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April 19, 2005
SkateAid 2005 (preliminary event info)
(preliminary information : subject to change)
Always wanted to skate on the roads? Soon you can! On 23 May, the roads of Marina South will be closed exclusively for skaters! Join Singapore's First Ever Road-Skate! For the first time ever, the entire carriageway (all vehicle lanes in both directions) will be reserved for skaters only from 7am to 9.am. Bring all your skating friends and family for this road skate!
Event Details
Date : May 23 (holiday-in-lieu after Vesak Day Sunday)
-Bib Collection / registration : from 7am
-Flag-Off Time : 7.30am Sharp, skaters can still join after flag-off until end-time. You can skate as many laps around the scenic route as you wish!
Venue : Marina South (see route map)
Start Point / Bib Collection Point : CarPark A (Planet Marina)
Route Distance : 2.5km per lap.
Who can join : Everyone! For skaters of all ages and abilities.
Protective Gear :
-Helmet Mandatory
-Wrist, elbow and knee guards strongly encouraged.
Helmet Rental Available see "Registration"
Organised by
supported by:
The Singapore Sports Council
The Central Narcotics Bureau
Inline Sports and Skating Association Singapore INSSAS
sponsored by:
Route Map
Click for full-sized map
Roads Closed For Skating:(7.00am to 9.00am)
Entire width of road, single loop along Marina Mall, Marina Way, Marina Grove, Marina Park.
Registration (registration opens in May)
Registration Fee : $10
all proceeds will go to The Salvation Army Youth Development Centre (YDC). Limited to 800 participants. Payment in CASH ONLY. For your convenience, you can download and pre-fill the forms before visiting the registration outlets. On-The-Spot-Registration Available.
Download Registration Form Here
Helmet Rental
Helmet rentals are available to registered participants on a first-come-first-serve basis by pre-booking only.
Rental Fee : $4 (all proceeds go to the Salvation Army YDC)
To rent, call YDC at 62916303.
Please have your full name, NRIC number, Bib exchange coupon number and mobile number ready. You can collect the helmet and make payment from the helmet rental booth on the event day. You will need to deposit your NRIC / Tertiary Matriculation Card / Driving License. Participants are welcome to call after-office hours, and leave a clear message so we can call you back to complete the booking.
Where to register:
1)The Salvation Army Youth Development Centre (YDC)
BLK 65, #01-305, Kallang Bahru, (S) 330065
2)The Salvation Army Territorial Headquarters
20 Bishan St 22, (S) 579768
3)Skateline Upper Paya Lebar
296 Upper Paya Lebar Road, Singapore 534930
Tel:(65)6289-4173
Tues-Fri :12noon - 8pm, Closed on Mondays
Sat & Sun : 10am - 7pm
4)Skateline Bishan Park
1350 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1, Bishan Park II ,Singapore 569977
(opposite Caltex petrol station)
Tel:(65)6453-3959
Mon-Fri: 8am - 7pm, Closed on Mondays
Sat & Sun : 8am - 8pm
5)Skateline East Coast Park
East Coast Park Carpark E2, Singapore 440000 (near the Laggon hawker centre)
Tel:(65)6243-1912
Tues-Fri: 11am - 7pm, Closed on Mondays
Sat & Sun : 8am - 8pm
6)Skateline Queensway Shopping Centre
1 Queensway, Queensway Shopping Centre, Unit 01-42, Singapore 149053
Tel:(65)64768240
12noon to 8pm daily
Open on public holidays
Event Entry Pass: Sticker Bib
Upon registration and payment, participants will be issued an Bib Exchange Voucher. The voucher must be presented on the event day in exchange for the official event sticker-Bib, which serves as the entry pass. Only participants with the official event sticker Bib will be admitted.
Important : Lost, stolen or damaged reciepts or Sticker-Bibs will not be replaced.
Getting There
Skaters should arrive by MRT at Marina MRT station, and proceed to Carpark A (beside Planet Marina) on foot or on-skates. To be sure you are in time for the flag off and bib-exchange, you should plan to reach Marina South MRT by 7am. It takes about 15 minutes to move from the MRT station to the Start point.
Parking:
Drivers must enter Marina South and park BEFORE road closure at 7.am, roads will re-open at 9.30am. Parking is only available at Carparks listed on the route map (see route map). For the safety of skaters and to avoid congestion, drivers are discouraged from driving to this event. Drivers are encouraged to 'Park and Ride" : park at a carpark at the next nearest MRT station and arrive by MRT.
About SkateAid
SkateAid is a community project organised by the Salvation Army Youth Development Centre and Skateline. SkateAid brings together inline skaters from all over the island for a special mass-skate. For the very first time in Singapore, public roads on a scenic route will be closed for the sole enjoyment of skaters.The event serves also to highlight the growth possibilities of inline skating as a sport for friends and families, and for all ages and abilities. We also take the opportunity to spread the message of the CNB to youths: Choose to live a healthy and drug-free life with outdoor activities.
Enquiries
Jeff, Alicia, Esther : 6291 6303 (Salvation Army Youth Development Centre)
Edmund : 6488 4022 (Skateline)
April 19, 2005 in General Events & Activities | Permalink
Comments
To commorate the event, request to know if any event T-sirts will be printed?
Posted by: Clement | Apr 20, 2005 4:33:15 AM
Dear Clement,
thanks for your question. No there won't be any T-shirts. The Salvation Army Youth Development Centre and Skateline has decided to keep SkateAid 2005 a very simple and straight forward event focused on closing the roads for skaters to enjoy! So there will be very little frills!
Best regards
Edmund Vong (co-organiser)
Posted by: Edmund Vong | Apr 23, 2005 1:16:15 AM
Will there be rental for the event?
Posted by: ic3 | Apr 26, 2005 6:58:53 AM
Dear IC3,
no there won't be rentals on that day, brinf your own skates! The is only a short time of 1 and a half hours to enjoy the roads so we want to keep things really neat and simple!
Best regards
Edmund Vong (co-organiser)
Posted by: Edmund Vong | Apr 27, 2005 1:46:21 AM
Why is a helmet mandatory? Nannies at work again?
Posted by: Markus | Apr 27, 2005 6:14:16 PM
Im an advanced skater and i would like to skate without my safety gears as i skate on roads most of the time. Its not compulsary right? Especially for advanced skaters?
Posted by: Mz Jinnai | Apr 27, 2005 10:15:39 PM
Hi how many Km in total for the one loop route?
Can Helmets be non-mandatory ? I believe that most skaters around are able to decide for themselves whether they require a helmet base on their own skating abilities,for young childen their parents would definatly ensure whether helmets are neccessay for their own kids, moreover the route in marina south is fairly level ground with no challenging gradients. In another point, quite a large amt of skaters do not own helmets, thus it would really discourage alot of interested parties, and lastly to buy a helmet for this event is really not feasible.
Posted by: R1 | Apr 29, 2005 5:58:01 AM
Do Skateline rent out helmets for a day? Cos my friends and I really want to go for this event, but we don't have helmets. And like the above post says, buying a helmet just for this event is really NOT feasible. Can the time be extended too? Seems kind of short.
Posted by: TYJ | May 2, 2005 5:52:02 PM
Maybe they show rename the event helmeting clearing?hee hee...
Posted by: shootme | May 3, 2005 8:09:44 AM
Sorry for my bad spelling and english..
Unless ur going very fast or doing some stunts i guess helmets should be advised..esp for kids.
Maybe they should rename the event as helmet clearing?hee hee...
Posted by: shootme | May 3, 2005 8:12:19 AM
What if it rains?
Posted by: abc | May 3, 2005 11:15:15 PM
Will there be ambulances & first-aider on stand-by?
Posted by: abc | May 3, 2005 11:35:04 PM
Dear All,
here's some of the answers to your questions:
a)Ambulance Cover
The event will be covered by at least 1 ambulance from the Red Cross, or an equivalent service
b)What if it rains?
If it rains or the ground is wet, we will assess the ground to see if it is safe to proceed. The good news is that tar roads are very porous and and are still quite skate-able unless there pools of water.
If the event is cancelled before 8.15am, a $5 refund will be sent by cheque to all participants who have provided correct mailing addresses and cheque payable names in the registration form.
Posted by: Edmund Vong | May 5, 2005 3:04:42 AM
Hi, I think the helmet rule should be waived cos I believe there are many eager participants who do not own a helmet and may be put off by the idea of having to buy a helmet just for this event.
Posted by: Frankie | May 5, 2005 3:23:12 AM
About Mandatory Helmets
=========================
Besides promoting skating as an outdoor sport, and spreading the anti-drugs message, safey is also a main theme of the event.
We know that there will be many skaters who are used to skating without helmets, and don't like the idea of having to wear a one. We must remember that there will always be those who are more prone to falls or are just plain careless. We must remember that accidents can happen to anyone, even to the most experienced skaters in the world. All it takes is for one single skater to be careless, or out-of-form that day to get a head injury (which can be serious or fatal) to jeopardise the entire event, and all future road skates. No authority will want to authorise a road closure again if they knew someone had gotten seriously injured before. On the other hand if helmets can make the road skate injury free, approving authorities will be less nervous about approving future events. So besides protecting skaters' safety, we are also protecting the whole skating community's chances for more road skates in future.
Most road skates / inline marathons across the world make helmets compulsory, so we can't be very wrong.
On the discussion about the cost of helmets, one can buy a basic CE certified helmet for less than $30. Yes, it's still money, but we feel that our heads are worth at least that much! :)
We ask for skaters to understand where we are coming from, and hope for your support on this matter. See you there!
Yours in Skating
Edmund Vong
Posted by: Edmund Vong | May 5, 2005 3:34:24 AM
I don't know about others, but I do understand where ur coming from, cos I'm an instructor myself, and we always advocate safety first.
However, spending $30 on a helmet that I'm going to use only once for this event, is still quite ridiculous.
But since I'm so keen, I'll probably go and hunt around for people who are willing to lend me theri helmets.
Posted by: TYJ | May 5, 2005 6:27:36 PM
spending S$30 on helmet is better than if someone
get injured and end up..............the cost will
be more than s$30. Moreover the helmet is not
for use once, you may use it as & when you skate.
Borrow heltmet is not so hygenic, imagine you
sweat while you skate, then you return the heltmet
with sweat to some one............?
If you are an instructor, I am surprise you don't
put on helmet. Anyway I am not an instructor, but
I always believe is better to be safe than sorry.
Posted by: amanda | May 5, 2005 7:47:56 PM
I didn't say I was a rollerblading instructor. I could be a gym instructor for all you know. Do you need to wear a helmet in a gym? I don't think so.
Posted by: TYJ | May 5, 2005 8:19:06 PM
Pity helmets are compulsory and not recommended as many skaters do not own and won't wear a helmet in this tropical heat. This would deter many who would otherwise participate in this event. Have skated over a thousand km here and in France over the last 12 mths and do not see a need for it; most experienced skaters do not put themselves in a situation where accidents can happen.
Posted by: MC | May 6, 2005 4:19:18 AM
I have to say that if you put urself in the organiser's shoes you wouldn't want any bad things to happen during an event. Also, skating has a bad enough reputation as it is. Most of the general public who do not skate still think of skaters as danger causing reckless people. The last thing we need is another headlines saying someone getting seriously injured during a skating event. Please give a thought for the whole skating community, like Edmund has said, no one will authorise a road closure for skaters ever again if something should happen.
There will be people who think helmet is a turn off or it is not a necessity for them because they feel confident enough to skate w/o one.
I am one of such people. Therefore I'm going to simply pass on this event. I think I've skated enough on roads to miss this one.
The decision have already been made for helmets to be mandatory and it is for the good of those who want to feel what it is like to skate on roads but are not that confident yet. So I think we should give this matter a rest, either buy a helmet or pass.
For the record, I am not related to skateline and I too, wish helmets were not mandatory cause I dun own one neither
Posted by: x | May 6, 2005 8:32:43 AM
Well to "help promote the sport" maybe they should come up with some package so that the helmet issue would not deter eager skaters as some(or should i say many) people don't skate very often and buying a helmet would simply be too troublesome. They can always say that why should i spend $10 on entry, plus on top of that buy a helmet which i may only use for this event and have to wake up so early and for some travel far for it.I can simply take my own time and go to ecp or some other parks with the flexibility of my own time.Furthermore i'm just a beginner(or skate leisurely or skate once a month or anywhere is fine type of skater) would skating on a road be a big of a deal to me?The only drawing point would be there are many skaters which u can get that at ecp or any other places/parks.If not in support for salvation army.
Posted by: abc | May 8, 2005 9:04:33 PM
BTW These two's posts by abc is not the same as the abc on the above posts
Shouldn't they make wraist,elbow, knee guards mandatory also..or should i say that should be more important cos many skaters fall down front/side ways and hence injuring the their palms /joints/knees more than their head unless when doing stunt or speeding.
i think this would be a go chance to educate the people also.
Posted by: abc | May 8, 2005 9:16:56 PM
I agree with that X said. Road skating, as much as urban or aggressive skating has its own risks.
As Edmund had said, it does not need to take an experienced skater to fall. It just takes an inexperienced one to caused the experienced to fall. Thats why falls are called "ACCIDENTS".
In this way, I agree with Skateline on the promotion of safe inline skating in Singapore. I, for one, do not wear my helmets all the time. But having seen three helmets get cracked in the last 3 years, I am not in any way going to challenge the need for helmets. I would not want to see anyone with a broken skull, just because Skateline bent the rules and allowed skaters to skate without helmet.
And if we were to get a major accident/death just because Skateline agrees to bend the rules, then I think Singapore inline skaters can forget about ever skating on the roads. In fact, our image is quite bad to start with already.
i'd like to appeal to everyone to think of the big picture and help to promote the sport as one that is safe and suitable for all ages.
MAYBE SKATELINE COULD PROVIDE A HELMET RENTAL SERVICE FOR THE EVENT?? For maybe a nominal price of say $5? At least those without helmets can come for the event.
Posted by: Daryl Chan | May 8, 2005 9:18:13 PM
Good idea about the rental service of helmets, Daryl! But as the co-organiser mentioned, they want to keep everything simple and neat, so too bad for us ppl without helmets. (",)
Posted by: TYJ | May 9, 2005 8:06:30 AM
I might be making this too idealistic here. But I am thinking that Skateline will definitely have all their vans there that day. So why not use just one for helmet transportation? I'm quite sure one van load of Prowell helmets would be enough to serve everyone.
1. It shuts everyone who doesn't have a helmet up. (No more excuses)
2. More funds can be raised for Salvation Army, through the increased participation and helmet rental income.
3. Safety is not compromised.
Posted by: Daryl Chan | May 9, 2005 9:57:31 PM
