Yep; that's me, at one of my all-time favorite trails, Presque Isle, PA. I've been skating since the mid-eighties, back when inline skates were still a curiosity and Rollerblade was a fledgling company. I was one of the first to be seen in my small home town with inline skates; there was so much curiosity about them that in 1991 the local newspaper did a front-page story on me and the sport. During those years I introduced a lot of people to inline skating, working part-time at a local shop and forming a club, the Venango Bladerunners. We had lots of fun putting together outings, skating in parades, and doing workshops. The parades were a hoot, because the local townsfolk still couldn't figure out how we could stand up on those newfangled contraptions.

My first pair of skates were Rollerblade Lightning TRS; I modified them by adding Petersen footbeds and had cork sections of the liner removed to reduce blistering. I upgraded the wheels with Hyper Superlites, the hot wheel of the '80s. Like a fool I sold them to a guy who was shopping for his first pair at a skate shop in State College; with the cash he gave me, I bought my second pair, the Rollerblade Macroblade Equipe, which I still use. I love these things! Their fit accomodates my narrow feet, the buckles can be adjusted on the fly, and they have a velcro carry strap built into them. Rollerblade discontinued them some time ago, then revived them a few years later, under a different name, but left out the carry strap. I'm on my third or fourth set of wheels, but believe it or not, my original set of bearings! Want to know how I do it? Go here. Currently I'm running Black Hole "dual durometer" wheels. For my controversial views on wheel maintenance, go here. I've also added to my arsenal a pair of Rollerblade Outbacks for the rough stuff, and Rollerblade Coyotes for the really rough stuff.

I love skating strange terrain, and I try to get in some skate time whenever I travel. So far I've skated: