My experience
with experimental procedures in general is that this sort of fortuitous
matching doesn't occur by happenstance; this is worked out in design
and various trials. 


Nancy Piltch            piltch@ariel.lerc.nasa.gov
NASA Lewis Research Center, Cleveland Ohio 44135

Newsgroups: rec.skate