Saturday Night Skate 26 April 2014 - Jurong Point to Vivocity

Posted on May 13, 2014 by Edmund Vong

Report by Jon Wong

Night Skate Captain

Our latest Night Skate in April brought us through the Western side of the island, from Jurong Point Shopping Mall at Boon Lay to Vivocity Shopping Mall at Harbour Front in the South.

Spanning across a map distance of approximately 20km, this route emcompasses some of the Western Park Connectors as well as West Coast Park along West Coast Highway.

Around 30 night skate enthusiasts showed up for the event. Siblings Anna, Able and Ada, aged 7, 9 and 14 respectively, have been supporting this event regularly for the past few months, encouraged by their parents. New faces were seen too. Ian, from Vietnam, was excited to start his maiden night skating with us.

Ian, from Vietnam

We started off from Jurong Point, amidst the loads of evening shoppers and foreign workers and headed along Jurong Park Connector, towards Jurong East MRT Station, passing by some other stations along the way.

We stopped for a breather at MacDonald's restaurant located at Tradehub 21 - one of the industrial park in the west, before embarking on Ulu Pandan Park Connector.

We arrived at West Coast Highway shortly after and continued along West Coast Park Connector towards West Coast Park. The connection has made West Coast Park more accessible to park users coming down from the west side of the island.

Anna going all the way

We had a second break at MacDonald's restaurant at the park, and those who could not get enough of the drinks and desserts from the earlier break were pleased to have a second go at them. Unlike the outlet at Tradehub 21, this outlet was crowded.

Our remaining journey was mainly along West Coast Road, passing by some of the SMRT circle line stations. And it also proved to be the toughest part of the journey due to the long distance and various road conditions that we had to overcome.

After all the hard work, we finally completed the journey at Vivocity, which took us about 190 minutes. Though weary, everyone was satisfied at completing the long journey and the great workout.

Credits
Safety Van
Edmund

Photo
Jon
Faussi

Posted in Event

Saturday Night Skate 29 March 2014 - Bishan Ang Mo Kio Park to The Singapore Zoological Gardens

Posted on March 29, 2014 by Edmund Vong

Report by Jon Wong
Night Skate Captain

Earlier showers did not dampen our spirits, as 20 skating enthusiasts joined me for our night skating from Bishan Ang Mo Kio Park to The Singapore Zoological Gardens.

This route brought us through Old Upper Thomson Road, famous for its winding road and home to some of the greatest number of wild monkeys, Sembawang Road and Mandai Park Connector along Mandai Ave.

There were new faces amongst the participants, including two students from Temasek Polytechnic and a couple of children who have been die-hard fans of this activity since last year.

We set off promptly around 8pm and headed towards the other part of Bishan Ang Mo Kio Park, towards Upper Thomson Road and went onto Old Upper Thomson Road after crossing the road. It was a good warm-up as we tackled the gradual uphill climb along this road, while keeping for a look-out for the constant passing by of vehicles behind us.

We had our first short break at the junction of Yio Chu Kang Road for a quick drink, before embarking on the more challenging later part of Old Upper Thomson Road. The uneven road surface finishing and various degrees of gradients added on to the challenge, as participants who are trying out this route for the first time started showing signs of fatigue.

The main highlight of the route came when we went donw long gradual downhill slope near the exit which increases our speed unknowingly. Much attention was given to ensure everyone slowed down significantly and skate down safely.

After a short skate pass the flyover, we soon found ourselves on Sembawang Road, and we had our second break at an eatery along Thong Bee Road. Some participants grabbed the chance to have a quick bite while others were contented hydrating themselves. This was to be the last break as no other such amenities can be found for the remaining route. We had to move at a slow pace as some areas were still wet from the earlier rain.

Having a well deserved rest

We did not take long to reach the junction of Mandai Ave and transited onto Mandai Park Connector. This gruelling route, which spans across a distance of 5km, proved to be a challenge too. With long uphill climbs and steep downhill rides, we had to control our pace while keeping a look-out for the debris from the trees on the ground.

Eventually, we approached Mandai Lake Road, and the gleaming sign boards of the River Safari and Night Safari greeted us. Everyone grabbed the chance to snap a picture with the nice sign boards while taking a breather and ready themselves for the final part of the journey towards the main entrance of the zoo.

Night Safari

Picture with the backdrop

It was a long uphill climb on the initial park of Mandai Lake Road and participants stretched their leg muscles to the limit and skated along. After passing the water body of Upper Seletar Reservoir, we finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel as we skated downhill into the bus bay area out the zoo to bring the activity to and end.

It was great to taste the success of hard work, especially for participants who had their maiden journey on this route. We covered a total distance of 16km over a period of about 140 minutes.

Credits
Safety Van
Ken

Photo
Sonny
Jon

SAVs
Edmund

Posted in Event

SNS March 2014 - Endurance Night Skate

Posted on March 25, 2014 by Angela Chng

Come in us in this exhilarating and challenging route as we put your endurance to the test. Experience the ...

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Saturday Night Skate 22 February 2014 - Pasir Ris SRC to Seng Kang SRC

Posted on February 22, 2014 by Edmund Vong

Night Skate Captain

Fine weather greeted us on Saturday evening at Pasir Ris Sports and Recreation Centre, the starting point of our February Night Skate.

20 skating enthusiasts showed up to support the activity as we embarked on a relaxing journey from Pasir Ris to Seng Kang via the heartlands of Pasir Ris estate, Pasir Ris Farmway , Lorong Halus Wetland Park and most notably, the famous manmade waterfront at along Punggol park connectors.

It was always a pleasure to welcome new faces to this activity, and we had 3 new participants this time round to have a taste of long distance urban skating.

We started off crusing along the bicycle path at Pasir Ris Drive 3 and took our time at the traffic crossings. Shortly after we were on Drive 12 and transited into Pasir Ris Industrial Drive towards Pasir Ris Farmway 2.

This road is famous for its array of pet shelters and farms, and we could hear the occasional barking from the dogs inside the facilities as we continued towards Farmway 3. We had to skate by the side of the road as the pavements end at a certain point. It was challenging as the road surfaces were pretty rough and we had to watch out for the occasional passing traffic. Fortunately, traffic is not heavy here.

We reached Lorong Halus Wetland Park soon after and the road surface condition here improved greatly. We arrived at Halus Wetland Kiosk and boarded Halus Bridge, which links the park to Punggol Promenade, spanning across Sungei Serangoon River.

We turned towards our pit-stop located at @Punggol, one of the most prominent facility in Punggol with eateries and bars.

After the break, we backtracked onto Punggol Promenade and continued along My Waterway@Punggol, the award winning manmade water feature and crown jewel of Punggol estates. Beautiful night scenery and cool breeze from the waters greeted us.

The straightforward path brought us onto Punggol Park Connector along Sungei Punggol River. The destination was within our sights upon reaching Seng Kang Riverside Park.
Everyone helped themselves to their well deserved rest at MacDonald's restaurant. And as for the new particapants, they savoured the satisfaction of their maiden Night Skate and the chance to make new friends with a common interest.

Credits
Safety Van
Sonny

Photo
Sonny
Jon

Posted in Event

Saturday Night Skate 26 October 2013 - The Cathay Theatre to Orchard ION

Posted on October 26, 2013 by Edmund Vong

Report by Jon Wong
Night Skate Captain

Despite showers happening earlier in the late afternoons, there was no dampening of our Halloween spirits as more than 40 skating enthusiasts turned up for the Halloween Night Skate. I was back in my usual Reaper look, complete with a scythe, cape and hood, all D.I.Y.

Me getting a quick snap shot with the guys

For some of the participants, this was an event on their 2013 calendar that was not to be missed, even though the ground was damp and air was chilly.

Amongst them were veteran Skate Assist Volunteers, Mike Tang, David Lim and Kenny Tan, all dressed up and made up to create a storm in town.

Mike's rendition of the classic character, Pyramid Head from the popular game and movie title, Silent Hill was a hit with the crowd, complete with his weapon - a huge sword casted from wooden planks and cardboard, all D.I.Y. by himself. 
 

Mike, as Pyramid Head from Silent Hill

David's make-up featured a two-faced effect, with one side of his face showcasing glass fragments protusion and tearing of the facial skin. 
 

David posing with another skater

Kenny chose to become the classic Frankenstein, complete with his torn and tattered jacket, green complexion and spark plugs sticking out from either sides of his neck - a classic feature of Fankenstein.

Kenny, with son Jay Han

The public got into the Halloween dress-up mood too, and most notably a couple from France, who dressed themselves up as mummified living corpses. Pascal, with his girlfriend, spent hours wrapping themselves up with rolls of bandages, adding toy spiders and webs and blood stains to complete the effect. 

Pascal and his girlfriend make mummies look good

This has got to be the only Halloween celebration on skates.

We started off later than usual, waiting for the ground to dry up. Our first stop was the tunnel located inside Singapore Management University (SMU), drawing gasps from the students and passer-bys.

Soon after we arrived on Hill Street, and headed towards Clake Quay. That was when the real fun began, as we were swamped by party goers who wanted pictures taken with us almost everywhere we went. There were other groups celebrating Halloween too, and our meeting sparked more camera flashes from the crowd. A famous local club, Shanghai Dolly, was having a Halloween themed party, and we could not help admiring the amazing make-up and costumes of the receptionist, and they likewise.

Posing with staff at Shanghai Dolly

We stopped by Read Bridge to have more pictures taken, before heading to Boat Quay via the Singapore River. We continued into Esplanade Park and then to the Esplanade WaterFront, aiming for the floating platform and our rest point at the Singapore Flyer.

The short stay delighted the tourists who prompted for more photo oppotunities with the characters. After that, we backtracked a little and head onto the Helix Bridge across to Marina Bay Sands.

It was exhilerating to cruise along the Water Promenade as we drew attention from the evening diners and audiences enjoying the evening performances. That brought us to the Lower Boardwalk past the Marina Bay Promontory where colourful electronic kites were flying.

We turned at One Marina Boulevard towards Clifford Pier and Merlion Park, and we ascended up some stairs to go onto Esplanade Drive.

At the Esplanade Bridge

It was a breeze from then on as we rode the downhill slope to the end where the underpass lies waiting, and we crossed it to get to the War Memorial opposite Raffles City convention centre. Our ghostly presence added more grim to the darkly lit memorial grounds.

We crossed the street into Raffles Hotel, and from then on its a fright night mission as we drew screams and gasps from the late night shoppers from Bras Basah Road all the way to Orchard Road.

With another Night Skate completion in the bag, we proceeded to nominate the 'Best Dressed Skater' and 'Best Dressed Kid' award winners.

The crowd gave their loudest applause to Mike, who won hands down as Pyramid Head, while the 'Best Dressed Kid', Jay Han, won without contention. They won dining and shopping vouchers respectively.

Jay Han in his Devil costume

Jay Han receiving his voucher

 

Mike receiving his voucher, literally

A great night of fun and skating, and for those who kept the faith, it sure paid off.

Credits

Safety Van
Edmund

Photos
Faussi

SAVs
Chong Boon
Siew Ying

Posted in Event

Saturday Night Skate 28 September 2013 - East Coast Park to Changi Village Food Centre

Posted on September 28, 2013 by Edmund Vong

Report by Jon Wong
Night Skate Captain

Around 40 skaters showed up for our latest Park Connector Night Skate from East Coast Park to Changi Village Food Centre, on a cool Saturday evening.

We gathered at the Extreme Skate Park located near car park F1, famous for its variety of ramps and obstacles which is a hit with teens into extreme sports. Unfortunately, those who were looking for an evening snack prior to setting off were disappointed as the East Coast Lagoon Food Centre was closed for renovations.

We started off cruising along East Coast Park towards the National Sailing Centre and NRSCC golf course, where the start of the Coastal Park Connector is located. The initial part of the connector brings us briefly along Changi Coast Walk and then transited into the deeper part nearer to the coastline. We had to be cautious as the paths were dimly lit and littered with twigs and branches.

Along Changi Coast Walk

On the dimly lit connector

We arrived at East Coast Road eventually, and were greeted by the view of the Singapore Changi Airport runway and the array of aircrafts coming in and out of Singapore. Occasionally, sports cars were seen speeding past too.

This stretch of road was also challenging with a lack of latrines and shelters, but fortunately we did not encounter bad weather.

After bypassing Changi Ferry Terminal, we arrived at Changi Beach Park, where the long awaited water and toilet break is located. The park was buzzling with visitors enjoying quality time either partying or fishing.

Soon after, we arrived at Nicoll Drive and Changi Village Food Centre was within our sights, and we just needed to cross a bridge over Sungei Changi to get there.

We took slightly more than 2 hours to complete the journey, and everyone was aiming for the famous nasi lemak at the food centre. Most joined the long queue for it, while others indulge in refreshing sugarcane drinks. It was a great time to mingle and socialize while we waited for the bus for our return to East Coast Park.

Glorious Nasi Lemak, our local Malay delicacy

SAV Chun Yang, capturing the moment on his phone

A great night of skating, thanks to the fine weather, and all the food and drinks at the end were worthwhile after the long journey.

Satisfied skaters with satisfied tummies

Credits

Safety Car
Xavier

Photo
Jon

Posted in Event

Saturday Night Skate 31 August 2013 - Orchard ION to Kallang Leisure Park

Posted on August 31, 2013 by Edmund Vong

Report by Jon Wong
Night Skate Captain

Our latest City Night Skate in August welcomed the biggest attendance thus far in 2013, with around 100 skating enthusiasts joining this parade through town, inline style!

Orchard ION Shopping Mall marked the start, as skaters poured in from all around Orchard Road. The hype grew as more skaters showed up, drawing the attention of the evening shoppers too as they snapped pictures of our entourage.

As always, the Night Skate welcomes new faces, and this was no exception. Visitors from France and Italy were present. A friend from Hong Kong named Carrie, who is an avid skater herself, planned her visit to Singapore to coincide with this Night Skate.

We started off amidst the buzz of the evening streets, passing by Wisma Atria and Ngee Ann city as we made our way towards Somerset, getting the occasional thumbs up from passer-bys and street buskers.

We continued pass 313@Somerset and Orchard Central, crossing Killiney Road and Oxley Road, before crossing over to the other side to the entrance to the Istana upon reaching Buyong Road. That brought us another famous landmark in town - Plaza Singapura and The Atrium @ Orchard.

The Cathay Cineplex and School of the Arts were up next, as we transited into Bras Basah Road. There was a buzz outside the Singapore Art Museum with laser projection show on the building, and they slowed us down significantly.

After Carlton and Raffles Hotel, we moved into the Civil War Memorial Park, where huge barricades and seats were seen erected in preparation for the upcoming formula one race in Singapore.

We took to the underground tunnel along Raffles Ave into Esplanade Park, towardsthe Cenotaph memorial where we had a longer break. As some participants visited the drink kiosks along the Esplanade to quench their thirst, others remained at the memorial for chats and socializing.

Carrie (far right) with Andrew and Chun Yang

After the break we conitinued on the pavement along Connaught Drive onto Fullerton Road. Decending down a flight of stairs beside the Anderson Bridge brought us into the Merlion Park where our National Mascot lays spewing water into Marina Bay.

Merlion Park

Diners from the array of restaurants looked on in delight as we skate past them into Clifford Pier. We turned towards the Youth Olympic Park, skirting around the water and headed towards Marina Bay Sands. The Waterfront Promenade has since become a popular area for commuters for exercise, with bikers and skate boarders sighted as we moved on.

Flight of stairs to the Helix Bridge

It did not take long for us to reach the lower boardwalk and move into Gardens by the Bay, where the iconic Flower Dome and Cloud Forest greeted us. Other features that stood guard along this stretch along the shoreline included the Tadpole Play Garden - a water feature, and Gardens by the Bay very own food centre, Satay by the Bay.

Marina Barrage was up next, and everyone grabbed the chance for a quick toilet break. Water fountains were available for hydration. Crossing the Marina Bridge brings into another part of the Gardens, this time at the eastern region.

The Marina Bridge at Marina Barrage

Skyline of Marina Bay Sands from the garden

This is a place of serenity, with dimly lit paths and allowed us to capture the splendid night scenery of Marina Bay and the Singapore Flyer. Everyone gave their all and sped along the Skyline Promenade until the open area under East Coast Parkway Expressway.

Having break under ECP

We continued to skirt along the water via Tanjong Rhu Promenade Park Connector until we arrived at the bridge at former Cosy Bay to cross over to the Singapore Indoor Stadium. The Indoor Stadium is closed at the moment for renovations, and it was challenging making our way around the area.

Our destination was clearly visible by then. We managed to complete the journey in less than 150 minutes, and there was plenty of time to rest and relax, while some grabbed drinks from the convenient store.

Reaching the end point

Carrie even had the chance to experience some freestyle slalom skating with one of our certified freestyle instructor, Faussi. 

It was a great skate, with great skaters, great scenery and great weather.

Credits

Safety Van
Xavier

Photography
Faussi
Mike

SAVs
Mike
Vincent

Posted in Event