Relative Appeal

The skaters who gather at USF every week say their Thursday evening trips through St. Petersburg have turned friends into family.

By Joannie Sevilla
Points South Staff Writer
 
BAYBORO-By day, the parking lot at Seventh Avenue South on the University of South Florida campus is usually filled with students and customers from the local tavern and bookstore next door. It's about 7:45 p.m. on a Thursday night and as the students file out and the patrons of the tavern file in for their "evening drink," a few people stand next to their cars rummaging through their trunks and back seats.
 
By 8:20 p.m. the parking lot is swarming with Spandex-clad, inline skaters. With their skates on, they are like giants and make a 5-foot-1 person feel like a tree stump among a forest of redwoods. Inline skating brings this gathering of diverse people together every Thursday. By 8:45 p.m., the parking lot has been transformed into a starting point for an exhilarating journey to The Pier and back. They are an enthusiastic bunch who call themselves the Thursday Night Skate group.
 
George Stone, 65, of St. Petersburg is a tall man who is in excellent shape and towers in his Rollerblades as he passes out fliers for a party he is hosting. Stone is more than happy to be here, and inline skating means more to him than just exercise. He calls it free street skating because it involves the freedom to skate without any boundaries. It is his chance to let loose and, as he explains the various ramps, jumps and alleyways he's barreled through, his eyes light up while he illustrates his words with his hands and gestures.
 
"What it is, is a freedom of expression, like jumping out of airplanes or parasailing, that type of thing," Stone explained. "We do a variety of things and go to a variety of places. We'll skate at Tropicana Field down the ramps. We'll skate down Central Avenue, skate the North Shore Park. We'll go in and out on the streets, go down sidewalks and all over."
 
By day, Stone is a manager of a trolley service, but tonight he is as free as a bird and can't wait to tear up the pavement. His zest for life is obvious in the way that he exclaims that his very existence is free of the usual daily tensions.
 
"I'm more active now than I was 30 years ago," Stone said. "Between my job and my activities, everything is stress free!"
 
For some, Thursday Night Skate is a place to be among friends. Rob Livingston, a St. Petersburg resident for 31 years, comes every Thursday for the camaraderie with friends. His fellow skaters fondly refer to him as "Rob the skater."
 
"I live about 10 minutes from here," Livingston said. "I come every Thursday for the skating and the socializing."
 
One particular skater, who refers to himself only as "The Breeze," is the organizer of the group and one of the first to show up at the parking lot. As he gears up for his evening trek down to The Pier, he explains the history of the group. He says the originator of the group no longer skates with them, but the group has carried on the tradition since the summer of 1993. He also says that the people who come are from all walks of life in the professional world.
 
"Everybody's fantastic, everybody watches out for each other, and they're all professional people from lawyers to business owners," The Breeze says. "They're just out here relieving stress, just having a good time skating."
 
Veteran skater Janice Hajek from Clearwater has been skating for 15 years and also agrees that skating helps relieve stress. She has been skating with the group for three years and, like a family, Hajek says, they all look out for one another when they are out cruising the streets.
 
"It's a great sport because you can do it by yourself or with friends. We look out for each other and warn each other of cars on the road and stuff like that."
 
The running theme within the group is the bonding element that practically makes them a family unit. Julio Marcelino is a computer specialist who has lived in St. Petersburg for 10 years. Originally from New York, it is his first day back from the military.
 
"I come here every Thursday because these are the best group of people you would ever want to be with. I mean, they don't even know you and they accept you no matter what," Marcelino said. "It's my first day back from the military and just being back with my friends, that's enough."
 
Travis Tacker, a resident of St. Petersburg for seven years, has skated with the group since 1994 and sums up the friendship in two words.
 
"Second family," Tacker said. "They'll always take care of you if you need some help. Some people I've known for seven years, and some I've met for the first time. This is a group of people that you don't need to know anybody to come out and have fun."
 
Tacker encourages people to join but suggests to those who aren't so experienced on Rollerblades to take lessons beforehand.
 
The route alone is a harrowing adventure through the back street behind the tavern, past Albert Whitted airport, a U-turn by the Coast Guard reserve center and a quick stop by the tavern to pick up last minute skaters. Next is the Bayfront Center, The Pier, Vinoy Park, North Shore Park, Flora Wylie Park, then a U-turn back to The Pier and end at the waterfront for 10 minutes of refreshments. Afterwards, they skate up Central Avenue to Fergs Sports bar for another break. Finally they go around Tropicana Field and return to the parking lot of the tavern. It's about two-and-a-half hours of skating, breaks included.
 
So to all the local residents who see a blur of inline skaters speeding down the streets of St. Petersburg on a Thursday night, just remember that they are more than just a bunch of daredevils. They are a family of friends, having fun doing what they love, and the parking lot on Seventh Avenue South is always open.