OCR Text |
Show AggieLife Monday, Nov. 2, 2009 Page 5 Utah State University • Logan, Utah • www.aggietownsquare.com Freeline skates gaining popularity among students By CHELSEY GENSEL staff writer If passers-by have seen any USU students rolling down campus who don’t seem to be standing on any sort of board, it’s because they’re not. Freeline skates, a pair of wheels on two square platforms only a few inches across, have made their way onto campus as both entertainment and a mode of transportation. Sophomore dietetics major Katie Camp said she saw the skates in a YouTube video last December and immediately thought she had to have some. Camp said Freeline is the original brand of the skates, and the name comes from that company, which charges about $150 for a new pair. However, Camp said she bought her skates, a “rip-off brand,” on eBay for $3.25 plus shipping. She has had them since the beginning of May. Brian Paine and Daniel Jensen, also sophomores, became interested in the skates when Camp got her’s and ordered their own midway through summer. Although new, Jensen and Paine said it took them a few hours to figure out. Camp said it took her three to four days. “Because I’m a good teacher,” Camp said, “it took me three or four days to get the hang of it.” The three students said the movement involved is a combination of snowboarding, skateboarding and surfing, so snowboarders pick it up quickly. Jensen, civil engineering major, explained the motion as a “sideways force in both directions that propels you forward.” Paine, aviation and business major, said learning this kind of skating can improve balance because it is a different kind of motion than any variety of boarding, and it’s more fun to carve down hills than to skate as a mode of transport. “Downhill, it’s easy,” Camp said. “Going uphill involves a lot of butt muscle. It’s kind of like a ripstick but without the stick part.” The three students spent much of their summer in Logan practicing on their skates in parking lots and on and around campus. They agreed that the Quad is the best place on campus, particularly the east-west sidewalk running through the middle between the business building and Old Main. Other spots include the Old Farm parking lot “when it’s empty,” Camp said, and 700 North but it “can be bumpy, so you have to learn to adjust your feet.” To start, Jensen said, the skates are rested on their sides on the ground parallel to the skater’s feet. With either toes or heels on the ground, skaters then tip their feet onto the higher end of the skate so they are standing on it. Jensen said with practice there are some tricks skaters can do with them, such as swapping which skates skaters’ feet are on while they are moving or switching off one skate a time with a partner. Paine said there are a lot of tricks they’ve seen in videos online that can be done with enough practice. “We’re pretty maneuverable,” Paine said. “We’ll dodge you, but there’s not a lot of control.” Jensen said it can be hard to stop, but there are methods, like carving and S-turns, that can help skaters stop or slow down. Another option for skaters is to drop their toes and “fling around,” he said, which can either stop the skaters quickly or throw them off the skates. The skates begin to get “speed wobbles” at about 25 mph, Jensen said, so it isn’t a good idea to go too fast. He said maneuverability is a bigger appeal than speed. “You can out turn any longboard, easily,” he said. Camp added that portability is another advantage. The skates are fairly light and less bulky to carry and store than a board or inline skates. “And they make pretty good improvised chairs,” Paine said. The three said they experimented a lot at first with tricks and hanging onto the backs of moving vehicles. “I’ve gone behind a fuel truck, a bullet bike and a golf cart,” Paine said, “but don’t worry, they all knew about it.” They also said they have invited other friends and curious passers-by to use the skates. “It’s funny how lots of people like to try it,” Camp said. “We try to get people to do it all the time. There’s one other guy we’ve seen with freeline skates, and we’d like to be his friend, but we don’t know who he is.” All three agreed that smooth, level ground and downhill slopes are easiest to learn on and holding onto a railing can help skaters keep their balance and pull themselves along. Sidewalk cracks can pose a danger, Camp said, but skating on campus is fairly easy because it’s mostly flat ground or has a gradual slope. “I admit it’s not the best mode of transportation, but they’re fun. It’s a cool hobby,” Jensen said. “I’d recommend it to anybody. If something looks cool, try it. If you’re a girl, get a cute boy to hold on to. If you’re a guy, find a hot girl to hold onto.” – chelsey.gensel@aggiemail.usu.edu SOPHOMORE KATIE CAMP RIDES her pair of Freeline skates. The skates are a pair of wheels on two square platforms only a few inches across. ANI MIRZAKHANYAN photo Group helps individuals control compulsive eating By KARLIE BRAND web editor God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can and wisdom to know the difference. This is the prayer members of the Logan Overeaters Anonymous (OA) chapter, along with more than 66,000 chapters across the world, recite at their weekly meetings as they MEMBERS OF OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS strive to overcome compulsive overeating. Through a 12-step program, members gain awareness and confess their inability to control their urge to eat. UTAH STATESMAN photo illustration strive to overcome compulsive overeating. Rebecca, who has been a member of the Logan chapter since 1993, said OA was patterned after Alcoholic Anonymous. She said the international organization began around 1960 to help overeaters gain control over their compulsive eating. Using the same 12-step program as Alcoholics Anonymous, members gain awareness and confess their inability to control their urge to eat, and they turn to God or a higher power for help and strive for abstinence in identified binge foods. The group is completely anonymous and anyone is invited to attend. Rebecca said she has found amazing success in gaining control of overeating and losing weight by following the suggestions of OA. “I’ve lost about 100 pounds since 1999,” Rebecca said. “I lost about 20 pounds a year. I took it off really slow so it would stay off.” The program involves meeting once a week, complete abstinence from an identified binge food, working with a sponsor – a member who can support another member’s abstinence goals – and following the 12-step program. However, she said these are simply suggestions and not requirements of being in OA. “You take what you like and leave the rest,” she said. “One thing works for one person but it may be totally opposite for another person.” Rebecca said the basis of OA is spiritual, but the group is not religious and does not have ties with any organized religion. Instead, she said, it encourages members to rely on God, as they know him, to help them overcome their problem. Rebecca said even atheists and agnostics have found success in OA, using the love of the group or even music as their higher power. Rodney, an OA member, said the encouragement from the group helps him control his urge to overeat. “Coming to this meeting has power,” he said. “It helps me remember what I can eat safely and helps me remember my binge food. And I meet lots of nice people.” Rodney said working with his sponsor also increases his success in the program. Each night, he said his sponsor calls to see how he is doing and if he is following his goals. Rebecca said the support of the group doesn’t come from the members’ strength but their weaknesses that bind them together. Rebecca said she believes overeating is a problem among college students, and that many students could benefit from participating in OA. She said many people struggle with selfimage problems because of unrealistic body expectations set by the media. Additionally, she said stress from school can also contribute to overeating problems. “A lot of people (in college) become bulimic or anorexic or very overweight because of pressures of school,” she said. Rebecca said she encourages individuals to attend a meeting if they think they could benefit from OA. The group meets Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the St. Johns Episcopal Church at 85 E. 100 North. She said the group encourages people to attend at least six times to know if OA is for them. Although the meetings are free, she said the group suggests a $2 donation at each meeting after individuals have determined whether OA is for them. The group will use the donation to cover the cost to use the building. Rebecca said OA meetings have greatly benefited her life and brought her more happiness. “The longer I stay in OA and the more recovery I get, it’s just a feeling of happiness and joy and being part of a fellowship,” Rebecca said. – karlie.brand@aggiemail.usu.edu Perfect Partner Let us help plan your big day You Best Choice for Wedding Invitations & paper goods 630 West 200 North 753-8875 Answers To Today’s Crossword Puzzle! |