Inclement weather, although an ominous theme at IISA national championship races this year, failed to put a damper on the competition. Merciful for once, the fates wove brief intervals of dryness into their soggy tapestry so skaters could enjoy their days in the sun. K.C. Boutiette (Team Rollerblade) and Heather Lacayo (also of Rollerblade) basked in the glory generated by their first-place finishes at the IISA National Criterium Championship in Downer's Grove, Illinois. At the IISA 50K National Championships in New York City, Doug Glass (K2) and Linnea Lindgren (Team Rollerblade) caught the golden rays of victory; both placed first in their respective divisions.

The IISA championships brightened in-line racing's future with two big features: Money and media. The big bucks at stake created a stir, causing top names to descend upon the competitions, which, in turn, drew the media like buzzards to a fresh kill. The excitement made the participants extract the maximum effort from their bodies while the cameras rolled and clicked.

After the dust had settled, the damage assessment was great, as in good. Collectively, racers may have been exhausted, but they were also $20,000 richer. Of greater importance was the fact that the electronic media helped racers become more potent vendors of image in the marketplace. (Perhaps now we'll see speedsters, not just tricksters, selling goods via the airwaves.)

SportsChannel pumped up the sport immeasurably by airing extensive footage of the National Criterium Championship, with viewers being treated to dynamic images of racers hammering through downtown Downer's Grove. Similarly, CNN upped racing's image a few notches by showing clips of multicolored skinsuits flitting by at warp speeds in New York City's Central Park. The segment, which aired internationally, proclaimed that in-line skating is the fastest-growing sport in America.

Both of these races underscored the fact that in-line skating is not just a phenomenon peculiar to America. The two events were given an international flavor from the participation of several foreigners: Frenchman Phillipe Boulard (Labeda) impressed with a fourth place at Downer's Growve, while Dutchwoman Dukke Zijlstra and Dutchman Jan Eise Kromkamp (K2) asserted themselves forcefully in New York. Both took third place on a difficult, rain-sliced 50K course.

The wet pavement in Central Park put many racers out of commission early on. Midway through the first of five serpentine, six-mile-long loops through and around Central Park, one skater (he knows who he is) skidded out on a downhill right-hand turn, causing many to topple like dominoes behind him. Others had noticeable difficulty negotiating the uphills, slip-sliding away on the 110th Street hill's wet backside.

But not all of the problems racers confronted in the two races were weather-related. While the skies threatened in Downer's Grove, confusion reigned in some people's heads over the length of the race. Was it 20 minutes plus three laps, as cited in one publication, or 20 minutes plus two laps, as printed elsewhere? And what of the bell that never tolled for the last lap? On the podium after the Criterium Championships, Chad Hedrick (Ultimate) broadcast his disappointment at being caught unawares by the final sprint with an expression eloquent beyond words. Hedrick could have sworn that there was still one lap to go. Poor Chad. Welcome to the professional race circuit.