Adventure of the week: Get inline and get going

Sure, you can get around on skateboards, longboards, bicycles -- even the newest Segway model. But there's nothing quite like going out for a stroll on a roll.

Inline skating advances took roller skating outdoors, and it's never been quite the same. Since the Rollerblade revolution of the 1980s, inlines have made it easier and more fun to play games such as street hockey, skate across town or on parkways -- even in roller rinks.

But as new generations come along and discover inline skating, some aren't sure where to turn to learn how to get up to speed.

The answer could be to get in touch with Bernard Scoville, a late-blooming inline skater who teaches the basics and who often leads group skates around the Sacramento region.

Scoville, 68, who likes to be called Bernie, is a semiretired state worker who got rolling about 15 years ago.

"I do it because it helps me healthwise, and some of my best friends are skaters," said Scoville, of Sacramento. "It's a nice way to meet people."

The one-time roller skater met a friend at a roller rink, and that friend enticed him to try inline skates. He joined in on a group inline skate and has been hooked ever since.

That's because inline skates allowed him to go on pavement and go over obstacles such as railroad tracks -- at least more easily than outdoor-style roller skates.

"Skating with a group is the best part of it for me," said Scoville, who once produced a television documentary, "Joy of Inline Skating."

For Scoville, teaching skating has been more of a pastime than a part-time job. A certified instructor with the International Inline Skating Association, he offers lessons through Sacramento's Department of Parks and Recreation --and there are opportunities coming right up.

Students will learn how to put on pads, stop and turn safely, and glide. Following the class, Scoville says, they'll be able to enjoy themselves and venture out on their own. One option: Monday-night group skates that leave from downtown Sacramento.

"It's a lot of fun," said Scoville of the group skates. "We'll go five, up to 15 miles or whatever the group wants."

---

What: Beginning classes on inline skating

When: 10:30 a.m. Saturday

Where: Land Park and Freeport Boulevard Village Green, near corner of Sutterville Road and Freeport

Cost: $30 for 1 1/2-hour class

Information: For lessons, call Bernie Scoville at (916) 447-8288 or the city of Sacramento Department of Parks and Recreation at (916) 808-6060. For information about Monday-night group skates, visit Scoville's Web site, www.sacramentoskating.com.

If you need skating gear (skates, helmet and pads), it can be rented for $8 at the corner of Second and Front streets in Old Sacramento; (916) 444-0200.

 

Unique content, exceptional value. SUBSCRIBE NOW!

[an error occurred while processing this directive]

Vacation Rentals

Destination:
Select Destination Bodega Bay Clear Lake Kauai Kona Lake Tahoe Maui Mendocino Coast Monterey Napa Oahu Palm Springs Santa Cruz Sonoma Coast

Property Type:
Select type Apartment Bed and Breakfast Cabin Condo Hotel/Motel House Mobile Home Single Family Resort

Last-Minute Deals

Sun & Beach All-Inclusive Resorts Great Outdoors Offbeat Retreats Vegas/Casino Under $250

Top Sellers International Romance Food & Wine Luxury

Hotel Reservations

Destination:

Check-in:
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 2005 2006 2007

Check-out:
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 2005 2006 2007

  Advanced Search »

Air Reservations

Destination:

From:

Depart:
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 2005 2006 2007 2008

Return:
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 2005 2006 2007 2008