I walked the route (1.5 miles) to check for sticks, stones and other debris on the country road. Then, I adorned all protective gear, except the elbow pads (I forgot them) and hit the road. The downhill, half-mile slope made me gain way TOO much speed, even though I carved. Then, the uphill skate tested my conditioning. Happily, I'm in better shape than I thought. 😁 I did this hill twice. Would have completed it more times, but a dog decided to join me and was nipping at my skates. 😳

What’s up Skate Fam! Welcome to the community. Thrilled to have you here. Take a sec to introduce yourself, doesn’t have to be fancy or complicated. Just be yourself. …ill go first. 👋🏽My name is Knejie Allen. I’ve been skating for 10 years. Currently rolling in custom Riedell 3200s w and arius plate and probably some slick wheels (95A+). Im in Kansas City and own a Skate school, SK8SHOT Studios.

I attended an interest meeting in my city for Roller derby last week. The new recruit program will start in a couple of weeks and I'm excited about it. I don't know how the sessions will be conducted, but I'll try to post my progress. I hope to level up my skating skills with the 12-week program. 😁

Yesterday I got up early, had a light breakfast, took some supplements, did some stretching, fed the cats (most important), made a little lunch to take with me and got out to the courts earlier than usual. There was only one other guy in the whole 8 acre park (who was doing well shooting hoops - best I've seen there). I kept stretching as I warmed up... and started to feel it... I was skating better and feeling better. I went through drills - everything going well. I took breaks when I felt tired, had lunch and still the park was empty - nice and peaceful. I thought "Where is everyone? Am I missing something?". No! This is where it's at. I was feeling strong, balanced and energized. I got back on the court and skated my a$$ off! Like I'd been wanting to since day one. I skated another hour, and as I left, then people started to trickle in. Perfect timing... I like it when it's not too "peopley" out. My only regret was not getting this session on video; it would have looked better than my others. But, it's not just about how you look though (yes it is) it's how you feel... (okay both). And later, I still felt good, great actually, not tired or achy, I didn't over do it. I hope you guys have these kind of days too. Upon reflection, I never played basketball, but me and that kid on the court had something in common... we practiced, alone, without help or distractions. I wish I'd told him I admired his playing. Maybe he thought the same about me, but I think we respected each other's space and time. Anyhow, it took me ten months, but I managed to have a really good skate day... finally.

Feb 23, 2026. My crazy arm waving on these cross-pulls is my mistake and throwing off my balance. See my follow up correction videos where I fix that. This (approximate) arm work is for alternating backwards crossovers.