Jeff Colbourne
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jul 08/98) - Mode of transportation or dare-devil's vehicle of intensity?

Rollerblades suit either need, depending perhaps on age, experience or appetite for excitement.

"I like the half-pipe because on the half-pipe you can do 360s, 900s, you can do grinds on the poles with your blades," said John Chaykowski, an in-line skater for several years now but stuntman only for the last few months.

"The thing I like about it is fear. You can be scared at first to go off the half-pipe. It's challenging because it's hard,"

The former William McDonald student and soon to be St. Pat's student has seen his share of nicks and bruises over the years.

"I twisted my ankle around and I almost broke it. I was doing a 360, landed and my leg cracked, said Chaykowski, looking down at his left foot, sweat beading off his upper lip.

But will the fearless 14-year-old ever give up jumps and stick to basic road travel? Not likely, he said, as he stood up and rolled to do another jump on the half-pipe.

Fellow rollerblader Dan Hayward, though an avid skater, probably won't ever do a 360. But what he will do and has done for the past few months is blade back and forth to work with his regular boots in hand.

"I just love it. I enjoy doing it. It's a form of exercise for an old man," said Hayward who lives on Finlayson Drive and works as a car salesman at Yellowknife Motors.

"I go around the loop occasionally, I push my grand-son in his carriage. My daughter also rollerblades with me quite a bit.

"The 49-year-old started skating last year but lost his blades to his son, who moved to Edmonton. He recently bought another pair and started rolling again.

In the last two years he's lost 35, mainly by riding his bicycle and roller-blading. "It's like getting a new life really. I feel great."

To make sure his blades are well maintained Hayward rotates his wheels once every week by bringing the front wheels to the back. He has a new set of wheels coming next week because the old ones are nearly worn out.

Hayward has watched roller-blading grow in popularity in the last couple of years particulary among girls, which he said is nice to see.

The ringette coach and hockey player is encouraging all of them to put their skating experience to good use by playing hockey or ringette this winter.

"Guys like Mark Messier say they're doing 10 to 12 miles every day on their blade-wheels and these guys are in the NHL, so there must be some good to it," said Hayward.