Kansas State University - Royal Purple Yearbook (Manhattan, KS)

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Willis laughs at a joke made by France. The two women said in-line skating was a good form of exercise and recreation, (Photo by Cary Conover) France takes her wrist protectors off after an afternoon session of in-line skating. Wrist protection and knee and elbow pads often prevented injuries. (Photo by Cary Conover) 14 in-line skating

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fan appreciation day 13

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the in-line way to class by Kimberly Wishart Alyssa France, sophomore in elementary education, comes to a spinning stop on her in-line skates while skating on campus. For inexperienced in-line skaters, stopping caused them to fall and was a source of injury. Above: France, Emily Willis, sophomore in business, and Melanie Sumner, junior in secondary education, skate in front of Leasure Hall on a Sunday afternoon. France and her friends said they liked to skate on campus late in the afternoon because they had almost the entire campus to themselves. (Photos by Cary Conover) Combating congestion caused by campus construction, students found in-line skating a quick and functional way to travel to class. It (in-line skating) cuts five minutes off of my walking time and about three minutes off from riding a bike. I timed it going to registration so I ' d know how much lead time to allow, Chris Learning, senior in park resources management, said. In-line skating replaced bike riding for some students because traffic paths were rerouted around construction sites. Frankly, it ' s more of a hassle finding a place to put my bike, Learning said. It ' s hard to find a place to chain the thing up or to find a place to ride it where I won ' t get a ticket. Although in-line skaters didn ' t have to worry about being issued tickets, they had to weigh the chance of injuries and maneuvering around students against getting through campus faster. To reduce the severity of injuries, some skaters used proper protective gear. Others found the safety equipment restrictive. I wear hand protective gear, but that ' s it, James Punohu, senior in hotel and restaurant management, said. It ' s uncomfortable, hot, and it decreases mobility. Opportunity for injury decreased when the sidewalks were in good shape. Campus is one of the smoother surfaces around town, Punohu said. Shannon Yust, junior in psychology, also preferred campus sidewalks to those downtown. You have room to move around and work on your moves, especially right down the middle of campus. There are only small cracks in between the sidewalk squares on campus, not like the sidewalks in town that have tree roots pushing through them, Yust said. You can skate there in the evening, too, because campus is so well lit. No one will bother you, and you feel secure. Students also skated for exercise. Some students skated recreationally in city parks and around the Tuttle Creek River Pond Area. Becca Rademann, junior in milling science and management, said she found remote and scenic places to skate because campus was too congested. I do it more as a stress reliever. I love to be outside, and I ' d rather do that than go to the Rec (Complex) any day, Rademann said. Punohu also preferred in-line skating as a form of exercise. It ' s good exercise and a really good time, Punohu said. It ' s a rush. Chris Learning, senior in park resources management, dons knee pads outside Denison Hall. Learning said he chose to skate to class every day because it was faster than walking or riding a bike. (Photo by Cary Conover) in-line skating 15