Vertical Rollerskating

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Message 2107 (25. Dec. 2006 22:55) (Tree)

Robert
rchase40@gmail.com
Merry Christmas to all Vertical Rollerskaters
Thanks Bernhard,

Because I am such an internet surfer, I came across this site. I think that I have been wanting to get back into skating for a long time, but you all helped fuel the fire. Irene, thank you for all of your advice. It has been extremely helpful. Also, thank you to RollerDave. It amazes me how much you know about the equipment. I could always skate pretty well, but never knew anything about skates or the equipment. I still don't, but I plan on learning. I am sure we all have stories about the old days. When I was in sixth grade, I skated a skatepark in Los Angeles called Skatercross. I was on the team and skated with a few rolleskaters, but there were only four of us. My mentor was Paul Votava. He was a very aggressive skater and I just watched him and did my best to learn his tricks. The other two rollerskaters were my good friends that moved to Texas. I would say I spent ten years being the only rollerskater with the boarders. I think this is where I got my marketing and sales skills. I would hear about a backyard ramp and I would show up to a strange house with skateboarders and just watch for an hour. I would talk to them for a long time and then ask, if I could skate. They would always say yes, but never knew I rolleskated. I would put on my equipment really fast while getting dirty looks. I would drop in and bust a flip on my first run because I had to. After that, they were totally cool to me and I had a new place to skate. You hear about old school skaters like Dogtown and I would say I was there for rollerskaters. I am sure most of you remember the days being the only quad skater. I never knew quad skaters and I grew up skating with only skateboarders. Back then, you had to earn their respect and hope you could keep skating. I always did. I can remember about four backyard ramps that I would skate where I had to prove myself. I never got mainstream and am proud that I skated with some of the best skateboarders around. I watch some of the videos of skaters that I never heard of and they blow my mind. I think I was one of the old school guys that nobody every heard about and it makes me happy. I was ripping in 1982 in the days of Alan Losi, Christian Hosoi, Eric Grisham, Lance Mountain, and Bert Lamar. Those were the good old days, but I left that world to work and try to make money. I did well for about six years and now I am just working in software sales. I look back and should have stayed, but you can't look back. Now I just work and skate. I will never be that good, but soon I hope to hold my own, if, my back can handle it. So, I am hoping to get to the point to do plate stalls and flips, but I won't do it unless I skate with other quad skaters. I feel that I left something behind and now I am too old to find it. If anyone wants to skate in California, then let's do it. If you live far, then I would love to come visit or you can come here. Let's bring our sport back.

Robert

: I want to wish you all a very warm and cheerful Christmas. By contributing to this forum, you have made this a nice and cozy place for roller skaters all over the world. I wouldn't have thought this to be possible when I started this forum five years ago but it has turned out to be a very great thing. Thank you all for this!
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Replies

Bernhard: Merry Christmas to all Vertical Rollerskaters (24. Dec. 2006 12:04)
 I want to wish you all a very warm and cheerful Christmas. By contributing to this forum, you have made this a nice and cozy place for roller skaters all over the world. I wouldn't have thought this to be possible when I started this forum five years ago but it has turned out to be a very great thing. Thank you all for this!
  Write reply
Nelo: Merry Christmas to all Vertical Rollerskaters (24. Dec. 2006 13:18)
 Bernhard, thank you very much for creating this site. I love it. Without the forum, I think that vert rollerskating would be a lot more of underground thing (could it be possible?). Seriously, VIVA EL FORO!!

Really best wishes for this Christmas night and a lot of health, love and money (and ramps) for 2007.
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Irene: Merry Christmas to all Vertical Rollerskaters (24. Dec. 2006 17:14)
 I'm grateful that this site has eased the isolation and loneliness felt at times being the only rollerskater around. The connections made here are priceless. A wonderful holiday gift to us all. Thank you Bernard.
Best wishes to everyone around the globe with much peace and joy.
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Robert: Merry Christmas to all Vertical Rollerskaters (25. Dec. 2006 22:55)
 Thanks Bernhard,

Because I am such an internet surfer, I came across this site. I think that I have been wanting to get back into skating for a long time, but you all helped fuel the fire. Irene, thank you for all of your advice. It has been extremely helpful. Also, thank you to RollerDave. It amazes me how much you know about the equipment. I could always skate pretty well, but never knew anything about skates or the equipment. I still don't, but I plan on learning. I am sure we all have stories about the old days. When I was in sixth grade, I skated a skatepark in Los Angeles called Skatercross. I was on the team and skated with a few rolleskaters, but there were only four of us. My mentor was Paul Votava. He was a very aggressive skater and I just watched him and did my best to learn his tricks. The other two rollerskaters were my good friends that moved to Texas. I would say I spent ten years being the only rollerskater with the boarders. I think this is where I got my marketing and sales skills. I would hear about a backyard ramp and I would show up to a strange house with skateboarders and just watch for an hour. I would talk to them for a long time and then ask, if I could skate. They would always say yes, but never knew I rolleskated. I would put on my equipment really fast while getting dirty looks. I would drop in and bust a flip on my first run because I had to. After that, they were totally cool to me and I had a new place to skate. You hear about old school skaters like Dogtown and I would say I was there for rollerskaters. I am sure most of you remember the days being the only quad skater. I never knew quad skaters and I grew up skating with only skateboarders. Back then, you had to earn their respect and hope you could keep skating. I always did. I can remember about four backyard ramps that I would skate where I had to prove myself. I never got mainstream and am proud that I skated with some of the best skateboarders around. I watch some of the videos of skaters that I never heard of and they blow my mind. I think I was one of the old school guys that nobody every heard about and it makes me happy. I was ripping in 1982 in the days of Alan Losi, Christian Hosoi, Eric Grisham, Lance Mountain, and Bert Lamar. Those were the good old days, but I left that world to work and try to make money. I did well for about six years and now I am just working in software sales. I look back and should have stayed, but you can't look back. Now I just work and skate. I will never be that good, but soon I hope to hold my own, if, my back can handle it. So, I am hoping to get to the point to do plate stalls and flips, but I won't do it unless I skate with other quad skaters. I feel that I left something behind and now I am too old to find it. If anyone wants to skate in California, then let's do it. If you live far, then I would love to come visit or you can come here. Let's bring our sport back.

Robert

: I want to wish you all a very warm and cheerful Christmas. By contributing to this forum, you have made this a nice and cozy place for roller skaters all over the world. I wouldn't have thought this to be possible when I started this forum five years ago but it has turned out to be a very great thing. Thank you all for this!
  Write reply
Bernhard: Merry Christmas to all Vertical Rollerskaters (25. Dec. 2006 23:49)
 Robert,

your Story reminds me about "the old days" of me. Back in about 1984, I was skating at some kind of junky skate park here in Freiburg. I was just cruisung on a flat surface, trying to learn to control my cheap skates. I also speeded over some wobbles. There were slso some local kids there, trying to ride some crappy concrete half pipe (2.4 m wide, 2.4 m, 2 m flat (!)). They alway made fun of me when I came near the half pipe and called: "And now in to the half pipe!". Well, some day I tried. It was very hard, because I was, like you, the only one. There was no one from whom to learn what was possible! In 1986 I went to watch my first contest in Basel. There was also a roller skate competition. There I saw those awesome skaters Thomas Kalak, Diesy Knauder and Reto Matter. Man, was I stoked!

In 1987 I went to watch the Münster Monster Mastership. Friedel was doing back flip about 3 m high. Completely crazy! Alas he stopped roller skating because he thought he was skating to unclean and went on to pursue a career in motor biking.

Yes, you are right: There are lots of old stories.
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FELTS: Merry Christmas to all Vertical Rollerskaters (27. Dec. 2006 20:37)
 : I want to wish you all a very warm and cheerful Christmas. By contributing to this forum, you have made this a nice and cozy place for roller skaters all over the world. I wouldn't have thought this to be possible when I started this forum five years ago but it has turned out to be a very great thing. Thank you all for this! Bernhard, thanks for the site through the years and happy holidays everyone. eric
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kalak: Merry Christmas to all Vertical Rollerskaters (30. Dec. 2006 20:51)
 : Robert,
:
: your Story reminds me about "the old days" of me. Back in about 1984, I was skating at some kind of junky skate park here in Freiburg. I was just cruisung on a flat surface, trying to learn to control my cheap skates. I also speeded over some wobbles. There were slso some local kids there, trying to ride some crappy concrete half pipe (2.4 m wide, 2.4 m, 2 m flat (!)). They alway made fun of me when I came near the half pipe and called: "And now in to the half pipe!". Well, some day I tried. It was very hard, because I was, like you, the only one. There was no one from whom to learn what was possible! In 1986 I went to watch my first contest in Basel. There was also a roller skate competition. There I saw those awesome skaters Thomas Kalak, Diesy Knauder and Reto Matter. Man, was I stoked!
:
: In 1987 I went to watch the Münster Monster Mastership. Friedel was doing back flip about 3 m high. Completely crazy! Alas he stopped roller skating because he thought he was skating to unclean and went on to pursue a career in motor biking.
:
: Yes, you are right: There are lots of old stories.


hallo, kalak hier,

jaja die guten alten zeiten. wo sind sie nur verblieben. oder? :-( :-( :-(
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kalak: die guten alten zeiten (30. Dec. 2006 20:54)
 hallo, kalak hier,

jaja die guten alten zeiten. wo sind sie nur verblieben. oder? :-( :-( :-(

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kalak: die guten alten zeiten (30. Dec. 2006 20:54)
 hallo, kalak hier,

jaja die guten alten zeiten. wo sind sie nur verblieben. oder? :-( :-( :-(

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Bernhard: Merry Christmas to all Vertical Rollerskaters (30. Dec. 2006 21:56)
 Hi Thomas,

: jaja die guten alten zeiten. wo sind sie nur verblieben. oder? :-( :-( :-(

Good to see you here and to see that you are still riding!

Bernhard
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thomas kalak: happy new year (1. Jan. 2007 17:10)
 hi bernhard,
i´m afraid i´m just riding my fotocamera. but i will start again in spring.

i will post some old pics from the german scene here from while to while. sorry for the bad quality, i never had the time to scan them in a prof.lab. this pic shows stephan oerder at the mastership 84 in münster.

happy 2007
thomas
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Bernhard: happy new year (6. Jan. 2007 23:08)
 : hi bernhard,
: i´m afraid i´m just riding my fotocamera. but i will start again in spring.

I hope to be riding again in spring too. Couln't do it last year because of a knee injury.

: i will post some old pics from the german scene here from while to while. sorry for the bad quality, i never had the time to scan them in a prof.lab. this pic shows stephan oerder at the mastership 84 in münster.

Thanks for sharing! I think, I don't have any pics of Stephan at all (except those in old Monster Magazines). Did you see that there are also some articles on this site with interviews and contest reports and the like? Just follow the link in the top left corner ...

A happy 2007 to you, too. I'm looking forward to more pictures from you. You must have tons of interesting stuff!

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