MASTER PLAN THE SKATERS ALLIANCE David G. Miles Jr. November 11, 2005 MASTER PLAN FOR SKATERS' ALLIANCE The following is an executive summary for plans created by David Miles Jr. to develop the recreational and fitness skating experience on a national scale. This plan involves creating a national network of membership based, skating clubs that focus on the recreational and fitness aspects of the sport. This network of clubs will be the foundation of the effort to develop recreational and fitness level roller skating and inline skating to the same level of cycling, running and other popular recreational activities that have share mainstream level status throughout the United States WHO IS THE RECREATIONAL SKATER The recreational skater is the person who occasionally straps on the skates and makes a couple of laps around the park or roller rink. They are that person who bought a pair of Rollerblades a few years ago and skated in them five times. They are the family looking to share an afternoon experience together. The recreational skater is the one most likely to take a lesson. It is at this point where the recreational skater can see the fitness level approaching. WHO IS THE FITNESS SKATER The fitness skater is skater who has taken the sport beyond the recreational realm. The fitness skater uses skating as an exercise regiment. They skate to work. They skate to school. They are health conscious individuals who enjoy the unique experience of skating over a distance. Many fitness skaters use skating as a cross-training element especially to avoid the jarring effect running and jogging can have on the knees. Fitness skaters are not racers. While the fitness level skaters make up the huge majority of numbers in major road skates around the country, they tend to go more for their best personal time more than to win the race. They are goal oriented, meaning their goal is to finish the race. SKATING OUTDOORS This Rec/Fitness development plan is based on developing the outdoor skate experience in every city. It is built on the success seen in California, New York and other cities where the public has safe, closed off area to enjoy skating. In San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, a 1.5 mile section of Kennedy Drive is closed to all automobile traffic on Sundays. This gives the fitness and recreationally minded individual the opportunity to skate, bike, run or otherwise use the asphalt as a recreational resource. In New York’s Central Park the same is done on Saturdays and Sundays. Our plans would involve implementing road closures for recreational use in every city and then use those facilities to present skate related events and programming. The term "recreational asphalt" will become a positive concept for Recreation and Parks Departments nation wide. ROLE OF THE SKATERS ALLIANCE AS UMBRELLA ORGANIZATION The role of the Skaters' Alliance is to empower the local groups give them the support to grow. Under this plan, the paid and registered members of the local skate club are automatically members of the Skaters Alliance. With the average club membership fee at $25.00 per year, the local group would keep $20.00 in their treasury and give $5.00 to the Skaters Alliance. The Skaters Alliance will act as a supporting partner with the local clubs and teams that join. The Alliance will help local groups to organize, promote and present skate related events that will build their clubs and teams. We will help them get accident and liability insurance so they can leap through the legal hurtles that often block progress in our sport. We will show them how to develop a campaign to create road closures and use these kind of campaigns to develop membership and generate positive media exposure for their local efforts. The Skaters Alliance will be the vehicle through which the skate industry can support local clubs and activities on a national level. ACTIVITIES OF LOCAL CLUBS Weekly skates, local parades, group road trips to other cities are some of the activities the local groups will present. As these local groups develop, they will lead the efforts to establish the outdoor experience in their city. Local club members will form "Skate Advisory Committees" that will represent skate issues directly with the local City Council or Board of Supervisors. These "SAC’s" will work to take skating out of the "toy vehicle" realm and put it in the class of "alternative transportation". THE VENTURING PROGRAM Venturing is a branch of the Boy Scouts Of America, but there is no camping or knot tying. Venturing was specifically designed to accommodate the city dweller. It is aimed at the urban youth and designed to provide urban activities that effect youth in a positive way. They also have a branch of the Boy Scouts in nearly every city in America We have had a relationship with the Venturing Program since 1987. The Golden Gate Park Skate Patrol in San Francisco is a Venturing Crew. This allows the group to operate as a skate program that fosters a positive attitude for our young members. As Venturing Crew #582, they have created circumstances that have proven to be ideal in providing positive role models for youth through skating. The Skaters' Alliance will work with Venturing to connect with the local skate clubs and teams who wish to create more skating venturing crews. Through this kind of interaction, Alliance affiliates can provide the leadership to execute skate programming youth that allows them to help people, live healthy and make a positive contribution to the community through skating. PRESIDENTIAL SPORTS AWARD PROGRAM We plan to stress the health benefits form skating, especially towards youth but towards everyone in general. The Presidential Sports Award program was developed by the President’s Council on Physical Fitness & Sports in 1972 in conjunction with national sports organizations and association. Its purpose is to motivate all Americans to become more physically active throughout life, and emphasizes regular exercise rather than outstanding performance. The challenge of the Presidential Sports Award is to make a commitment to fitness through active and regular participation in sports and fitness activities. Earning the Presidential Sports Award means that you have put in time and effort to meet the challenge of personal fitness. The Award recognizes this achievement, and the fact that you are part of a nationwide effort toward a healthier, more vital America. Anyone age six (6) or older is eligible to participate in the Presidential Sports Award program. The completed fitness log(s) of all participants between the ages of 6-13 must be signed and verified by an adult The Presidential Sports Award involves many sports including roller skating. To earn the award a participant must at least skate minimum 50 hours; no more than 1 1/2 hours credited daily. This creates the framework for an introductory level fitness skating program that can be implemented through the certified instructors, member clubs and member rinks. The award consists of the following:
suitable for framing. ROLLER RINKS AS "CLUB PARTNERS". There is at least one roller rink in every metropolitan area throughout the United States. Skate clubs can be connected nationally through a network of roller rinks Our plan is to create a situation where local the roller rink becomes a resource and an indoor base for the local outdoor skate club. As the roller rink partners up with the local outdoor skate club, it becomes the portal through which the recreational and fitness skater makes the transition to a more serious, competitive level skater. The local roller rink will become the link between the outdoor clubs and the higher levels of inline racing, and artistic dance . ROLLER RINKS AND SKATE SCHOOLS AS COMMUNITY BUILDERS As we push forward in cities to create outdoor skating areas and road closures, there will be an opportunity for skate rental. This gives the local rink operator and local member club to work together with the local City government or Recreation and Parks Dept. and develop the outdoor skate experience. The same is true for those who operate skate schools through the country. This kind of interaction will create a beacon for all those potential individual skaters to join with us in our efforts build our sport. MEMBER CLUB BENEFITS The Skaters' Alliance is a collective of some of the most dedicated and creative people to ever put wheels on their feet. Member club are backed and supported by the resources and experience of the Skaters' Alliance organization. Member clubs will be able to expose their members to the larger world of roller skating including roller hockey, artistic roller dance and racing . Through the Skaters' Alliance, the recreational and fitness class skater will have the opportunity to branch out and expand their skating to the fullest. WEB SUPPORT FOR MEMBER CLUBS The Skaters' Alliance website will be a great resource for both local clubs and the individual members. Every member skate club that already has a web site will have a link on the Alliance site. Every member club without a web presence will be provided space to represent themselves on the Alliance site. Members will be able to maintain an e-mail address as username@SkatersAlliance.org We will create e-groups where skaters can post information, comments or ask and answer questions We will stream video on the site and develop a web based skating show stream it over the internet worldwide. The Skaters' Alliance website will be the focal point of communications for the Rec / Fitness skater. LIABILITY INSURANCE FOR MEMBER CLUBS Through our affiliation with Venturing, we will be able to provide local member clubs liability insurance for sanctioned club activities. The Member Club Director will make a request for insurance in writing to the Skaters Alliance describing the activity, number of participants, safety precautions and other details. Upon approval, the activity will be given a sanction and the necessary entities will be listed as "additionally insured" on the insurance certificate and that certificate will be sent to the member club Director. This will make it possible for the smaller events to be successful like local races, skate-a-thons, local roller hockey tournaments, dance skating competition or exhibitions. INDIVIDUAL MEMBER BENEFITS NEWSLETTER All individual Skaters' Alliance members will receive a quarterly newsletter with information of the latest roller happenings complete with photos and events calendar. ACCIDENT INSURANCE All individual Skaters' Alliance members will have to option to purchase low cost accident insurance coverage while participating in sanctioned Skaters' Alliance events. MEMBER DISCOUNTS All individual Skaters' Alliance members will receive a membership card that will entitle them discounts from supporting skate companies and manufacturers at local roller rinks, skate shops. LOWER EVENT ENTRY FEES All individual Skaters' Alliance members will pay at least 10% less on entry fees in Skaters' Alliance sanctioned events. NATIONAL CABLE ACCESS FOR SKATE TELEVISION New York, San Francisco, Sacramento and Houston are all cities where skaters have taken advantage of the cable airwaves to produce skate oriented programming. Nearly every major city in the United States has public access television. The service is free. We will create an "underground network" promoting skate related television programming nationwide using the network of skaters, clubs and roller rinks. EVENT MARKETING Event marketing will be a major component in the effort to develop the grass roots of the skate community. The Skaters' Alliance will produce, promote and market events like the Skate Against Violence BladeWalk. This will allow the Alliance to partner with well deserving and powerful nonprofits to bring out thousands of new potential members. It will also provide a source of funding to support our efforts. These participants represent a highly valued target market for skate and fitness related companies as well as many other corporate entities. We will promote and market existing Skaters' Alliance events that span the range of skating's disciplines including the highest levels of speed skating, roller hockey, artistic dance and more. Through the events, we will show the rec/fitness skaters the ladder where they can skate to the top in the different disciplines of skating. The Alliance will also address issues and needs of supporting companies, sponsorship, fundraising and media exposure. THE SKATE AGAINST VIOLENCE The Skate Against Violence Campaign is an effort to strongly raise awareness of the positive aspects skating can bring into the lives of youth and give young people a fun, healthy alternative they can enjoy. Skaters' Alliance member clubs and rinks will collect old inline and conventional roller skates. Club members will take the best of these skates and replace the wheels, bearings and laces. This will make the skates as good as new. The skates will be donated to recreation centers and after school programs in the communities of the participating local clubs. This will put skates on young people who can't afford skates. It will also position the Skaters' Alliance and its local affiliates as community builders in the public eye and thus an asset to American society. Most importantly, this is a way to let inner city or low income youth that can't afford a $200.00 pair of skates experience the joy skating and benefit from a healthy skating lifestyle. This can have an enormous impact on people who will benefit from the social interaction and the physical conditioning skating will bring into their lives. THE SKATE AGAINST VIOLENCE BLADEWALK The Skaters' Alliance will present a promotion that involves scooters, skaters, runners and walkers in a community oriented fundraising event. The event is called the Skate Against Violence Bladewalk. It is a fun & fitness, family oriented event that raises funds for local nonprofits and the local skate affiliate of the Skaters' Alliance. It will be held first in one major city and over time grow into other major cities in the United States. For the BladeWalk, thousands of scooters, skaters, walkers and runners will be out seeking pledges from parents, neighbors, friends and businesses for each lap they can scoot, skate, walk or run around a 5 kilometer course. Other elements of the event include the inline races, demo team performances, aggressive inline skating, freestyle dance skating, and roller hockey. The venue will feature "sponsor pavilions" that represent platinum level sponsorship along with an expo area for local and lower level sponsors. "Working Together To Reach A Common Goal" |
For more information e-mail the GodFather at Sk8GodFather@cora.org
You are the skater to roll through