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Written by Heather Goodwin Wednesday, 21 October 2009 15:35
Rink Rash
Last night, Whachamakillit came over to my house for something we've decided to call "Arts & Crafts with Vieux Careen and Whachamakillit" night. We've had a few so far, but the project of the evening this time was ensuring that I pass Level Two Assessments by fixing my ailing skates. Balls-Out Betty had loaned me her outdoor skates to use until my problem skates were fixed (thanks, Betty!), but I just don't feel confident skating in someone else's boots.
I refused to buy the pivot cups I found online, due to the price of shipping. Seriously, $2 for cups and $5 for shipping is a bit silly, right? Rogue Roulet was nice enough to loan me her spare part skate, plus I have these lovely "ice princess skates," which I can use to part and piece my own skates back together. W-kill it and I were determined! We laid all of the skates out and tried to make a calculated decision about which skate would work out the best.
We decided to experiment with the "ice princess skates." I did some research on the subject of the pivot cups, but I only really found the broken-apart skate diagram and a side note of "If one is broken, replace them all." So, we were pretty much shooting in the dark. We took the plate off of the "ice princess skate," but apparently, that is not the right way to replace the pivot cup. Thank goodness! Taking off the plate is a difficult task and without really knowing how to ensure that you put it back correctly, could (and would) spell disaster for me.
Once we destroyed the trial skate, we figured out that you just have to remove the truck to replace the pivot cup. With one truck off a perfectly good skate, we quickly removed the truck off my broken-ass skate. This is where the real fun began... every pivot cup was completely and totally different! Oh, we tried to use them, but they were not even close to being the same. We also tried the spare part skate that Rouge lent me, but once again: a different pivot cup!
A decision was made, and off to Home Depot we went! Once inside, we quickly found an associate, showed him the part and asked him where we could find something similar. When he asked what it was, I told him that he didn't want to know; Home Depot doesn't carry skate parts. We were first sent to plumbing... Nope! Next we went to the hardware section. I walked down the aisle looking at various things, and then I saw it. I told W-Kill it that I had an idea, and she said the same thing, plus she thought that we might be thinking alike... which we were!
I had stopped in front of the doorstoppers. They had all different sized and shaped cups on the top of them. With a doorstopper in my hand and a doorstopper cap in W-Kill's hand, we met in the middle of the aisle. Neither of the items we had were the correct one, but they led us to finding a suitable match. We also picked up some silicone and nuts on our way out, and then we headed back to finish what we started.
Finally I had some luck with these cursed skates that I own. The doorstopper cap fit! I shoved that bad boy in there and put my trucks back on. To test out my skates, I put my outdoor wheels on and headed to the huge empty parking lot behind my house. It is big and awesome and perfect for skating! W-Kill and I skated for about an hour to ensure that I had the moves needed to pass my assessments, and then we headed back in.
In more exciting skate news, the indoor wheels that I ordered finally came in yesterday, so once back inside we changed out my wheels. They are fancy, shiny and new wheels! Of course, that is when W-Kill realized how messed up my skates really were. I had put all of the new wheels on the left skate and was working on the right when she pointed out that my front left wheel doesn't even touch the ground! I thought that it might be the bushings (these small plastic parts between the trucks), but it wasn't.
I guess I now know why my skate pulls to the right! At least I have a pair of skates that will get me through assessment! Next agenda... ordering new skates.
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| Heather Goodwin |
 Heather Goodwin is a local New Orleanian, graphic designer and fresh meat for the Big Easy Roller Girls. She has always been active since her youth in activities like gymnastics, cheerleading, track, volleyball and, of course, roller skating -- so making the jump into the derby scene seems the natural progression. Whether drawing or seeking the next thrill, she is always up for the challenge. Apparently, Heather’s thrill-seeking genes have been passed to her 10-year-old son Kyle who is seeking a career in professional skateboarding. |
Miss you BERGers!
XO