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While the eastern seabord was getting pounded by a blizzard, skaters in Florida were getting pounded by the first ILQ-Eddy Matzger Workshop of the year, February 14-16, in sunny Fort Lauderdale, FL. Skaters had waited all winter long for the workshop, and traveled from parts north like D.C. and Massachusets to attend. They were not disappointed by either the weather, the venue, the goods, or the instruction. The workshop delivered on all counts. Weather in the mid 70's allowed skaters to go all out without risking heat stroke. Little used Snyder Park with its glass-smooth pavement let skaters focus on skating without having to keep and eye out for cracks or bumps. Participants were stoked to receive skating equipment as valuble as the cost of the workshop itself, such as TWINCAM bearings, Explore racing wheels, Wigwam socks, Raymond Verdaguer t-shirts and other goodies. And they recieved enough coaching to make them feel like they were drinking straight from the fount of skating knowledge. The Great E-Skate had taken place the previous weekend in Miami, and skaters were stoked to keep feeding off of the skating excitement generated by one of the largest fun skates in the nation. Spoils from the Great E-Skate included multiple cases of Red Bull to keep everybody charging hard! Some skaters came to the workshop to improve their skills so they could enjoy their social skating even more. Others came with the express intent of sharpening their racing skills. Workshop graduates were exremely complementary of the weekend workshop and the instruction provided by the most famous name in inline skating. "The best teacher I ever had," said one to the whole gang at the awards ceremony. "I don't know where you get all the energy and sunshine to give so much to others," said another. "There was never a dull moment," said a third. As a testament to the depth and success of the workshop, many said they'd be back again in 2003. The worldwide workshop tour will hit over 18 cities in 2003, visiting the U.S., Europe, and Asia. To see the whirlwind schedule and plan a stop, visit skatecentral and click on 2003 schedule. skatecentral |