Sports

It’s been a long time since I’ve done some tricks while rollerblading. When I was in high school, I wasn’t afraid to try out new tricks. Now that I’m getting older, it seems like I don’t want to try it because I don’t want to get hurt but the urge is still there. It might be a bit late to start now because fall is just around the corner but I think that if I start a little now, I’ll have something to look forward to when summer comes.

The rollerblades that I have now aren’t made for tricks. It’s the recreational type which is used for fun. I’ve had this pair of rollerblades for about seven years now. It was the first thing that I bought with my first pay cheque. Over the years, I’ve upgraded the bearings from ABEC 3 to ABEC 7 which gives me a smoother ride. I rollerblade often so the wheels get worn out fairly quickly. I usually get new a set of wheels every two years. Sometimes I have to change the wheels sooner because I’m too aggressive.

My rollerblades aren’t meant to be used to perform tricks so after a while you can see the strain. The wheel frame is starting to crack from the impacts of the landings. The chassis is plastic so it’ll absorb most of the impact and distribute it but it can’t withstand much. One of the chassis, the left one I believe, is starting to go. When I stride, I push off with my right foot harder than my left foot. But when I do crossovers to turn a sharp corner, I tend to push really hard with my left foot. The front wheel on the left boot gets worn out the most. After one session of rollerblading, I would have to rotate that wheel or else I will slip and fall the next time I do a crossover. That has happened a few times but luckily I’m not crouched down low enough to slip.

I haven’t actually taken the time to search around for a skate shop around town. So for the moment, I have to resort to eBay to see if I can find a pair. Anyone who has own a pair of rollerblades before will notice that aggressive inline skates aren’t your average rollerblades. The boot looks roughly the same but if you take a look at the wheel frame you will see a small groove in the center. That little groove helps with grinding. If you don’t know what grinding is, well, it’s when you’re sliding across something like a rail or a pipe. I think the easiest trick to do is a grind. Most aggressive inline skaters start with that. The best thing to start grinding on is a waxed sidewalk because it’s low too the ground and you won’t have to worry too much about falling hard. As you improve, you slowly work your way up to grinding on things that are higher off the ground.

I’ve tried grinding on things with the rollerblades that I have now but I wasn’t successfully in my attempt. The reason why you can’t grind with recreational rollerblades is because there’s no gap between the second and third wheel. So when you go to grind, the wheels get caught and your upper body goes one way while your feet stay put. Plus the wheels that come standard are rubbery wheels. I think there’s too much elasticity in those wheels which prevents you from grinding. If you’ve tried dragging something rubbery against a surface you will notice that there is a bit of friction. But if you dragged something harder like plastic, you would feel less friction. The wheels that come with aggressive inline skates are the harder ones.

Most recreational wheels have a hardness grade printed on them and they range from 78A to 82A. There are advantages to each grade depending on the purpose. The pair of rollerblades that I have now has 78A grade hardness. This is good because it provides better traction and higher shock absorption. It helps me take sharp corners because it has better grip. Due to the fact that it’s not hard, it reduces the amount of vibration on rough surfaces. These wheels, in combination with a high grade bearings, will result in a quieter and smoother ride.

On the other hand, 82A grade hardness would be better if you want to achieve higher speed on smooth surfaces. But if you come across a rough surface, there will be a bit more vibration. Because they are harder, they last longer and are more durable. They don’t wear down as fast as the 78A grades.

I’ve read that some bladers use a combination of grades for their wheel. They mix and match the wheels to achieve better shock absorption and higher durability. All my wheels are identical in hardness grade and size. I’ve never tried mixing them to achieve those results. I think I’ll try that next summer.

At the moment, there are two rollerblades that has caught my eye. The first is the BladeRunner Fury. The hard boot offers high durability so it’s not going to break really fast if I wipe it. The sole has plenty of room for grinding. The wheel chassis supports 58mm wheels. It comes with laces and buckles as the closure system.

The other one that I’m interested in is the Razor Cult Limited Edition. It may look a little weird because it only had two wheels. The third smaller wheel is a 38mm anti rocker wheel. I’m not sure exactly what an anti rocker wheel does but it caught my attention.

In preparation for next summer, I’m going to be looking around town to see if I can find a skate shop that sells these rollerblades. I’ve had had current pair for over five years now and I think it’s time for an upgrade. I don’t want to have to keep buying new wheels and bearings when I can get a whole new rollerblade altogether. And it’s not like I’m going to be going all out with the tricks and stuff either. There aren’t too many skate parks around town so I’ll have to practice on government property. Have you notice that a lot of the government buildings are made for skates? They have all of the right obstacles and rails right outside their main entrances. It’s like they asking all the skates to go there and skate. But who knows, maybe I’ll get good enough to compete in the X Games.

Italy defeated Germany to move on to the finals against either France or Portugal. It was a major upset for the host country. Before the start of the World Cup, I was rooting for Germany to win because of the fact that they are the hosting country and they had home field advantage. But you never know what’s going to happen in soccer.

I managed to catch the final minutes during overtime. Neither team was able to score during regulation time. That’s when you know it’s a good game, when neither teams have scored and you’re going into over time. With soccer, I like the fact that they give you extra time to play and it’s not sudden death. So the first goal to be scored doesn’t win, not until time is up. During the last few minutes of the match Fabio Grosso of Italy scored. I went away to get something and came back to see the replay. But what I saw was something different. As it turns out, Alessandro Del Piero had just scored. I was a bit confused because first Grosso scored but they showed a replay of Del Piero’s goal. I think the first goal by Grosso affected the Germany team which allowed Del Piero to score only a minute later.

The Italian crowd were all up on their feet celebrating. The German crowd remained quiet. The camera showed a German player on the ground with his hand covering his face. You can tell he was saddened by this. I wouldn’t blame him. It’s hard to lose when you’re the home team especially when it’s an event as big as this.

This tournament has a lot of heart put into it. It is an event that doesn’t happen every year but when it comes around, the number of people that tunes in to watch it is a lot. I live close to an Italian and Portuguese community so when their teams win, I hear about it. Horns are flaring for hours on end. These people are cheering for their country the best way they know how. Even though they are not in Germany right now to watch the game in person, they tune in every chance they get.

When it comes to sports, I don’t like to watch it much. I would prefer to play it instead. But over here in the western world, sports are overrated and players are over paid. The only time I think these players play their hearts out is when they are playing for their country. That is why I would rather watch hockey during the Olympics rather than the regular season. During the Olympics, you are playing for your country and not for money. I don’t know if they get paid to play in the Olympics though. I think winning the gold is enough of a payment for their efforts. Just knowing that you tried to best for you country is what matters.

I can hear the horns flaring around in the Jamesville area. I don’t know if it’s safe to run errands in that area right now. The streets are probably closed off for the celebration.

Update:

As expected, James Street was packed! It was swarming with Italians, young and old. People were in their cars honking their horns like nobody could hear them. People on the streets were going around shaking the hands of people in the cars. Girls wearing an Italian soccer uniform were running up and down the streets.

It felt a little weird being the only Asian guy in the area standing around and just watching. I doubt anyone noticed me because they were too busy celebrating. There was one girl, who was standing in the back of a truck bed that keep whispering something to her friend and then looking at me. Well, she was probably shouting something because it was rather loud, but it seemed like she was whispering. Maybe something like, “That handsome Italian guy looks like he’s Asian. That’s sooo sexy!” But then again, I couldn’t hear her so I don’t know.

After about thirty minutes of horns flaring, flag waving and girls screaming, the Police decided to block off access to James Street. There was a large crowd starting to form between Barton Street and Cannon Street so to prevent anyone from getting hurt, they blocked the street. Any car that managed to get pass that barricade were redirect away from the crowd. Leave it to the Police to ruin the fun eh.

It appears that the World Cup is upon us. Today marks the first day of the tournament which is being held in Germany. Fans of each country are already showing their support by hold up the flag of their country. I was wondering why there were a lot of cars with flags sticking out their windows today. I was starting to think, “Wow, these Mississaugian are very patriot.” But as soon as I heard the work soccer around the office, I knew why.

I’m not much of a soccer fan so I might not be following it closely. I don’t have time for television right now so I’ll probably catch the final match. During today’s game between Germany and Costa Rica, there was already a small gathering outside The Source in Square One. They had one of those flat panel televisions on display so they tuned into the World Cup. That’s a smart way to get people to advertise the television to people. If their team wins, they might want to buy that television. But I doubt it. They’ll probably be like, “Wow, the picture on this is really clear. I can see the green on th…. Gooaaaallllllll!!!” They’ll be too busy celebrating to think about buying the television. I’m sure they’ll keep the specs in mind when they shop for a television next time.

I read over on Morn’s blog that the monks in Cambodia are allowed to watch the matches but they have to do quietly. They are not allowed to cheer or show any emotions. I’m not sure how much fun that would be. You can’t even celebrate if your team scores a call. So when your team scores, all you can do is nod. Heck, I don’t think you’re even allowed to do that. You can just stare blankly at the television screen.

Apparently, watching sports is against the Buddhist faith but that’s only because people gamble on it and stuff. So I don’t see how it’s wrong just by watching it. But I do agree that it would be a good way to test the monks and see if they can handle the job. I always thought being a Buddhist meant you were on a path to enlightment. Not a path to suppress your emotions.

Anyway, I hope everyone who’s tuning into the World Cup enjoys the tournament. I’ll probably be too busy commuting to and from work to watch anything.

Go Cambodia!

For the second straight year, Team Canada defeated Team Russia, 5-0 in the Gold metal game of the 2006 World Junior Hockey Championship. This is the second time that Canada has won back-to-back titles. This year, the team had a younger, less experienced roster but that didn’t stop them from working hard as a team to win the title. Team Canada has successfully defended the gold medal and it is staying right here where it belongs.
When it comes to hockey, Canada and Russia are arch rivals. Some people may think it’s Canada and the US but this is hockey. It is a sport that was meant to be played by countries that are above the equator where temperatures reach fifty below. If it was blistering cold outside, we’ll still go out and play. We have no problem finding the puck if there was a blizzard out. We don’t need any help from a computer to follow the puck. It’s a black puck on white ice, how hard can it be.

Russia goes home with the silver medal while Finland defeated the US, 4-2 for the bronze medal.