I use hockey as a gauge of how popular speedskating has become, because the way a hockey player greets me reflects the state of the sport. It used to be that puckster ridiculed me for any skin-tight clothes and headware. They'd yell "Sissy!" or even "Hey, Queer!" -- clearly telling me that skating hadn't yet gained wide acceptance. Gradually, though, the paradigm has shifted. A hockey player will grudgingly admit now that what I wear is necessary for the job. These days, I'm more likely to get a friendly "Whassup?" or "How ya doin'?" instead of an insult, a sure sign that fitness skating and speedskating are growing up.

Summerskate, a made-for-TV skating competition, gave me the first inkling that inline skating wasn't as silly as some said. At Universal Studios in Florida, I was thrown into the same playpen as NHL players, Olympic skiers, and Olympic skaters. The skaters and skiers were far too serious and competitive, while the hockey players were a loud, unshorn bunch who knew how to have fun.

I held them in high regard because they didn't exclude me. In spite of obvious differences in appearance and attitude, the NHL players introduced themselves and stood around talking gregariously to strangers.

After a sprint final, when other athletes skulked in the VIP tent, the hockey players gathered around me excitedly. They invited me to take up their branch of the sport because of my quickness.

"You'd be good in the fast breaks," I was told. "Why don't you come out sometime?"

Another big breakthrough came a few years ago at the Sea Otter Classic, a multi-sport festival at the Laguna Seca Motor Speedway in Monterey. I realized there was hope for speedskating after a band of hockey brats followed me around before a skate race. Initially, they were just mooching cool stickers, but soon the idea of plunging down a 350-foot corkscrew turn appealed to their sense of danger so much that they had to try it for themselves. Brandishing their sticks, these hockey players huffed and puffed to the top of the hill and blew their heads off screaming on the wild ride to the bottom. Every spring since then, these same kids have done the race as a way to toughen up for the hockey tournament.

In Japan recently, I received a huge hello and a secret handshake from the Black Biscuits, a fly hockey team from Southern California. "Fancy seeing you here, dude," said a guy named Craig, who later raised a glass to me at the dinner table. The next day, they even promised to come watch the race if their tournament timing allowed.

As it turned out, the Black Biscuits were flying when I was swooping. Nonetheless, the fact that they demonstrated a desire to hang with a lowly speedskater spoke volumes about the sport's coming of age.

For Best Results, Cross Train

"I don't want to risk getting hurt," used to be my excuse for not picking up a stick and joining the fray. But once I obliged, I ended up adrenalized. Like skating in Manhattan traffic, playing inline hockey is a blast -- exactly because of the daring and danger involved.

Jay Etheridge, a speed demon who lives in Los Angeles, is a prime example of someone who blurs the distinction between hockey and speedskating. Jay performs at a consistently high level at races, precisely because all he does all day is play hockey.

Fitness and speedskater have a lot to learn by playing hockey. The quickness and agility developed on the hockey court are important skills for racing. Sometimes it's necessary to change direction, flip around backwards and/or accelerate out of a tight spot, especially when avoiding a crash or preventing a fall.

Similarly, a hockey player can become a better hockey player by getting fitter and faster off the court. Pucksters need only to cut loose on a bike path a few times a week to find their speed and stamina improved upon returning to the court.

If you thought hockey and speedskating were mutually exclusive, think again. After seeing hockey players zooming around like speedsters and speedsters winging around on hockey courts, I believe all the more in cross-training.

For the record:
In local hockey circles, Eddy's sister Helen is the real hero. Her persistent efforts on behalf of hockey-playing foster kids from A Better Way netted 50 pair of skates from skate manufacturer and sponsor Roces. Watch for these kids playing hockey at a lot in Berkeley. They'll be wearing shirts from TWINCAM bearings, eating PowerBars and sporting Transpack backpacks and sunglasses.