Steamy Southern Slalom can be it's own reward

[Wesley Tucker]

I finally got to skate out west this past fall, which also marked my first trip EVER out west. I will have to admit the climate out there is a lot different compare to what we "enjoy" in the south.

Specifically, it's really dry out there. I skated pretty much all day Thursday at Cambria, all day Friday at Avila and again was out in the sun all day Saturday cone heading watching the competition. Guess what? I never perspired. Well, I shouldn't say I didn't, but if I did it was so dry that I never felt it. A very confusing condition for this good 'ol boy from the land of 90% humidity.

This got me to thinking: is there an advantage or disadvantage to skating/training in our high heat/humidity environment as opposed to the dryer climes out west? Or as opposed to the cooler temps up north? Should we take advantage of our high heat/high humidity lifestyle for improving endurance, stamina and of course, weight loss? One disadvantage I can think of is it seems as though we can only skate for so long before fatigue drives us off the street. Let's face it, in June when it's 96 degrees and 87% relative, a two hour skate is really exceptional. Usually, if you can last a good 45 minutes to an hour you're doing well.

Since resistance, though, is considered the best part of physical training, shouldn't working against the resistance of the heat and damp also result in improved strength and durability? I guess what got me to thinking about all this was Gilmour's assertion that we really shouldn't have any races around here in the summer because it's too hot and miserable for skaters to enjoy. Funny, I've been skating in that kind of weather all my life and look forward to it! Shouldn't we advocate races that take advantage of what we're used to, as opposed to just racing when it's ideally cool? Heck, what's the sense of the home field advantage if you don't take advantage of it?

I know all the rules about staying out in the heat: drink lots of fluids, find some shade occasionally and don't over expose your parts to sunlight. Cancer is a nasty thing. Then again, though, it's what we do all the time, so why should we agree to say, "no, we won't race around here in the summer because someone from up north or out west would be uncomfortable?" My attitude is we deal with it, come on down and have a try at it for your own self!

Oh, one other disadvantage: it's one thing to fall and get road rash, it's another to fall on hot asphalt in the afternoon and get a second degree burn! I hate it when I lift my arm or leg and it wants to STICK to the hot stuff. That's some serious OUCH.

[Chuck Gill]

When I was a kid growing up we had a couple of drought summers where it was so hot walking on the street would give you blisters on your soles.

Every year, about this time, I have to get reconditioned to the heat for yardwork and skating. Water and Clif bars are your friend. I should be used to it again by June or so. This past weekend skating with Brady, I started to feel the heat after about two hours...it was only about 82 deg. and 70% humidity...a dry cool day for down here. Maybe it was the long-sleeve black shirt I had on? I can be such a dork sometimes.