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Lincoln - From the ankles up, the sights and
sounds suggest that you're watching the next Nancy Kerrigan or Dorothy Hamill.
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| Candace Heiden,
15, of Riverside, Calif., performs in the singles competition. |
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Heavily mascaraed skaters spinning liked
sequined cyclones. Classical music wafting throughout the building. A few leaps. A few
falls.
But the dancing isn't being done on blades and
ice - rather on roller skates and hardwood.
The contestants are taking part in the 63rd
Annual National Artistic Roller Skating Championships at Pershing Auditorium. The
competition, which is being held in Lincoln for the 19th time since 1962, will conclude
its 12-day run Saturday. The winners and next two place winners in each of skating's four
disciplines - singles, pairs, dance skating and figure skating - will advance to the world
championships Sept. 3 through 17 in Springfield, Mass.
Last year's world championships took place in
front of a packed house in Australia. That ice skating's cousin has worldwide appeal, much
less a national following, might surprise Midlanders, even though Lincoln is the home of
the National Museum of Roller Skating.
The sport's following is largely based in the
Northeast and on the West Coast, although skaters, both inline and traditional, from
virtually every state have rolled through Lincoln in the past few weeks. About 1,000
spectators a day have watched more than 1,000 skaters take part in the event.
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| Before the
inline singles competition, Allyn Rose, left, gets help stretching from Morgan Fritz. Both
girls are from Seabrook, Md. Roller skates are heavier than ice skating blades. |
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Even where the sport is popular, skaters say
they train and perform in near anonymity.
"Skating is like our little
underworld," said Candace Heiden, 15. "Nobody knows about us. You'd never know
about it unless someone told you."
Heiden made the trek from Riverside, Calif., to
compete in singles and couples competition. She glided through her 31/2-minute
singles routine smiling, twirling and once nearly tumbling. Only by bracing her hands
against the hardwood did she avoid falling.
In six years of skating, Heiden has tallied four
age-group national singles titles and one couples crown. She placed sixth in the world in
couples competition last year.
Heiden returned to her roller roots last year
after two years of ice skating. The two sports are virtually the same except for footwear,
she said, but that's no small difference. The 8-pound roller skates weigh twice as much as
ice skates, which makes it tough to mimic the moves of ice dancers.
The extra pounds add up over the 10 to 20 jumps
than can comprise a routine.
After an energetic routine that took her around
and around the Pershing floor, Heiden's hard work showed in her sweat-soaked tights, which
enveloped all but the wheels of her skates.
"No matter how much training I do, I come
off the floor totally sopped."
Heiden's training consists of two two-hour
sessions four to five days a week. She squeezes in her homework between practices,
although away from the rink Heiden said she is constantly working on choreography.
"The coaches give you moves, but it's
really good if you can ad-lib," Heiden said. "I think of stuff while I'm dancing
around my house. You have to get creative."
Heiden's couples partner, Billy Crowder, said
Heiden is the most talented skater he has worked with in his 21 years of skating. It took
her a mere four months to master the moves that have made Heiden and Crowder a world-class
couple.
Crowder, 30, knows well the secret to skating
success.
"A lot of dedication - and a lot of
money," Crowder said. "You definitely have to give up a lot."
While competing in roller skating is less
expensive than ice skating - no costly ice time to pay for - it's far from cheap. Paying
for lessons, travel and a coach adds up, Crowder said.
One of the perks of making the Worlds is that
the national federation foots the bill.
Crowder funds his skating career by working with
handicapped kids and coaching skaters on the side. Coaching is the only way to afford a
long-term involvement in the sport, Crowder said.
"Teaching is how you make money."
Teaching skating helped put Melissa Moore
through college at the University of South Florida in Tampa. She brought five skaters to
nationals.
Moore said she has enjoyed the event as much as
a spectator as a coach. She especially relished watching a 75-year-old man in pink tights
win the master's competition.
"He was the cutest little thing," she
said. "Anywhere from age 5 to 75, you can still skate. There's an event for
you."
All skaters pass before the critical eyes of
five judges. Judge Nellie Anderson Lillie of New York said skaters are critiqued on
consistency, which chiefly means using proper technique - and not falling.
Spills were frequent Tuesday, with some thuds
harder than others. Lillie said that she appreciates the grace and beauty of the sport but
that sometimes she would prefer that her eyes were covered.
"Sometimes they fall so hard they make me
cringe," she said. "But most of the time they're very nice skaters."
National Artistic Skating Championships
Where: Pershing Auditorium, Lincoln
Tickets: Available from box office, (402) 441-7766
Admission: $5 for all ages Session Schedule: Thursday, 6 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.,
7 p.m. to 11:15 p.m.; Friday, 6 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., 7 p.m. to 11:45 p.m.; Saturday, 2 p.m.
to 5:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.
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