outdoor

Davis Junction doctor pursues his speed skating passion - Rockford Register Star

Sure, there were skating parties in Retzer’s childhood, but his true love affair with skates didn’t come until he was in his 30s with young daughters at home. Then, he bought Rollerblades for himself and his daughter.

“Something clicked in me,” he said.

It wasn’t long before Retzer’s competitive side weighed in, and he began doing inline speed skating competitions. He trains with the Rockford Road Scholars and has competed for the past 20 years in places from Minnesota to Georgia. Some races are marathon-length.

Others are nearly 100 miles over hilly courses.

In good weather, Retzer skates daily and logs about 2,000 miles a year. He’s been clocked as fast as 43 miles an hour.

What is it about a young kid only skating for twenty percent of his life that can fascinate and inspire? Maybe it's the low center of gravity, little awareness of pain, and ability to spin without expelling previously ingested appetizers? I don't know, but as much as I love road skating and find most street and vert performances to be a bit repetitive, I enjoyed watching this young Scot hit the ramps. Here's a bit of viddy with more available. If you only look at a few seconds, start at 2:30 or so to the end to see some front and back landing spins and some post ramp flippage. Nice! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHAp39F_fT8

In this video, starting at about 1:00 in, he hits a jump, then misses a flip, but goes back again and does it...a back flip off the rim of a vert ramp, landing on the next vert ramp.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8syOxEb7aTw

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Wow. It looks pretty nasty down there in downtown Atlanta. Check out the brightcove link below for the original video, but I'm updating this to include some video of a woman someone skating on the streets of Atlanta (near Georgia Tech I believe, where we've roadskated on wheels), inspired by eebee's posts below. Here's the brief roadskating video of a different sort...with figure skates, no less... 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21ymwfSJYOE

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Oohwee! Outdoor ice oval in Halifax for the Canada Games open to the public, weather permitting! Here's a great quick read about the opening of the big ice on Halifax Commons, mainly for a dose of excitement about speed skating from our northern neighbors. Interesting that a guy got elected there without skating for 40 years, and that bike helmets are not allowed on the ice, only ones designed for skating. Interesting. Perhaps it's about the aero shape on the back of the head on lots of helmets? In any case, thank you, Canada, for loving skating so well and thoroughly!

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