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THE CANADIAN STATESMAN, AUGUST 15,2001 PAGE 15 Live your summer on wheels E-mail your sports stories bkeily @ durhamregion. com In-line skates have come a long way in a short time UY cum FASCIA,W Special to The Statesman DURHAM - In-line skates have come a long way in the last couple years. From the boot, to the chassis, to the way a skate now lakes the shock of a bump instead of your knees, everything has changed. The boot has evolved from a hard plastic to a soft boot that is almost like a running shoe. In fact, the hard boot, commonplace only a few years ago, is not even made anymore. The chassis has gone from hard plastic mounted to the bottom of the skate, that in no way absorbed the shock of bumps or rough terrain, to aluminum, aluminum, carbon and magnesium. Every skate is also now equipped with some sort of anti-vibration system. system. The K2 models have a shock absorber, absorber, Technica lias a system where the skate actually gives a little when weight is applied and RollcrBlade has the Shock Eraser. But regardless of the skate, every brand has some kind of shocks. Each brand of skates is also unique, all with one clement that sets them apart from the pack, according .to Dan Woodley, a salesperson at Sport Click at the Osliawa Centre. K2 was the inventor of the soft boot. Mission uses two different wheel sizes, two small ones at the front and two - large ones as the back, to make it easier easier to push-off. Ultrawhccls has the bio- ;fiex system that allows the front and - back of the skate to almost come apart Ito give the skater maximum force in the ; push-off. So what kind of skate is right for you? "It all depends on what you arc using it for," says Sliawii Gillogly, an employee of National Sports. A lot of skates arc modelled to do a , specific job. Some are better for ex- ; treme sports, some for hockey and oth- ; ers for recreational skating. The recommendations from the ex- * perts are: ; • For hockey, nothing beats Mission ($250). It looks pretty much like a hockey skate in the boot and it has a stiffer arch on the back for more support. support. It also has the two wheel sizes for improved push offs. • For the extreme skater, the K2 Cat- alyst ($350),. is arguably the best, skate ; on the market. It was invented by two ■ in-line speed skaters. It features a premium premium soft boot and a magnesium chas- " sis, which make it the lightest skate you ; can buy. • For the hardcore recreational skater, someone doing "some serious kilometres" according to Gillogly, go with the Core XTV ($300). The cool thing about this skate is that it remembers remembers the temperature of your foot. If ; your foot gets too hot, it allows air to travel through the skate and cool it Hit the trails The harsh landscape of sidewalks and roads could be enough to turn a person off in-line skating all together. The cracks, bumps and uneven concrete concrete slabs of the sidewalks or the ; rough, rocky pavement of the roads can almost seem like purgatory for the average average skater. But don't fret, there are other options options in the search for a place to skate. Oshawa offers three trails: • The Harmony Creek Trail -- 3.8 kilometres of paved surface running from Remnant Beaver Pond, on Wilson between Beatrice and Rossland, to Farewell Park on King Street. Although it is paved, it is not always the smoothest surface. • The Oshawa Creek Trail - 6.8 kilometres kilometres that runs from Kinsmen Val- leyview Gardens on Adelaide to the Waterfront Trail. This path is completely completely smooth except for a couple small areas. • The Waterfront Trail - a nine-kilometre nine-kilometre portion of the trail runs through Oshawa. In Oshawa, the trail features -more sidewalks than it docs actual trail. ; Whitby has a trio of trails to skate: • The Ash Creek Trail - l .3 kilometres kilometres of trail running from Bradley Drive to Pringle Drive. It is an older trail and the some of the asphalt might be cracking, cracking, making it more difficult and less enjoyable to skate. • The Scott Trail - Only one kilometre kilometre long, this trail runs from Dundas , Street to Manning Road. It could have ' the same problems as Ash Creek. Both : of these trails arc also narrow, not leaving leaving a lot of room to skate. • Whitby Waterfront Trail - Runs for 10.6 kilometres through Whitby. It features features a lot of smooth paths, but the ; wooden and steel bridges are not made ■ for skating. Trails of Uxbridge: • Pleasure Valley - The outdoor recreation park features two kilometres ' of paved trail running through a forest. . In-line skating starts May 24, but it costs $12 to gel access to the park. For residents of Claringlon the only option is the Waterfront Trail and much Hike its Oshawa counterpart, it's com- ■; prised mainly of streets and sidewalks. down. If your foot gels too cold, it blocks the air flow to warm it up. For everything else, go with a skate that costs between $150 and $220. They are basically all the same, the experts agree. Most importantly, don't go for a fancy skate because it has a big name on it or it looks cool, find one that is right for you. Find one that is the most comfortable. "It's just a matter of coming in and ltying some on," said Gillogly- Gillogly- On top of the skates there arc a few basic items needed to get started, especially for the begin ner. 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