We've had a really easy winter so far, but most of us are still
either skating inside or <shiver> not skating at all. Around my place
in upper Manhattan, you can already see the springtime in the
daffodils and crocuses pushing their brave way up from the planters.
It may be too early for them, but it's not to early for you to start
thinking about the skating season!!

Start the season with a bang this year, by participating in the Eddy
Matzger Workshop in New York City, May 19-21. The workshop is an
excellent way to refine your skating technique, teaching you to
skate better, longer and (yes) faster! It is an intense weekend of
drills, stretches and exercises, on skates and off. Expect to work
hard, and to feel it for a few days afterwards. But in this short
time, your limits will be stretched farther than you believed
possible. And, it's lots of FUN!

The workshops are for recreational and speed skaters at an
intermediate and advanced level who are interested in skating
better. You don't have to be a speed skater, or even want to become
one. (I did my first workshop on a pair of K2 Eclipse skates. Speed
skating happened to me later.)

Eddy Matzger is a world champion inline skater, many time winner of
the ultra-marathon Athens-to-Atlanta road skate, and a gifted
teacher and communicator. His teaching technique breaks down
skating movement into small components, drill and perfect these,
and then recombine them into your new skating stroke. Eddy has
given this workshop to hundreds of skaters in dozens of cities
across the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia.

The cost of the workshop is $195, plus a share of Eddy's airfare.
(Probably $20-$30.) For that, you get over two full days of
instruction, a t-shirt, lots of other swag, goodies and prizes, and
bragging rights!

Eddy's website has lots of information about the workshop, including
registration, a description of the proceedings, lots of pictures:
Click on the "Workshop" link at: http://www.skatecentral.com

For questions, please contact me at: <jared@...>, or by
phone at: 646-281-7878. (I will be away from both phone and e-mail
from Feb 9 to 27. Leave a message and I promise to get back to you
when I return.)