Are your skates in the dark collecting dust because workouts on them have lost their luster? Show them the light of day by introducing them to a whole slew of fun, new activities disguised as workouts. With all the good times to be had, it'll be hard letting them out of your sight again!

Play basketball.
There's already a professional league established, called NIBBL, or the National Inline Basketball League. Ex-NBA player Tom LaGarde started NIBBL four years ago after he discovered his knees could no longer handle the pounding of the real thing. Based in the New York City Area, NIBBL's brand of basketball features jumping and slam dunking, but no hockey-style checking. According to LaGarde basketball on skates "really improves your skating skills, because you don't think about it when you're going for the ball."
Check it all out at http://www.nynow.com/nysol/nibbl.html

Play tennis.
If you can already handle a racket, tennis on skates is an exceptional way to improve foot speed and all-around skating skills. The ability to stop and start and change direction fast are quickly learned on the court. As with basketball on skates, difficult skills sink effortlessly into muscular memory when your focus is directed towards keeping the ball in play rather than what you skates are doing. As a courtesy to fellow tennis players, practice tennis on skates with clear or opaque wheels. This way you'll leave minimal markings behind.

Play soccer.
Thanks to Zack Phillips, who shaves his head like a soccer ball, rollersoccer has blossomed into an international sport. Rollersoccer blends skating and soccer together. Skill and finesse - not size and strength - are what make a high-caliber player. Rollersoccer can be practiced anywhere with anything. I started out playing with a tennis ball in an apartment courtyard, but have been known to improvise with a crushed beer can in a parking lot after a race. Phillips waxes poetic when he portrays his sport: "Rollersoccer players soar and swoop on skates like birds of prey glide on wings."
For more info, see: http://www.rlrscr.com/

Play sharks and minnows.
Use chalk to delineate a large rectangular box, the "tank." Put all the skaters inside the tank and elect one to be the shark. Upon being tagged by the shark, each minnow must leave the tank until all have been eaten. The last minnow out becomes the new shark. Like in the movie Jaws, this game tests your ability to swim fast and will leave you hoarse from screaming with terror.

Climb a mountain.
I've conquered two peaks on off-road skates with knobby tires - 19,340 foot tall Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and 14,110 foot high Pike's Peak in Colorado. Both presented awesome but manageable challenges. You will learn how to duckwalk through mud and snow. Be prepared to spend only 20-30% of the time actually rolling - unless there's a well-maintained dirt road to the top. Coming down, it's mandatory to use the staggered stance, meaning your legs are scissored front and back for maximum stability and fall protection.

Push a wheelchair.
If you have a friend who trusts you, by all means, go for it! My friend Norma used to let me push her around all day in Berkeley. What wild rides we had! The best way to skate someone around in a wheelchair is to pop a wheelie, or to tilt the chair and its occupant towards you and only ride the back two wheels. To slow down, set the chair down on all fours and keep it on a straight course while carving slalom turns.
Pushing empty wheelchair is an excellent way for an unsteady beginner to learn how to skate. It's a variation of the Dutch method of learning to skate on the ice by pushing a chair.

Go on a skate date.
Skating opens people up more than a couple of drinks, because it offers a natural excuse to be familiar and friendly. An easy way to break the ice with a potential amorous interest is to set up a rendezvous on skates. Don't be afraid to ask anyone out of the blue if they skate. Who knows, it could lead to many giddy miles of smiles!

Do the Friday Night Skate in San Francisco.
This world-reknowned intermediate skate meets each Friday evening at the Embarcadero waterfront just south of the Bay Bridge. Skaters take off en masse at 8:30 p.m. for a 12-mile tour that takes them through two tunnels and past such landmarks as Fisherman's Wharf, The Palace of Fine Arts, and Union Square. Until you've done this skate, you can't say you've seen San Francisco.
Find out more about this can't-miss nocturnal activity at http://www.bayinsider.com/recreation/skating/friday_night_skate.html

Commute on skates.
Can't find time to work out? Skate to work! On your way, you'll be shaping your buns instead of sitting on them. If you live too far from work, leave a little earlier and park your car 30-40 minutes away by skates. You'll probably save time anyway as you whistle past cars stuck in traffic. Take a washcloth to work and you'll be smelling like a rose in the fresh clothes you've stashed in your desk.

Do your laundry.
You can get your training accomplished without even knowing it if you just skate with a load to the laundromat. Skating with weight builds shin muscles and strengthens ankle tendons because it forces you to work on balance and edge control. Proper alignment (nose-knees-toes) becomes more and more crucial with increasing weight, so do your laundry more often than not if you're still shaky. While clothes tumble in the dryer, you can fit in many fun runs.

Credit-card camp.
On Friday after work, get on your skates with nothing more than a credit card in your back jersey pocket and see how far you can get. Check into a hotel after eating, then shower with your clothes. By the time you wake up, they'll be bone dry and you'll be ready to press on to the next adventure!

Skate Sail
Similar to board-sailing, skate-sailing provides a great upper body workout while experiencing the thrill of high speeds. Sails have an A-shaped design with a large window for excellent visibility. The frames are adjustable for varying wind conditions and ability levels. By adding extensions to the frame and the appropriate sail cloth or sheet, a 9-ft. sail can be made into a 12-ft. sail.
Sails can be found at Pegasus Sports International in Santa Monica. They offer a free lesson with any skate-sail purchase. Look them up at
http://www.pegasussportsint.com/sails.htm.

There's absolutely no excuse for your skates to languish when the training variations are boundless. And don't forget. If none of these activities tickle your fancy, you can still float your boat by riding a half-pipe, grinding a rail, playing hockey or participating in an organized race or fun roll (visit http://people.qualcomm.com/hyeh/sdse/events/racesreg9.html for a schedule).

Now git!

Racing for TWINCAM bearings, Salomon skates, Explore wheels, PowerBar and Transpack, Eddy just returned victorious from the Moorea Blue Marathon Skate Race in Tahiti. You can follow Eddy's exploits at www.skatecentral.com.