Too busy skating to write.

Juno, the ultimate poser.

I haven't taken the time to write in here for ages - more than a month!

After a black hole of news stories due to my ankle's encounter with a Canadian player, things got pretty hectic at such a sustained pace that I didn't have the time to report them.

Okay, let's be honest, I didn't TAKE the time to do so, because first I was too busy being depressed by my gimpy leg, then I was too busy working out to chase the wrong karma away, and last I was too busy skating to make up for those months of deprivation! (Obviously.)

Here's a little chronological catch-up on the main events of those last two months!

The Difference btw Sports & War: The Competition Dilemma

During our last Team France Training, we were confronted to a general atmosphere of competition within our very group which led to feelings of suspicion, jealousy and covetousness, in contradiction to the team bonding we had achieved, and against own will.
I observed it with an outside eye and the situation didn't affect me, because I felt apart from the group due to my injury--and thus not really concerned, and also because I had already settled my competition dilemma a while ago, in my two previous lives, as a dancer and as a freestyler.

Yet, that situation gave me food for thought as my previous experiences were in a context of individual and creative sports, i.e. the opposite of derby, a performance and team sport. In derby, two different types of competition should be highlighted:

1. competition with opposing teams on games, etc. but also
2. competition with individual team mates within teams.

GOOD COMP', BAD COMP'

To keep it VERY simple, and whatever the context, I would define those two notions as such:

• Bad competition is about domination by crushing.
• Good competition is about exploiting your potential to the max.

The person you have to surpass is yourself. Not because you are your own enemy but because YOU ARE YOUR OWN NORM and in order to evolve, you should pass that bar and set it higher. For your personal rising.

2013 WFSC World Champs UNCENSORED

For more journalistic write-ups on the competition itself, check out the REPORT TRILOGY on worldslalomseries.com by yours truly:

• 2013 WFSC DAY 1: Speed Slalom & Pair Classic
• 2013 WFSC DAY 2: Freestyle Classic
• 2013 WFSC DAY 3: Freestyle Battle
• 2013 WFSC DAY 4: Slides & Medals SOON
  

MIXING WITH THE ARTISTIC WORLDS

speaker to the left of me, stage to the right,
here I am, stuck in the middle with food ♫

The 7th WFSC were held in Taipei from November 5 to 8, 2013, at the second level of an arena also hosting the 58th WORLDS of ARTISTIC SKATING at the first level. We were treated to a common OPENING CEREMONY, or should I say : We were tolerated, on our third day of competition, to attend the Artistic's opening ceremony, which was convenient as we added national flags to their list of participating countries. All the freestyle banners had been previously removed and no freestyle VIP was invited to get on the stage where were sitting the Artistic officials.

We also had the opportunity of sharing a COMMON BUFFET at dinner on our first day of

competition... which turned into a shameless (or shameful, depending on the end you place yourself) karaoke night for artistic skating VIPs. The least to say is that the shock of cultures was hardcore. Nevertheless, it was an interesting insight into the various levels of socially acceptable behaviours according to the different cultures. More practically, having to endure 60-year-olds bellowing Asian songs out of tune and wiggling on a stage 2 meters from me and my plate tends to put me off my food.

Freeskate Mashup TEASER: the tradition behind the falls

www.online-skating.com

A few months ago, I translated the rules for an upcoming freeskate video contest organized by the skating website I work for. A revival of the genre, interesting!
A few weeks ago, a friend of mine, who used to take part in such online freeskate video contests at the time they were thriving, told me that he was going to register.

A few days later, the webmaster of the website told me I should submit a video too. Indeed I should and I would love to. Got to find the time, the spots, the cameras...

With no defined idea in mind, I talked to Photographer Julie who did this amazing series of shots during the summer, about a vague video concept.
Challenge accepted!

2013 Shanghai Slalom Open (Stream of Thoughts)

The UNOFFICIAL backstage experience of my umpteenth trip to China*...

For more journalistic write-ups on the competition itself, check out the REPORT TRILOGY on worldslalomseries.com by yours truly:

• 2013 SSO DAY 1: Pair Classic, Speed Trials, Junior Classic.
• 2013 SSO DAY 2: Speed Finals, Senior Classic, Slides.
• 2013 SSO DAY 3: Battle, Medals.

► THU. AUG. 1^st : Traveling.

After a 19-hour trip: two planes with a four-hour stop in Dubai --excluding the Bordeaux-Paris train of the previous day, the hour of metro to get to the airport and the two-hour wait to board... and the hour of bus to get from Shanghai airport to the hotel...
AFTER A 19-HOUR TRIP (I don't count the extra, it's too depressing) I'M IN SHANGHAI!

Let's not complain, though: I experienced a long flight in BUSINESS CLASS for the first time in my life. I had already been upgrated once, but for a short trip and didn't enjoy it much. But I could have had champagne if ever I had drunk alcohol.....

B612 Photoshooting by ArtyChaut.com

A couple of months ago I was contacted on facebook by an illustrator/photographer who asked me if she could shoot me on quad skates. I usually consider those kinds of proposals as long as the people seem to be of sound mind. As a matter of fact she did, so I said yes.

We met once for a drink, then a second time for scouting, although neither of us usually do that: the first go is often the good one, more natural. Still we wanted some special weather conditions (a bright sun would be welcome), so we patiently waited for the right moment.

Our first common wish - we had the same idea separately - was to shoot on the water mirror of the docks of Bordeaux. It's a childhood dream to make a splash on rollerskates, and water is an interesting and uncommon element to work with (especially with skates).

Paris Slalom World Cup 2013

This year was the 11th edition of the PSWC, a mythical international competition of freestyle slalom skating which takes place every year on the Trocadéro, facing the Eiffel Tower!

I haven't missed a single edition since 2007. As a skater at first, then as a judge the last couple of years. Even last year while I was convalescing I came to say hi (as a spectator, but still I was there).

This time my mission was to judge the Classic Freestyle and the Battle. For both men's and women's categories. It was a heavy task:

80 classic runs and 34 battle groups later...

I survived the PSWC 2013!

Meanwhile, when I was not judging (speed slalom and slides) I was not twiddling my thumbs either. All my fingers were busy working, typing reports of the competition!

Freestyle Class at the BMO Derby Girls

Last week, hardly back from Helsinki and not having yet recovered from the 1h-jetlag (dude!) I took the train to Brest to visit the B.M.O. Rollergirls for a special workshop.

I was asked to run an agility class with lots of unknown stuff in it.

The equation was self-evident. At least to my twisted mind:

agility
+
stuff rollergirls don't practice
=
FREESTYLE SKATING

Freestyle Face-Lift

Having been sick for more than a week, I had no other option than staying at home, geeking. I invested the huge amount of time and the small amount of energy I had to fully reorganized my freestyle skating website. I had not touched it much since I had stopped freestyle, and the two-year hindsight was of great help to filter and classify the information.

At first I had started it for myself to list all the events I took part in, all my rankings and all the nice pictures and videos of successful competition performances. I am glad I did so: tidying it up brought me back into a passed chapter to which I willingly surrendered... and I relived fragments of it, with a nostalgic smile that would not leave the corner of my lips.

Freestyle Judge Training in Madrid

This weekend I gave a hand to a long-term friend to help him into a delicate task: Examining candidates who passed a freestyle skating judge test.

The judge training was taking place in Madrid, Spain. Kio and Marie, whom I met in rehab, came pick me up at the airport on Saturday afternoon. I worked on the exam videos the candidates would have to explain the next day, and then we went for a night trip, driving the streets of Madrid in Kio's convertible Mercedes, visiting the Temple of Debob (an ancient Egyptian temple that was rebuilt in the center of Madrid), having a drink, going to a friend's where we spent most of the evening telling weird stories about mosquitoes in Asian jungles and English seaside resorts inhabited by old people, until bed-time.

Cirque Eloize: "iD" Show

In a few days, the most unexpected coincidences followed one another so that in the end, I found myself in the VIP area at the Grand Rex theater watching the show "iD" of Cirque Eloize, with Seba team mate and superstar freestyle slalomer Korean Kim Sung Jin performing in it!

It all started with a forgotten SD card story.
Londonner Keanoush who was staying at my place for the Fashion Week had footages belonging to Sung Jin on his hard drive. We made the most of Sung Jin's touring in Paris to have dinner together at my place, which was the occasion to meet together ("long time no see...") eat home-made sushis and take-away pizzas, and transfer the crucial footages for an upcoming video, which Keanoush was holding hostage for months, into Sung Jin's SD card... Which he unfortunately forgot when he left... The African beers from the shop down the street must be to blame...

Derby Presentation for Gumbies

I am back in the CERS for my third and last stay. Like last time, I was asked to do a presentation of my sport in order to make the patients discover new disciplines. But this time, I had taken the time to structure it and make a powerpoint.

The presentation dealt with roller derby and slalom skating and how/where they are situated in the French skating scene. I am sharing it here... Note: most of the facts are simplified to be clearer, I know that some details given below are not exact but the main point is to make laypeople get acquainted.

First French WSSA Freestyle Judge Training

This weekend, on the 15-16 dec. 2012, I ran a Judge Training.

Yeah... Alright.

That judge training included

a couple of FIRSTS.

1. First skatecross judge training
2. First battle judge training in France
3. First French training based on the WSSA model

Ever.

How awesome is that?

Socially and politically, it is a big step in the world of French Freestyle!

Facebook FanPage

-- I am taking the plunge!

I have had a facebook fanpage for a couple of years already, but in my defense I did not create it! A friend of mine asked for permission, opened it and ran it for some time. I would even refuse to be linked the page! But little by little he got the better of me, adding me as an admin, then telling me to suppress him and try out my wings.
I left it as a wastepage for months (years?) until I got told off by my bro' who quite rightly told me that it was useless and a real shame. Then I started to take more care of it and update it more often.

I find the concept very megalomaniac, though.

So that I have never advertized for it.

A great gift.



Kami Graphy -- Jan. 3, 2009.

I was given a great gift yesterday:

I am currently spending one week in Bordeaux and last evening I saw my longstanding friend and first skate sponsor, Kami, who offered me that amazing poster print of a photo he had taken on a freezing winter night on my secret spot some years ago. On January 3rd, 2009 exactly... Unexpected. Feeling (once again) very moved. Blasts from the past have become a bit too much frequent lately...!

RELATED LINKS:

• FFRS Membership: From freestyle to derby...

• Kamigraphy Flickr
• Complete shooting session

FFRS Membership... From Freestyle to Derby

Wow.

I feel weird.

I received my member card of the French Federation of Roller Sports for 2012-2013. It is the tenth season that I am affiliated to the French Federation. And for that key-year, I switched from "Freestyle" to "Speed skating. Option: Roller Derby".

I just saw my skating life flash before my eyes.
Lost in the contemplation of that virtual piece of paper,
Wandering from memories to memories...

A page is definitely turning. It is official.
And the card is reminding me to move on!

My 2012 World Freestyle Skating Champ's

A short summary: judging, writing, sleeping, eating, judging, writing, judging, eating, sleeping, judging, judging, writing, etc.

JETLAG

After my trip in the USA for the RollerCon and the rest (here and there), I crossed the Earth to the other side to go to China. Do you know the ping-pong jetlag effect? From -9h California to +6h China!



from -9 to +6

Hardcore? Surprisingly not that much... Reaching a certain point, being jetlagged becomes a non-countable fact, period. You are not a bit or a lot jetlagged, you are just jetlagged and you deal with it. Especially when you arrive the afternoon before the World Championships of Freestyle Slalom and you have to judge them!
And even if you had to suffer a 23-hour trip with one train (Paris-Brussel), one international flight (Brussel-Beijing), one internal flight (Beijing-Wenzhu) and one shuttle bus (Wenzhu-Lishui). Alone.
Don't pity me on the loneliness though, I love travelling by myself. I was just trying to be pitied a bit more.

RollerCon '12, Las Vegas: Night Life

Last year's RollerCon was an Epic Fail for me. Remember...

This year was faaar better and I could enjoy all the facets of the event. At least the two main ones: Day life (i.e. skating) and Night life (i.e. partying).

At first, I had decided that I was going to the RollerCon for a special purpose: SKATING.

...But then I started to take an interest into the EVENING schedule.

1. The whole thing about standing in lines to attend classes and wearing full gear on was part of why I only bothered attending on-skate classes the first 2-3 days, when it was not yet totally crowded. (see part.1)
2. The other reason was that I was sore all over (I confess) because it was the first time in 8 months that I was doing REAL derby moves. No matter how hard you train off-skates in rehab, there is nothing like the real thing. At least, I was glad I had the time to loosen up a bit on skates with my resuming of rollerdancing a couple of months before! 
3. The last main reason why I got more flexible with attending on-skate classes, was that I also had a go at partying (I confess too) and that it obviously became harder to be effective at day-time...

Freestyle Patchwork

I MADE IT!

I made a presentation video edit of Chloe Seyres.

... Oh wait, that's me!

I was always worried when asked "show me what you do" because I did not have any representative video material. Then I was forced either to put my skates on and "do my stuff" or show various videos for the person to get a general overview of what freestyle slalom is.

One or two years ago, Seba gave me great hope when he told me that I was going to have a profile edit. But I was soon disappointed in seeing the result: I had ordered something like this and I received something like that, which in my opinion severely lacks editing talent. Unrefined, slow, lacking details and video material, crucial shots cut and useless shots inserted... and last but not least it does not match the music rhythm! It is a shame because it was the first time I had the opportunity to get such a quality of image...

Then, in addition to the slow-motion failed profile, I would show some nice edits such as Around the 20 which is the exact opposite: great editing but poor content, a fan video shot during a winter session, and a couple of competition videos...

This week, I found the long-awaited motivation to gather youtube material and make a compilation, as I had promised to rest after my 4-week rehab stay and my weekend of rollerdance demos. I set my mind up in watching the edit of a b-girl that I met in the rehab center. It was exactly the kind of breathtaking punchy video that I wish I had.

Of course, the quality of image sucks... you cannot ask too much of youtube!

But yet the edit is dynamic, and it even makes ME want to slalom again.

If you want something done, most of the time you'd better do it yourself...

It's a Long Way to the Top...

... if you want to rock'n roll. 

That's

(my version of)

the slogan of the CERS:

Bringing sportspeople

"BACK TO THE TOP". 

Put together, I've spent two months in that rehab center in the last 7 months. I cannot say that I am the worst off given the surroundings, the care, the food...
Everything is made for you to unplug your brain and concentrate on the improvement of your body.

I arranged things to come to that second stay with my friend Lynda whom I met during my first stay.

For the record it was close to being a disaster -- last fright of the real life: we almost missed our train! Stress, hubdub, hurrying up and... *SWOOSH* we plunged into a soundproof bubble. Alone in the world, nothing from the outside can reach you in there.