We’ve got the cure for your “won’t this horrible Minnesota winter ever end” blues: on Monday May 6 the Guidant John Rose MN Oval will open for inline skating. The Oval is free to all users, and the general schedule is 9 am to 8 pm weekdays and 10 am to 8 pm on weekends. However, it’s best to check before heading out because the oval does occasionally close for events. Skate the Oval is a good place to check out the schedule. Skate the Oval also has another great feature: a 24/7 live webcam of the oval. The webcam is important because the oval, being primarily an ice facility, is designed to hold water rather than to drain. Therefore, it may remain wet long after your sidewalk and driveway dry out. Although there is a weather/oval condition hotline you can use to check the status of the oval (651 792-7191) it is often not updated in a timely fashion–so the best way to check whether the oval is dry is to look at the live picture on the Skate the Oval website.
The oval is a fantastic place to skate whether you are an inliner wanting to work on your speed and cornering skills, a long tracker doing pre-ice season workouts, or even a beginning skater looking for a smooth, safe place to get comfortable on your skates (so bring the spouse and kids!). The oval is a particularly good place for inliners who may want to switch to ice next winter (remember, the Dome won’t last forever!) and for long trackers who are new to the sport and want to work on their technique throughout the year. Inlining on the oval allows you to practice most of the technical aspects of long track skating, including correct body position, crossover skills, direction of push, weight transfer, and recovery stroke. Of course, there are some differences between long track skating and inline skating, but in general, inline skating–particularly on an oval–is a fantastic way to learn or improve long track skills. And it’s also a whole lot of fun. So come on out to the oval and join us! Check back here frequently; we’ll update throughout the season on times club members typically skate, races on the oval, and opportunities for free coaching sessions at the oval.
MN Masters Speedskating 