No matter what your level of expertise or motivation, there's something in in-line racing for everybody.

Watching the skating motion is pure eye candy, a confectionery blend of symmetry, strength and grace. A welcome diversion from the daily bump and grind of work and training, a skate race constitutes a healthy excuse for holding an intensely visual and physically demanding happening. Skate racing is such a treat to watch because the colors are bright, the suits are tight and everybody has their own body kinetic. Each skater's signature style allows for a great range of individual expression, more than in most other competitive sports. That's why in-line skate racing is burgeoning; it's a form of top-sport that's here to stay.

In-line racing is an alive and growing animal because the people who skate are a refreshingly eclectic bunch. Lawyers, carpenters, salespeople, doctors, artists and engineers are joined by a common bond: a love for going fast on skates. Some use racing every weekend as a cathartic agent for stress reduction, hungering feverishly for every opportunity to vent their competitive urges. Others race as a pastime, just to enjoy the ride. To them, racing is no more or less than a yardstick of fitness. Their goal in a race is simply to set a personal best of perhaps to gain the satisfaction of saying "I finished."

Racers have more verve! Do a race soon - you won't be disappointed. You'll find kindred souls with whom to share the joy of racing awaiting you.

Stage One:
Racing Tips - Before The Race

Look the course over. If there's time, skate it at a leisurely pace. Make mental notes of where the surface is good and where it is rough, where the inclines and declines are and where the turns lie, so there are no surprises once the race is underway. Make final decisions about what combination of equipment - skates, wheels, protective gear and clothing - is best suited for the conditions you will encounter during the race.

Stretch as if your life depends on it. Flexibility translates into increased performance capacity, and also prevents pulls and strains that could keep you off skates. After thoroughly stretching quads, hamstrings, back and arms, go for a skate. First practice your racing stride in slow motion, then turn on the burners just long enough to get a little winded. Do this a few times. Don't worry about tiring yourself out during warm-up; getting a running start, so to speak, will dramatically improve your race. Meet your fellow competitors. Skating is a fun sport that attracts many friendly people, so be careful not to take it too seriously. If you make friends before the race, you'll find that people of your own ability will be more likely to work with you. Remember that skating alone is always harder than working in packs.

During The Race

Don't start out too fast. Resist the initial surge of adrenaline you'll get, otherwise you'll tucker yourself out prematurely. In any race over 100 meters, you need to pace yourself. That way you'll have energy left over for later in the race. Relax and fall into stride and after a while, if you still feel strong, pick up the speed.

Concentrate on form. Form often deteriorates as you get tired. Thinking about what you're doing will help counteract this vice. Make an effort to think about staying low, bringing your knees together when you've finished a stroke and pushing off evenly with your skate.

Be aware of others. Take time to observe other skaters. For safety's sake, know where they are in relation to you at all times, and be able to take evasive action if necessary. For strategic purposes, size up their strengths and weaknesses. Look for visible signs of fatigue and then make your move!

After The Race

Don't stop moving. If you stop suddenly and stand up too quickly after crossing the finish line, you might get a major head rush or cramps. Warm down adequately and recover by skating around for a little while before you collapse onto the grass.

Replenish liquids. You've just finished putting a lot of demands on your body. It performed for you, so be nice to it by restoring liquids. Otherwise, you risk getting a headache or showing other signs of dehydration. Eat solid food, like a Powerbar or other sports bar, as soon as possible to further aid in recovery and set you up for your next workout. The window of opportunity for replenishing nutrients is not open for long!

Congratulate people. Regardless of where someone finished, they deserve to be congratulated simply for having finished. Ask your kindred competitors how the race went for them as you offer them some of whatever you're drinking or eating.

Stage Two:
Refining Technique - In Search Of Perfect Form

Have you been spending most of your skating time behind the pack, hanging onto that draft like it was your umbilical cord to life? If you chanced to take the lead for a moment, would it spell your demise? If so, don't despair! There is a way to improve your skating that has noticeable results with practice. It's called good form, and it helps you conserve energy, enabling you to skate stronger for longer periods of time. Proper form is achieved by mastering a few basic stroke mechanics and learning correct body position.

Body Position: The advantages of sitting deeply are three-fold. By forming a 90-degree angle with your bent legs, you maximize your stroke length, lessen wind resistance and stay on your heels.

These facets are crucial to balance, greater speed and stability. If you are on your toes, you're not only slowing yourself down by fishtailing but also increasing your chances of falling.

While you're gliding, take a glance down. You should be able to draw a straight line from your nose down through your knees and toes. In this position you are aligned; therefore, you won't use up precious energy making corrections to your balance, and you won't pronate. Pronating, or riding your inside edge, slows you down by creating unnecessary friction against the pavement.

Another point of good body positioning is a rounded back when in the skating crouch. This relieves strain on the lower vertebrae and causes your shoulders to have a lower angle of attack into the wind.

Also, when transferring weight from one skate to the other, avoid dipping your upper body from side to side. This is wasted motion. Your shoulders and trunk should always remain parallel to the ground surface.

Stroke Mechanics

Devote time to practicing stroke mechanics in slow motion. A novice speedskater who immediately tries to skate fast will find that little flaws become grotesquely magnified. Slow-motion skating forces you to skate well from a technical standpoint, ensuring that you won't break up at higher speeds.

The skating stroke is a graceful, continuous motion, but it can be broken down into three parts: the push, the glide and the recovery. This is the trilogy of skating.

The Push: The push is the power phase of the stroke. It propels you, regardless of size or equipment. The key to a powerful, efficient push is incorporating what's called "the fall." The fall part of the stroke is accomplished by literally tilting your hips towards the ground and falling into the movement. It can be compared to the motion of a metronome, which dives from side to side. Think about the childhood game of "trust" you used to play with your friends, where you closed your eyes and fell backwards into the arms of your partner. In a similar manner, try prolonging putting your skate down as long as possible, replacing skates at the last moment.

It may seem counter-intuitive that pushing out to the side is going to propel you forward, but experts agree that this is the last frontier for improving speed. Always direct a lateral push with your heel. If you do this you'll find that your rear wheels will start wearing out first. This is good. Do not sink to the level of the toe-flicking masses!

The Glide: Start taking advantage of a longer glide in your stroke. The glide increases your forward roll and allows you a brief moment of rest as the skate you just pushed off of recovers. Always begin your glide by landing on the outside edge of your wheels. Roll your skate to the center before using the inside edge for your next push. When gliding, be mindful that your skate is always pointing directly forward. By cutting out any side-to-side distance in your stroke, you are traveling in the shortest possible line.

The Recovery: A good recovery prepares you for the next stroke. After finishing the push, your leg should be completely relaxed, tracing the path of a semicircle, around and under the center of your body. Your ankle should have no tension in it. The toe of your skate should point straight down, and the wheelbase should be perpendicular to the ground until the last second, when you set it on the ground.

In an ideal recovery, your foot traces a large semicircle, while your knee traces a smaller one. Toward the end of the half-circle, thrust your knee forward and your skate will automatically land in the center of your body, rolling straight ahead.

The knees and skates should brush past their partners as the replacement happens. It guarantees your balanced and gives you a longer, more effective stroke length. By not bringing your knees together, you lose a few inches of push, which means an overall loss of power.

In summary, if you skate efficiently, you can go faster for longer periods of time. Correct body position refines your aerodynamics and boosts muscle comfort. Correct technique saves energy over time and allows you to derive the maximum amount of power per stroke. Changing your style is difficult. Mentally and physically, it requires great patience and stamina. Maintain attention to detail, and you will be rewarded by your muscles automatically remembering what it's like to skate fast, well and seemingly without effort.

Stage Three:
A Faster Race - The Start

I start sideways with my legs spread shoulder width apart and my weight mostly over my front skate. When I hear the gun, all I have to do is lift up my front skate and I'm off!

I begin by taking fast, choppy strokes until I get up to speed. This may look slightly comical - like a duck walking - but it improves my start. I make sure that my arms are swinging in synch with my legs. Otherwise, I feel awkward and waste a lot of energy.

During the Race

I settle down soon after the start by taking more deliberate, forceful strokes. When I've attained cruising speed, I skate with one or both of my arms resting on my back.

I get into a tuck position with my legs bent as close to 90 degrees as possible. This enables me to extend my pushing leg farther out than if I were more upright. A longer extension translates into a more powerful push!

I sit back on my heels, because it improves my overall speed and stability. Moreover, by keeping my butt down and my back slightly arched, I take some of the strain off my back by using my stomach muscles for suspension.

I try to stay centered and keep my upper body still. If I bob and weave, I'm not just doing unnecessary work. I9m also going slower by messing up my momentum. If I'm in a pack, I do my fair share of the work. I keep a challenging pace when I'm in front, step aside after about 20 to 30 strokes and recover in someone else's air pocket. That way I'm fresh when my turn comes again.

When going around a turn, I stay low and sink my hips into it. This counteracts the centrifugal force which pulls me out. I accelerate in the turns by crossing over. I step one leg over the other and push each skate sideways with equal force.

The Finish

As the finish draws near, I start swinging my arms forward and backward, as if I'm pulling myself along a rope. This gives me more momentum and increases my speed. For maximum efficiency. I never swing my arms higher than parallel to the ground in the front and back.

I also think back to the start when I took off with a burst of acceleration. I increase the frequency of my stroking as I did at the very beginning. This gives me the extra speed I need to pass any remaining competitors.

Whatever I do, I don't look back, for this can cause me to slow down and lose my rhythm. I can see someone pulling even with me from behind by using my peripheral vision and I rely on my sense of hearing to detect the presence of others.