Richard Kreibich, 66, owns a bed and breakfast reservation service, lives in Novato and straps on his skates to cruise the Embarcadero.
Why: I love flying down the Embarcadero on a sunny day to music on my iPod. I like to keep up with all of the younger kids and younger couples that also like to keep in shape.
Greatest accomplishment: When I was 27 and still living in communist Prague, I learned to ice skate to join the Holiday on Ice. It only took me four months of intensive training. I was later offered a contract by Madison Square Garden Productions as a comedian for the ice show…Â More info
Sven Kramer won his third straight men’s gold medal to match a feat last accomplished by Eric Heiden in 1979, and Martina Sablikova won her first women’s title at the World Allround Speedskating Championships on Sunday.
Heiden, a U.S. speedskater regarded as the best men’s in history, won three straight beginning in 1977.
U.S. skaters Trevor Marsicano and Chad Hedrick, a former inline skater from Texas who led a 1-2 United States finish in the last worlds at Hamar in 2004, finished fifth and sixth, respectively, in the men’s event… More info
[ad#cor1]
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: North Carolina kid trades inline skates for ice skates and rises quickly through the ranks, just in time to make a run at the Winter Olympics.
No one is calling Heather Richardson the next Joey Cheek just yet, but she’s definitely an athlete to watch as the countdown to the Vancouver Olympics hits the one-year mark this week.
Richardson, a 19-year-old from High Point, is the reigning U.S. champion in long-track speedskating’s sprint events and recently finished 20th at the World Sprints…. More info
For the action sports industry in 2009, it’s all about keeping your head above water.
Already struggling with a glut of inventory, the $14.4 billion industry is forecasting sales to fall as much as 25 percent this year. Some surfboard makers say their business is down 30 percent to 40 percent as consumers put off larger purchases.
With numbers like that, industry insiders say some brands will disappear and the economic undertow will pull down a number of mom-and-pop shops, considered the backbone of the business because of their connection to the core action sports customer…. More info
[ad#cor1]