Speed skating on Lake Michigan
March 9, 2015 7:55 AM Subscribe
It was a "brief window of opportunity," the Lake Michigan ice smooth as a rink and the red lighthouse of Grand Haven, Mich. beckoning under a blue sky.
April Chernoby, a member of the West Michigan Speedskating Club, donned her skates and camera and took a spin along the shoreline last week, reaching speeds up to 20 mph.
Acceptable use of a selfie stick.
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 8:23 AM on March 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 8:23 AM on March 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
So if, like me, you're wondering "how fast is 20mph for a speed skater?" the answer, it would seem on a little Googling, is "not very." Average lap speeds for Olympic women speed skaters are north of 30mph.
posted by yoink at 8:42 AM on March 9, 2015
posted by yoink at 8:42 AM on March 9, 2015
that is really cool, because, yeah, agreed, I was thinking "only 20mph ? Thought they were faster than that .. "
That said, lake conditions, caution, carrying the selfie stick, and not a lot of turns (cross-over/unders are a huge power stroke) would explain it..
posted by k5.user at 8:53 AM on March 9, 2015
That said, lake conditions, caution, carrying the selfie stick, and not a lot of turns (cross-over/unders are a huge power stroke) would explain it..
posted by k5.user at 8:53 AM on March 9, 2015
So if, like me, you're wondering "how fast is 20mph for a speed skater?" the answer, it would seem on a little Googling, is "not very." Average lap speeds for Olympic women speed skaters are north of 30mph.
Natural ice is nowhere near as smooth as a groomed ice rink. My first thought of a speed skater on the lake was that she would probably wipe out on a rough patch.
posted by Badgermann at 9:59 AM on March 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
Natural ice is nowhere near as smooth as a groomed ice rink. My first thought of a speed skater on the lake was that she would probably wipe out on a rough patch.
posted by Badgermann at 9:59 AM on March 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
Natural ice is nowhere near as smooth as a groomed ice rink
Just to be clear, my point wasn't "jeez, what a slacker!" it was "I have no idea how fast counts as 'fast' for a speed skater." The linked piece doesn't seem to actually mention anything about her speed, so I'm not sure where the "20mph" figure in the FPP comes from.
posted by yoink at 10:04 AM on March 9, 2015
Just to be clear, my point wasn't "jeez, what a slacker!" it was "I have no idea how fast counts as 'fast' for a speed skater." The linked piece doesn't seem to actually mention anything about her speed, so I'm not sure where the "20mph" figure in the FPP comes from.
posted by yoink at 10:04 AM on March 9, 2015
it's pretty unusual that lake michigan ice would be that smooth, though - and a little caution is called for, as there might be bumps
there's plenty of small lakes around here where one probably could go 30 mph, especially if you had a pickup truck (not recommended)
posted by pyramid termite at 12:26 PM on March 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
there's plenty of small lakes around here where one probably could go 30 mph, especially if you had a pickup truck (not recommended)
posted by pyramid termite at 12:26 PM on March 9, 2015 [1 favorite]
This really reminds me of open-world RPGs...
So yeah. Fantastic.
posted by halifix at 2:47 PM on March 9, 2015
So yeah. Fantastic.
posted by halifix at 2:47 PM on March 9, 2015
When I was in college I spent a weekend on Lake Winnepesaukee with some friends, at a time when there was no snow yet that winter, but it had been cold enough for long enough that the lake was completely frozen over. And yeah, we all had our skates.
It was Awesome.
We skated for miles with the wind behind us, and then, um, getting home was harder. But it was so fun, after so many years of only being able to skate in small plowed patches, or inside.
Everyone who likes to ice skate should be so lucky as to skate on a clear frozen lake someday.
posted by suelac at 4:24 PM on March 9, 2015
It was Awesome.
We skated for miles with the wind behind us, and then, um, getting home was harder. But it was so fun, after so many years of only being able to skate in small plowed patches, or inside.
Everyone who likes to ice skate should be so lucky as to skate on a clear frozen lake someday.
posted by suelac at 4:24 PM on March 9, 2015
Sob, skating outside on natural ice is just not something one gets to do in the US PNW.
My parents taught me to skate outdoors as a kid, and as a teenager I loved ice sailing in NJ, the Hudson river, and even in Europe. More stupidly, I also used compete with the other young people on who could cross a variety of rivers, including the Kennebec, the Connecticut, and the Charles, by hopping from ice raft to ice raft latest in the spring. These days, ice sports rarely happen where I did them, though this year is an exception and I am missing all the fun. Or all the hypothermia, depending on one's perspective.
I still own hockey skates, though.
posted by Dreidl at 1:45 AM on March 10, 2015
My parents taught me to skate outdoors as a kid, and as a teenager I loved ice sailing in NJ, the Hudson river, and even in Europe. More stupidly, I also used compete with the other young people on who could cross a variety of rivers, including the Kennebec, the Connecticut, and the Charles, by hopping from ice raft to ice raft latest in the spring. These days, ice sports rarely happen where I did them, though this year is an exception and I am missing all the fun. Or all the hypothermia, depending on one's perspective.
I still own hockey skates, though.
posted by Dreidl at 1:45 AM on March 10, 2015
a few miles north of this you can explore the ice caves.
posted by quonsar II: smock fishpants and the temple of foon at 7:36 AM on March 10, 2015
posted by quonsar II: smock fishpants and the temple of foon at 7:36 AM on March 10, 2015
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