“So my biggest hope beyond these isolating times is that we all come out with an increased capacity for gratitude and awe over the simple freedoms we will have again someday. Can I carry this treasure of thankfulness well beyond this crisis? I do worry that I well eventually go back to my mediocre pace with my blunted appreciations and sharpened cynicism. But I do know for sure that for some period of time my senses will be sharpened and the world will seem a more magical place. This fairy tale ending is what keeps me going my friends” what a beautiful reminder
2 weeks ago i didn't have a clue who Bill Stoppard is...now i watched most of your videos and love them... I'm 34 and after 7 years of skating hiatus I'm back in it and love it. Skating world needs more people like you Bill...thank you and keep up the good work
Bill, Your eloquence matched your elegance...a dandy highwayman with red bandana mask!... That was a spooky flow, and a galactic splat at the end, to impress us (proof your human 😉).
I really enjoyed the post apocalyptical emptyness of the citys. That was an experience of a lifetime. In my city unfortunately its comming to an end and the shops reopen. Thank you nature.
I'll be 39 in less than a month. Started inline skating at 37. Stoppard taught me how to go over manhole covers and get up on curbs. Gave me tips on how to hockey stop, too. I'm still working on my hockey stops on asphalt roads, but I sometimes go over manhole covers one one skate now. Not that smart to do, except that I like incorporating figure skating into my urban skating. Yeah, I've been down. Scuffed up my skates. Probably chipped my lower jaw bone. Got up again and kept going. ; )
Same here (same age, also starting this year). It's now almost 7 weeks since I received my skates. Day 1 was just "get up, don't fall and move forward somehow". 2 days later I already got to some "serious" speed (12-15 km/h maybe, felt ultra fast) on empty agricultural roads, when I realized that I need at least one stopping technique. But my whole body was not ready for a "complicated move" like the heel stop. So I tried my best, enjoyed almost daily roller blading while always practicing agsinst my comfort zone. Now, 7 weeks later, I manage the heel stop quite OK, I manage small jumps, curves are ok and I can roll down a wide unused bridge by using some kind of "slalom technique". Oh and my max speed is around 30 km/h, not too bad. I love the fast progress over time, and that is a really great motivation to keep it up. And these videos are also a very nice motivation and inspiration, at least for me. So thanks for sharing your lifestyle with the rest of the world :-) OK, I'm out now, my skates are waiting for me...
Another awesome video Bill, stay safe and healthy in these troubling times and yes definitely a group skate after this, if only I could make it to Toronto, ATB Marti
Good to see you skating again, it's fully justified. I agree with you about the empty streets, the people are the city, feels wrong without them. Cars can stay in lock down indefinitely though
Your videos are inspirational, informative and educational all the while very entertaining! Your videos are one of the main reasons why I decided to put on blades in 30 years. Thanks Bill. Much love and appreciation from Egypt and Dubai.
Hi Bill! 6 years ago I skated and your videos were a great help. I’m back on my rockets but it did take me 3 days to get comfortable with speed and stops yep the ones you taught all those years ago drag to power slide! Stay safe and I’ll keep skating this time. Thank you, from London
In January, I picked up ice skating (for the first time since childhood), and it's true: I forgot how much of my improved health I can attribute to even just 3 months of skating. I empathize re: starting to feel myself "fall apart" in that regard, too. 😐 Was planning to pick up in-line skating this spring, but it's hard to gauge what affordable skate style and boot fit to settle on with stores closed, and not a lot of inventory in stock online, anyway (as with ice skating, I haven't in-line skated since childhood). Good video, in any case. Something to eventually aim for whenever we get back to the new normal.
Hey Bill! I love Toronto! I visited 6 times, phenomenal place. So sad to see it this empty, very eerie. Can't wait to go back to normal, will definitely bring my skates and look for you on the streets! Truly enjoying all your videos. Greetings from Miami
Hi bill. Watching you 4 makes me so happy I enjoy every video. I started when I was 4 an I'm 24 now. I just picked it back up. Being in oregon the only thing I could do was go to the skating rink. I didn't feel comfortable out by myself. Now all I want to do is skate again because it remains me of how free I was as a kid and the experience and exercise is amazing. We need more things to do to bring skating to the walkers.
Bill - I'm in a suburb of Columbus, OH - lot's of space, straight, flat, new bike paths. My teeth are chattering just from looking at this urban terrain. There were hardly any skaters here just a few years ago. Happy to report that there have been tons of skaters out there recently, mostly beginners. I tell my wife all the time that I started the trend by making it look cool. I'm like the fat Bill Stoppard of my town lol. She says that I like skating bc it's the only time I get complements. I appreciate how you have always included your wipeouts. I make it a point to tell beginners who ask for advice that falling is part of skating, so bend your knees. I just punched the outsole of my CCM RBZ 70 through the aluminum chassis on the outside forefoot. Got a pair of Tour Code 2.one coming.
I just swapped out my 3x90 for 4x80 trinity on the Tau Carbon boot . hopefully give me more stability for town skating . Wish we had sidewalks in the UK like in Canada
Thanks for the awsome content you provided over the years Bill, i wish i could get into inline skating again but im kinda overweight and balance is jacked so the closest thing i get is your videos...they are so soothing and really relaxing
It still shocks me to realize how big, or drastic, changes just happened in just a couple of months. The absence of everything you grew up seeing, and got sick of experiencing everyday. I haven't lost a loved one. But it sure felt like someone very close to me just died.
This is inspiring me to skate london. I’ll try the parks first then the streets. Hope being in my 50’s, I don’t look like an uncle dancing at a wedding!
I love the cool cinematography you are getting with the Insta360. Another awesome video! My buddy and I have been doing social-distance skates during all of this and found that college campuses are a lot of fun right now with the lack of walkers.
Great video Bill. You captured the current world we're living in perfectly with your words and music. Sad times but we can skate through this. I feel so lucky to have a gorgeous seafront and sole access to an indoor skate rink, complete with ramps, a grind box, and very soon 2 quarter pipes. Keep up with the content buddy, it's keeping us sane! Paul, The Y Centre, Hastings, UK.
just got new skates after a few years of not skating (i did but on ice so...), going to enjoy the emptiness of the city here and regain my skating spirit, feeling and rithm.....it's a good time to improve skills or just to pickup where you left.....:)
Nathan McCartney Whitby Island race week 1987! Man I will never ever forget that one if you know what I mean! Thanks for the reminder. Rollerblading, sailing, cycling, canoeing... What a life we lead. Peace.
If I hadn't been let go from my job due to this virus, I would totally come to Canada just to be a part in that group skate... Money is the ultimate motivator
Just wanted to say that watching your videos was the main inspiration to my ordering my first pair of inline skates. Keep up the good work! Also, I think you should keep skating. The risk of going out in a pair of skates is negligible when compared to doing other things, like grocery shopping, which are unavoidable.
Eerie, but makes me feel thoughtful. I miss my old city. Without skating for 5 months, as the city where I'm now is highly violent, so I don't want to risk myself out... Sad days.
"I forget just how much of my good health I owe to inline skating..." Amen brotha. :) I have not been out just yet but I look forward to it. I would love to join you for a group skate when this is over. Seriously. I hope this happens. Not until the time is right though. Peace
It would be great to finally meet you T! I will give 4-6 week's notice. I agree with you, It must take place at a time when we KNOW (according to medical consensus) we are doing the right thing, and when people from everywhere are able to make it.
I feel like I’m Batman on my bike in Toronto and totally enjoy it... This makes me wanna own the city and my body moving with blades on my feet Nice wall pushes for turning I suppose surfaces are a big consideration 🤔
In Victoria B.C. I also have skated all the downtown parkades. I agree with you on the eerie feeling you get when you first enter an empty parkade. When we were first quarantined At 9 pm Fri night I stick handled a ball on the yellow line from one end of Douglas St. to other end. 10 pm here, because Mayor has created bike path downtown, it is like night sking I am out the door for an hour ride Have fun TR
These days way less cars on the road, but yet a lot more people on bikes + e-bikes, longboards and inline skates... really a lot... feels like almost every family here has one pair of skates at least...
Great capture of the quarantine atmosphere! But please do not get too comfy on the empty streets so we see you soon - skating the crowded streets of Toronto again! Greetings from Germany:)
Any details for the large group skate? I'm from Toledo, OH so I'm not far and I'd like to meet my inline idol. You inspired me to use inline as a means of exercise, now im past Intermediate and own some awesome K2 vo2 Boa's (unfortunately I picked up skating a year after the orange and black ones came out.)
Hey L, The plan is to skate the cycle lanes and quieter streets and alleys of the west end, wind up in a park in Kensington Market, maybe Trinity Bellwoods. The optimist in me says August, would love sooner, yet could see much later. I will give 3-4 wks notice at least. Would be great to have you repping Toledo in Toronto!
@@BillStoppard That sounds sick!, keep me in the loop. Been watching since the Pinto Pony Express days when you tried the sparking wheels and your first "how to sprint" videos.
Here in Madrid we've been in confinement 40+ days or something, kind of lost count. Being on the street gets you fined or worse, unless you're shopping for food or medicin nearby your home. The urge to skate is strooong... On another note, I would have skipped the bandana while being outdoors unless it's mandatory by law. The chance of catching anything outdoors is slim to none if distance is kept, and it probably just increases the touching of the face when re-arranging it.
@@HeadNtheClouds Thanks! The cops are patrolling the streets pretty hard and I don't want to get into trouble since I'm a foreigner here. Also not keen on getting a juicy fine!
Uffff ... i was subdued into a dream state surfing those fabulosly surreal toronto street scenes ...then wham dropped my ph. too... ha! btw..any here old enough to remember "The Omega man" ... ?
At times in this video In the car park, I feared for your life Bill. Deep Stark Real. The fall is a document by itself. Gratitude from across the planet.
I think there should be a annul nationwide skate in a different city every month.. We need to get people remembering what its like to actually live! Skating sets you free and connects us!
Going out with a Bang! (someone had to make the comment, I volunteered). Here in Belgium the directives from the government were unclear at first. Stay at home! But also get out and do sports! But not in company! But sports is good for you, you must do it! But only running or cycling! And don't sit down and rest, just run/bike from your home back to your home without rest and without leaving your neighbourhood! No, wait, you can leave your neighbourhood/town! After a couple of weeks they told us that skating is okay too, so I've been making a tour around the city a couple of times. But there's also a lot of wind - strong easterly continental wind all the way from the steppes of Russia - so I've been doing some slalom in between.
Ha, yes, the info is always changing. I've never felt so intellectually fickle; quite humbling...unfortunately! I love skating into the wind and then catching the ride home, but your wind sounds like it could be demoralizing.
@@BillStoppard Hah, yes. I forgot for a moment there I was talking to a Canadian :-) Our easterly winds must be balmy summer breezes compared to what you guys are used to. Here we are used to humid (south-)westerly winds that bring intermittent showers and stormy clouds from the North Sea and the Atlantic. You can often smell a hint of saltiness in that breeze. But that cold dry easterly continental wind makes us grumpy. :-)
Greetings from Switzerland Bill, when this is all over Ill take u up on that Toronto skate. All the best to you and see you on the other side of this Corona mess.
I feel you. While skating an empty mall parking lot and garage, I was slowly chased out by a menacing security car with a yellow flashing light. Strange times indeed.
I’m fortunate enough to be able to skate locally atm with social distancing restriction being partially relaxed next week end. Then we can travel 50km away from home if we feel free too.
360ª action camera and have an option that makes the stick desapear by mixing to angles of view of the camera! the software recognises the "place" where the stick should be so he just use 2 angles to "hide" the stick and creat a perfect image xD tecnology!
Heads up guys, there is actually people skating outside and getting fines. Basically in some places as I am told, the police hides to see when someone shows up and then applies the fine and this is not just restricted to parks. Check this out for more information meetup.com/bladers/messages/boards/thread/52718725/#132561253 and if you are in Toronto, the bladers at meetup are on hold for events.
Hey Bill, finally broke the hockey skates you inspired me to buy, nearly 3 years of hard street skating, the frame bent. You weren't wearing your Aeon 80s in this flow!
Yep, definitely sci-fi / horror movie / creepy documentary quality. Great choice of music. Good introspection. Nice dramatic ending, too. I hope you're ok, though.
a mask wont protect against the virus anyway if anything the mask is useful for people who touch their face alot ( like me) because it just serves as a reminder to not touchy
The jury is still out in the science community on virus transmission and social distancing for outdoor exercise. From my experience masks block the flow of oxygen to the brain and result in shortness of breath and passing out.
Yeah, my mask restricted my airflow. I also touched my face a lot. After a while, it got too nasty to wear. So, just social distancing now - but I think that's legal where I am.
Great vid with the Insta360. Hope the lense survived. :) Thanks for your videos, very inspiring for me - reactiveted my skates after 10 years due to corona... but not sure how soon I will be good enough to hold the camera stick in 1 hand.
Hi Bill! I've seen you in both the Seba High and in the Seba Igor skates... So my question is: Will my feet be happy with the Igor boot, considering the most/only comfy boot I've skated in, is the Seba High (tried Powerslide Tau, HC Evo and Next) but they are all killing my bone on the inside mid foot, the one incline below the ankle bone. Do YOU feel that these two Seba boots are similar in their fittings around the ankle and down the inside of the boot? Really hope that you are able to help me with this. Sporty regards from Copenhagen 🌞
Strange that there’s not that many people! I find that there are more people, especially on the roads cruising around. And today was like summer with so many people at the beaches, it was back to normal. But of course when you go inside somewhere, wear masks & gloves .... Toronto closer to New York, so more intense there!
Well said, Bill. I'm a suburban skater in California. For awhile after stay-at-home I was skating on the blacktop at my local school, and I also have speed skates I was just about to start using to skate on paved trails. I decided to stop about a week an a half in when I realized that the wrong fall could put me in need of a hospital trip, taking up resources and exposing myself and others. I decided the reward was outweighed by the risk. But DAMN, I miss it. It was the only thing that kept me sane as I watched nearly everything I love fall away from me. And then it was gone, too. Now I have to figure out at what point does the risk, for only myself, become worth the reward, and when am I no longer putting anyone else at risk. Thanks for the video! stay healthy!
I've never gone to the hospital for an inline injury. The last time I needed medical help was due to a utility knife 'slip'. I think stepping into a car is the highest risk activity in most of our lives. If you're a good, cautious skater and you can find suitable space, the risk is of serious injury is pretty low. I respect your fear for and ethics though, they will protect yourself and others.
@@BillStoppard I skated again today since Governor Newsom specifically named inline (although he called it rollerblading) as an acceptable outdoor activity. I had a good fall in December that I'm still recovering from (back and wrist). I returned to skating last year after a 20 year hiatus. But I'm a pretty skilled skier, so unfortunately I saw a 2 step staircase I'd have no problem jumping on skis, but my skills didn't transfer and I flat footed the landing, falling back on my butt. Reminded me of my advancing age and decreasing pliability. So I'm being cautious now. Anyway, I'm glad to be back. Not sure when I head out again on the speedskates, though.
“So my biggest hope beyond these isolating times is that we all come out with an increased capacity for gratitude and awe over the simple freedoms we will have again someday. Can I carry this treasure of thankfulness well beyond this crisis? I do worry that I well eventually go back to my mediocre pace with my blunted appreciations and sharpened cynicism. But I do know for sure that for some period of time my senses will be sharpened and the world will seem a more magical place. This fairy tale ending is what keeps me going my friends” what a beautiful reminder
hi, i just run 6 miles but after seeing you skating i put on my skates, one of my goals is to be a good skater like you,
The world needs more skaters!
Yay!! Your running will have prepped you well for the best sport on the planet. Stay Low Walter!
2 weeks ago i didn't have a clue who Bill Stoppard is...now i watched most of your videos and love them... I'm 34 and after 7 years of skating hiatus I'm back in it and love it. Skating world needs more people like you Bill...thank you and keep up the good work
Bill, Your eloquence matched your elegance...a dandy highwayman with red bandana mask!... That was a spooky flow, and a galactic splat at the end, to impress us (proof your human 😉).
loved this, perfect description for me.
Thanks Martin, spooky is a good word, especially for the parking lot.
Eerie! I was waiting for the zombies to pop out from around the corner and start chasing you.
I was thinking the same thing.
I really enjoyed the post apocalyptical emptyness of the citys. That was an experience of a lifetime.
In my city unfortunately its comming to an end and the shops reopen.
Thank you nature.
right... that was something awesome to witness
2:37 Bill Stoppard: The Horror Movie
That parking garage kept getting creepier the further down you went!
Am 42 now learning to skate
I'll be 39 in less than a month. Started inline skating at 37. Stoppard taught me how to go over manhole covers and get up on curbs. Gave me tips on how to hockey stop, too. I'm still working on my hockey stops on asphalt roads, but I sometimes go over manhole covers one one skate now. Not that smart to do, except that I like incorporating figure skating into my urban skating. Yeah, I've been down. Scuffed up my skates. Probably chipped my lower jaw bone. Got up again and kept going. ; )
Same here (same age, also starting this year). It's now almost 7 weeks since I received my skates.
Day 1 was just "get up, don't fall and move forward somehow".
2 days later I already got to some "serious" speed (12-15 km/h maybe, felt ultra fast) on empty agricultural roads, when I realized that I need at least one stopping technique. But my whole body was not ready for a "complicated move" like the heel stop. So I tried my best, enjoyed almost daily roller blading while always practicing agsinst my comfort zone.
Now, 7 weeks later, I manage the heel stop quite OK, I manage small jumps, curves are ok and I can roll down a wide unused bridge by using some kind of "slalom technique". Oh and my max speed is around 30 km/h, not too bad.
I love the fast progress over time, and that is a really great motivation to keep it up. And these videos are also a very nice motivation and inspiration, at least for me. So thanks for sharing your lifestyle with the rest of the world :-)
OK, I'm out now, my skates are waiting for me...
You are awesome!!!!!!!!!! Never be afraid to have fun!! Keep it up. Many of us with you.
When he fell it scared me lol
Dat-E.Z 335 I actually puckered a little! That feeling of “oh shit”! 😨🥴
Me too!!
Another awesome video Bill, stay safe and healthy in these troubling times and yes definitely a group skate after this, if only I could make it to Toronto, ATB Marti
Good to see you skating again, it's fully justified. I agree with you about the empty streets, the people are the city, feels wrong without them. Cars can stay in lock down indefinitely though
Your videos are inspirational, informative and educational all the while very entertaining!
Your videos are one of the main reasons why I decided to put on blades in 30 years.
Thanks Bill. Much love and appreciation from Egypt and Dubai.
Beautiful and haunting. The video we all needed right now.
Hi Bill!
6 years ago I skated and your videos were a great help. I’m back on my rockets but it did take me 3 days to get comfortable with speed and stops yep the ones you taught all those years ago drag to power slide! Stay safe and I’ll keep skating this time. Thank you, from London
Great monologue in the beginning my friend!
Toronto refugee living in Saug here.
One of the most interesting and thought provoking videos you've done Bill. Excellent stuff.
In January, I picked up ice skating (for the first time since childhood), and it's true: I forgot how much of my improved health I can attribute to even just 3 months of skating.
I empathize re: starting to feel myself "fall apart" in that regard, too. 😐
Was planning to pick up in-line skating this spring, but it's hard to gauge what affordable skate style and boot fit to settle on with stores closed, and not a lot of inventory in stock online, anyway (as with ice skating, I haven't in-line skated since childhood).
Good video, in any case. Something to eventually aim for whenever we get back to the new normal.
Hey Bill! I love Toronto! I visited 6 times, phenomenal place. So sad to see it this empty, very eerie. Can't wait to go back to normal, will definitely bring my skates and look for you on the streets! Truly enjoying all your videos. Greetings from Miami
Hi bill. Watching you 4 makes me so happy I enjoy every video. I started when I was 4 an I'm 24 now. I just picked it back up. Being in oregon the only thing I could do was go to the skating rink. I didn't feel comfortable out by myself. Now all I want to do is skate again because it remains me of how free I was as a kid and the experience and exercise is amazing. We need more things to do to bring skating to the walkers.
Checking back 3 years later, glad to see you're as great as ever.
its DOPE you uploaded a new video THANX 4 THAT...greetings from germany
Great love from Nepal 🇳🇵 🇳🇵 🇳🇵
Hats off...
seems scary...
Bill - I'm in a suburb of Columbus, OH - lot's of space, straight, flat, new bike paths. My teeth are chattering just from looking at this urban terrain. There were hardly any skaters here just a few years ago. Happy to report that there have been tons of skaters out there recently, mostly beginners. I tell my wife all the time that I started the trend by making it look cool. I'm like the fat Bill Stoppard of my town lol. She says that I like skating bc it's the only time I get complements.
I appreciate how you have always included your wipeouts. I make it a point to tell beginners who ask for advice that falling is part of skating, so bend your knees.
I just punched the outsole of my CCM RBZ 70 through the aluminum chassis on the outside forefoot. Got a pair of Tour Code 2.one coming.
I just swapped out my 3x90 for 4x80 trinity on the Tau Carbon boot . hopefully give me more stability for town skating . Wish we had sidewalks in the UK like in Canada
For real, makes me so jealous seeing smooth surfaces!
Same here in Budapest streets are empty... really disturbing that no one tried to hit me in these past weeks :)
Use this oppertunity of empty streets. The freedom of skating everywhere. Keep it up.
Much that I enjoy your flowcast, stay indoors, stay safe!
Love is the highest vibrational frequency.
Helicopter rotors... Thanks for these wonderful vids. Great skater.
Thanks for the awsome content you provided over the years Bill, i wish i could get into inline skating again but im kinda overweight and balance is jacked so the closest thing i get is your videos...they are so soothing and really relaxing
Good movie, good commentary, lots of health, thanks for your work, best regards from Poland.
Under a low ceiling suddenly you forget that it is your mantra "Stay Low"!
It still shocks me to realize how big, or drastic, changes just happened in just a couple of months.
The absence of everything you grew up seeing, and got sick of experiencing everyday.
I haven't lost a loved one. But it sure felt like someone very close to me just died.
This was eerie but a great video, from a fellow Torontonian
Lol love that you added the fall at the end. Made it seem that much more bleak. Great stuff. Thanks
Im living in the mountains but city empty like this is perfect 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻
Wish we get to skate in Toronto some day
This is inspiring me to skate london. I’ll try the parks first then the streets. Hope being in my 50’s, I don’t look like an uncle dancing at a wedding!
I love the cool cinematography you are getting with the Insta360. Another awesome video! My buddy and I have been doing social-distance skates during all of this and found that college campuses are a lot of fun right now with the lack of walkers.
Great to hear, inline really is one of those things you can do together, apart.
Your videos are so motivating and amasingly artistic. Thank you for sharing. Stay safe! Regards from Croatia.
I love the 360 scene where it looks like your skating around a tiny planet!
Great video Bill. You captured the current world we're living in perfectly with your words and music. Sad times but we can skate through this.
I feel so lucky to have a gorgeous seafront and sole access to an indoor skate rink, complete with ramps, a grind box, and very soon 2 quarter pipes. Keep up with the content buddy, it's keeping us sane! Paul, The Y Centre, Hastings, UK.
🤙
just got new skates after a few years of not skating (i did but on ice so...), going to enjoy the emptiness of the city here and regain my skating spirit, feeling and rithm.....it's a good time to improve skills or just to pickup where you left.....:)
Well, I'm in tears now.
I hope to see you at that Toronto skate party. I'll make sure to host one on Whidbey Island, Washington as well.
Nathan McCartney Whitby Island race week 1987! Man I will never ever forget that one if you know what I mean! Thanks for the reminder. Rollerblading, sailing, cycling, canoeing... What a life we lead. Peace.
Maan.. you realky got me by surprise there at the end. Hope you're okay
The Skating in the parking lot reminded me of a horror movie scene, lol. The build up to when something bad is going to happen.
If I hadn't been let go from my job due to this virus, I would totally come to Canada just to be a part in that group skate... Money is the ultimate motivator
Just wanted to say that watching your videos was the main inspiration to my ordering my first pair of inline skates. Keep up the good work!
Also, I think you should keep skating. The risk of going out in a pair of skates is negligible when compared to doing other things, like grocery shopping, which are unavoidable.
I love this video . You show me great places to blade 😎
Uauuuuuuuuu Top Video Man. Respect from Brazil.
Eerie, but makes me feel thoughtful.
I miss my old city.
Without skating for 5 months, as the city where I'm now is highly violent, so I don't want to risk myself out...
Sad days.
With love from whole USSR
What a dramatic ending! Keep going.
That was like a thrilling Stephen King adaption! thanks for sharing it with us! :)
Lol intention was to "avoid the walkers" it's the walking dead 🤣
"I forget just how much of my good health I owe to inline skating..." Amen brotha. :) I have not been out just yet but I look forward to it. I would love to join you for a group skate when this is over. Seriously. I hope this happens. Not until the time is right though. Peace
It would be great to finally meet you T! I will give 4-6 week's notice. I agree with you, It must take place at a time when we KNOW (according to medical consensus) we are doing the right thing, and when people from everywhere are able to make it.
I feel like I’m Batman on my bike in Toronto and totally enjoy it...
This makes me wanna own the city and my body moving with blades on my feet
Nice wall pushes for turning
I suppose surfaces are a big consideration 🤔
Those roads and pavement surfaces look like damned hard work to me from that video.
Two nights ago I had a dream : I had incredible skills skating! It was so satisfying...and so frustrating when I woke up...!
In Victoria B.C. I also have skated all the downtown parkades. I agree with you on the eerie feeling you get when you first enter an empty parkade.
When we were first quarantined At 9 pm Fri night I stick handled a ball on the yellow line from one end of Douglas St. to other end.
10 pm here, because Mayor has created bike path downtown, it is like night sking I am out the door for an hour ride
Have fun
TR
Such an awesome video! Love your naration with postapocalyptic cyberpunk music in backround lol.
These days way less cars on the road, but yet a lot more people on bikes + e-bikes, longboards and inline skates... really a lot... feels like almost every family here has one pair of skates at least...
Great narrative! Stay safe.
Great capture of the quarantine atmosphere!
But please do not get too comfy on the empty streets so we see you soon - skating the crowded streets of Toronto again!
Greetings from Germany:)
Lovely choice of music
Any details for the large group skate? I'm from Toledo, OH so I'm not far and I'd like to meet my inline idol. You inspired me to use inline as a means of exercise, now im past Intermediate and own some awesome K2 vo2 Boa's (unfortunately I picked up skating a year after the orange and black ones came out.)
Hey L, The plan is to skate the cycle lanes and quieter streets and alleys of the west end, wind up in a park in Kensington Market, maybe Trinity Bellwoods. The optimist in me says August, would love sooner, yet could see much later. I will give 3-4 wks notice at least. Would be great to have you repping Toledo in Toronto!
@@BillStoppard
That sounds sick!, keep me in the loop. Been watching since the Pinto Pony Express days when you tried the sparking wheels and your first "how to sprint" videos.
You are a great writer
can't wait to join you after this craziness to skate all over Toronto!
How cool is that!! Todo es cancha!
you are a poet on skates
The streets may be empty but the tar snakes are still out and about. 🐍
I love your style
I cut t shirts. Im quadin in the boonies rural streets rough and rocks you make those streets look smoothe.
Here in Madrid we've been in confinement 40+ days or something, kind of lost count. Being on the street gets you fined or worse, unless you're shopping for food or medicin nearby your home. The urge to skate is strooong... On another note, I would have skipped the bandana while being outdoors unless it's mandatory by law. The chance of catching anything outdoors is slim to none if distance is kept, and it probably just increases the touching of the face when re-arranging it.
Dan Hang in there dude,! Can you skate at night? That is so crazy! ✌️♥️
@@HeadNtheClouds Thanks! The cops are patrolling the streets pretty hard and I don't want to get into trouble since I'm a foreigner here. Also not keen on getting a juicy fine!
Uffff ... i was subdued into a dream state surfing those fabulosly surreal toronto street scenes
...then wham dropped my ph. too... ha!
btw..any here old enough to remember "The Omega man" ... ?
Wish that I can stop and control hills like that
Great seeing you skating! Scared seeing you fall... 😉
At times in this video
In the car park,
I feared for your life Bill.
Deep
Stark
Real.
The fall is a document by itself.
Gratitude from across the planet.
I think there should be a annul nationwide skate in a different city every month..
We need to get people remembering what its like to actually live! Skating sets you free and connects us!
Going out with a Bang! (someone had to make the comment, I volunteered). Here in Belgium the directives from the government were unclear at first. Stay at home! But also get out and do sports! But not in company! But sports is good for you, you must do it! But only running or cycling! And don't sit down and rest, just run/bike from your home back to your home without rest and without leaving your neighbourhood! No, wait, you can leave your neighbourhood/town!
After a couple of weeks they told us that skating is okay too, so I've been making a tour around the city a couple of times. But there's also a lot of wind - strong easterly continental wind all the way from the steppes of Russia - so I've been doing some slalom in between.
Ha, yes, the info is always changing. I've never felt so intellectually fickle; quite humbling...unfortunately! I love skating into the wind and then catching the ride home, but your wind sounds like it could be demoralizing.
@@BillStoppard Hah, yes. I forgot for a moment there I was talking to a Canadian :-) Our easterly winds must be balmy summer breezes compared to what you guys are used to. Here we are used to humid (south-)westerly winds that bring intermittent showers and stormy clouds from the North Sea and the Atlantic. You can often smell a hint of saltiness in that breeze. But that cold dry easterly continental wind makes us grumpy. :-)
Greetings from Switzerland Bill, when this is all over Ill take u up on that Toronto skate. All the best to you and see you on the other side of this Corona mess.
I feel you. While skating an empty mall parking lot and garage, I was slowly chased out by a menacing security car with a yellow flashing light. Strange times indeed.
This video is art!
Yo bill this intro was fire
Fantastic video! Thanks. Is there a reason why you chose 4-wheeler over 3-wheeler for blading in the city?
I’m fortunate enough to be able to skate locally atm with social distancing restriction being partially relaxed next week end. Then we can travel 50km away from home if we feel free too.
Great perspective Bill. I haven't seen your videos for a while. How are you filming it? What happened to the hockey stick? 😄
360ª action camera and have an option that makes the stick desapear by mixing to angles of view of the camera! the software recognises the "place" where the stick should be so he just use 2 angles to "hide" the stick and creat a perfect image xD tecnology!
Also trying to build leg muscles for skating. Jumping from my stairs , one higher every time I nail on. Learn how to land lol
What a video!!!
Heads up guys, there is actually people skating outside and getting fines.
Basically in some places as I am told, the police hides to see when someone shows up and then applies the fine and this is not just restricted to parks.
Check this out for more information meetup.com/bladers/messages/boards/thread/52718725/#132561253 and if you are in Toronto, the bladers at meetup are on hold for events.
blade runner skating!
Hey Bill, finally broke the hockey skates you inspired me to buy, nearly 3 years of hard street skating, the frame bent. You weren't wearing your Aeon 80s in this flow!
I like that you included your bail at the end and hope you didn't hurt yourself.
Yep, definitely sci-fi / horror movie / creepy documentary quality. Great choice of music. Good introspection. Nice dramatic ending, too. I hope you're ok, though.
Eerie but cool. Forget about a mask when blading on empty streets--it's pointless. Stay healthy!
a mask wont protect against the virus anyway if anything the mask is useful for people who touch their face alot ( like me) because it just serves as a reminder to not touchy
The jury is still out in the science community on virus transmission and social distancing for outdoor exercise. From my experience masks block the flow of oxygen to the brain and result in shortness of breath and passing out.
Healthy people can cause themselves to get sick by wearing masks.
Yeah, my mask restricted my airflow. I also touched my face a lot. After a while, it got too nasty to wear. So, just social distancing now - but I think that's legal where I am.
Great vid with the Insta360. Hope the lense survived. :) Thanks for your videos, very inspiring for me - reactiveted my skates after 10 years due to corona... but not sure how soon I will be good enough to hold the camera stick in 1 hand.
Hi Bill! I've seen you in both the Seba High and in the Seba Igor skates... So my question is: Will my feet be happy with the Igor boot, considering the most/only comfy boot I've skated in, is the Seba High (tried Powerslide Tau, HC Evo and Next) but they are all killing my bone on the inside mid foot, the one incline below the ankle bone. Do YOU feel that these two Seba boots are similar in their fittings around the ankle and down the inside of the boot?
Really hope that you are able to help me with this.
Sporty regards from Copenhagen 🌞
Unearthly and gloomy but a welcome departure to skating in your living room 🛋.
Strange that there’s not that many people! I find that there are more people, especially on the roads cruising around. And today was like summer with so many people at the beaches, it was back to normal. But of course when you go inside somewhere, wear masks & gloves .... Toronto closer to New York, so more intense there!
Well said, Bill. I'm a suburban skater in California. For awhile after stay-at-home I was skating on the blacktop at my local school, and I also have speed skates I was just about to start using to skate on paved trails. I decided to stop about a week an a half in when I realized that the wrong fall could put me in need of a hospital trip, taking up resources and exposing myself and others. I decided the reward was outweighed by the risk. But DAMN, I miss it. It was the only thing that kept me sane as I watched nearly everything I love fall away from me. And then it was gone, too. Now I have to figure out at what point does the risk, for only myself, become worth the reward, and when am I no longer putting anyone else at risk.
Thanks for the video! stay healthy!
Aaron Dennis where do you live? Just wear pads & don’t do anything risky,!
I've never gone to the hospital for an inline injury. The last time I needed medical help was due to a utility knife 'slip'. I think stepping into a car is the highest risk activity in most of our lives. If you're a good, cautious skater and you can find suitable space, the risk is of serious injury is pretty low. I respect your fear for and ethics though, they will protect yourself and others.
@@BillStoppard I skated again today since Governor Newsom specifically named inline (although he called it rollerblading) as an acceptable outdoor activity. I had a good fall in December that I'm still recovering from (back and wrist). I returned to skating last year after a 20 year hiatus. But I'm a pretty skilled skier, so unfortunately I saw a 2 step staircase I'd have no problem jumping on skis, but my skills didn't transfer and I flat footed the landing, falling back on my butt. Reminded me of my advancing age and decreasing pliability. So I'm being cautious now. Anyway, I'm glad to be back. Not sure when I head out again on the speedskates, though.