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Saturday Night Skate 27 July 2013 - Bishan Ang Mo Kio Park to Woodlands WaterFront
Report by Jon Wong
Night Skate Captain
Our latest Night Skate from Bishan Ang Mo Kio Park went on despite earlier showers which happened during the day. Though the grounds were slightly damp, but it did not stop 20 skating enthusiasts from joining me, some of which are die-hard Night Skate fans.
As always, we welcome new participants to this event, and this month we had the pleasure of welcoming Georgia from London, England who was skating with her boyfriend and his colleagues. Her boyfriend, Louis, was well remembered for joining our Avengers Night Skate last year, dressing up as the character 'Thor'.
Newcomer Georgia, with boyfriend Louis
We started off from the skating rink located at park 2, heading towards the MRT train track situated at Ang Mo Kio Ave 8 at about 8pm, and by then most part of the track in the park was relatively dry.
Upon reaching the track, we continued under it, skating on the nicely paved concrete surfaces and heading towards Ang Mo Kio MRT Station. The area has since been converted into a recreational place with jogging tracks and exercise amenities. We continued along Ave 8, bypassing Nanyang Polytechnic Campus and Grassroots' Club till Yio Chu Kang MRT Station, where we had a quick break at the convenient store to prepare us for the long journey ahead.
After a short skate on Ang Mo Kio Ave 6, we transited onto Lentor Ave. This long stretch of route is challenging, with narrow pavements and some poorly lit areas. The surface is generally smooth, with occasional obstacles and protrusions that we had to deal with. We had to skate with caution especially after the showers from the day.
Completing the trip past Lower Seletar Reservoir marks the end of Lentor Ave and the start of Yishun Ave 2, and we transited onto Khatib Bongsu Park Connector. This marks the start of a smooth trip as the remaining part of the route is on the park connectors which has a great surface.
Participants enjoying the speed
With the better surface, our pace increased and it did not take us long to reach Khatib and Yishun MRT Stations respectively. We paused for a short break at Yishun, as the distance from Yishun to Sembawang is relatively longer.
At Woodlands Ave 10 we continued along Woodlands Ave 7 Park Connector to reach Admiralty MRT Station. The fatigue was starting to show as we have travelled for more than 10km but we were near to the destination too.
Upon reaching Woodlands Ave 2 junction, Woodlands MRT was within our sights. We turned towards Republic Polytechnic. We continued onto Riverside Road beside the Polytechnic and that brought us to Admiralty Road. After a short skate along this road, we finally reached our destination and turned into the WaterFront.
The magnificent night scenery of Johor Bahru is still a sight to behold for the skaters, and more so for those on their maiden visit. Some simply skated out to the jetty and stood mesmorised while enjoying the sea breeze.
View of night skyline of Malaysia
View of the jetty
For Georgia, it was a memorable accomplishment for her. She mentioned that there was not many opportunities to skate in London, and more so for a Night Skating event like this, so she enjoyed it very much.
And for some of kids that completed their longest journey on kids ever, they had the support from their parents who started from Bishan with them and jogged along the way till Yishun.
Enthusiastic kids with supporting parents
Credits
Safety Van
Edmund
Photo
Edmund
Jon
SAVs
Chong Boon
Jonathan
Gabriel
Vincent
Saturday Night Skate 29 June 2013 - Park Connector Night Skate IV, Bartley MRT Station to Seng Kang SRC
Report by Jon Wong
Night Skate Captain
Despite the PSI level being at around 70 points, about 30 skating enthusiasts turned up for our latest night skate from Bartley to Seng Kang. This journey took us along some of the North-eastern park connectors in Serangoon and Punggol.
We started off from Bartley MRT Station, heading towards Hougang Ave 3. We had our first break at one of the food joints soon, located near Lorong Asu area.
Getting drinks from convenience store
One of the skaters enjoying her drink
After a short skate, we turned into Tampines Road and soon found ourselves on Serangoon Park Connector. This stretch of the connector is located right beside Sungei Serangoon canal and a pleasure to cruise on. The dim lightings, numerous twigs and branches and occasional cyclists passing by proved to be a challenge though.
After going under Buangkok East Drive, we continued on the next stretch of the connector, this time on Punggol Promenade. This stretch is better, clear of debris and we were able to speed up. We arrived at our second pit stop - @Punggol near Tebing Lane. This venue is a collation of food joints with prawn fishing facilities and a billiard parlour, and has proved to be a hit with the local residences.
Enjoying their snake at one of the fast food joint
Well rested and hydrated, we continued on our journey and arrived at one of the most iconic feature in Punggol - My Waterway@Punggol. This is a stretch of man-made water feature with splendid jogging and bicycle path on either banks. Cool breeze greeted us as we skate along.
We decided to take a little urban ride into the heartland of Punggol estate and exited at Sentul Crescent along Punggol Walk. After bypassing the future Watertown project, we travelled pass Punggol Bus Interchange and headed along Punggol Field and Punggol Way towards the expressway.
View of the suspended bridge at Watertown
Upon crossing Punggol West Flyover, we found ourselves in Seng Kang estate. After a short skate on Seng Kang East Road, we turned at Cheng Lim LRT Station and headed along Anchorvale Street. Passing by Farmway LRT Station means our destination was soon within sights.
We arrived at Seng Kang Sports and Recreational Centre along Anchorvale Road promptly at about 11pm, clocking a distance of about 17km. And there was no doubt where everyone is heading to - MacDonald's Restaurant, for a well deserved rest and food and drinks.
As always, we welcome new faces to our Night Skate. And this time, we had the pleasure of having Mr Stephane Royannais from France to join us. Stephane was here for a short business trip and being an avid skater, he brought along his skates and found out about our event from the internet. He enjoyed the skate very much and was glad that Singapore has such a nice stretch of route for skating.
Credits
Safety Van
Sonny
Photo
Jon
SAVs
Chong BoonX
Saturday Night Skate 25 May 2013 - Park Connector Night Skate III, Bishan Ang Mo Kio Park to Esplanade Park
Report by Jon Wong
Nightskate Captain
With the perfect weather, the crowd returned for our latest Park Connector Night Skate in May. More than 60 skating enthusiasts, including members from National University Skating Club, showed up for this challenging 15km route from Bishan Ang Mo Kio Park to the Esplanade Park via the Kallang Park Connector. This 15km journey boasts a total of 4 overhead bridges to cross, a first attempt for some of the participants.
Dazzling LED lights from the participants'skates and gears decorated the skating rink at the park, where the starting point is. We promptly set off on our journey heading towards the Kallang Park Connector, passing by the popular MacDonald's Restaurant by the waterway.
We started our cruise along the connector beside the Sungei Kallang Canal and arrive soon at the first overhead bridge of the evening, across Braddell Road. That brought us along to the Toa Payoh Industrial area and a low underpass beneath the Central Expressway with just 1.8m allowance.
That brought us to Jalan Toa Payoh beside the Pan Island Expressway and the second overhead bridge near the Diocesan Centre Building, which was also the longest with the most number of flight of stairs.
We entered into Moonstone Lane and had a short break at a coffee shop at one of the shophouses before continuing our journey across the small bridge over Sungei Kallang and we arrived at Serangoon Road and the third overhead bridge. This newly erected bridge served as a replacement for the formal traffic light crossing.
The final overhead bridge was just moments away along Bendemeer Road and into the next part of the connector towards Kallang Bahru. After crossing the road, we are faced with one of the hazardous part of the route, where we had to enter the connector via a flight of stairs located beside the road bridge. This portion was poorly lit and featured concrete steps but no railings for support. The participants had to decend down the steps carefully in a single file, with the help of the SAVs.
We continued along the connector beside Kallang Distripark and reached a distinct bridge that we need to cross. This bridge is very curved, with steep slopes on both ends. Climbing up was tough, and going down was more challenging as the participants had to make a sharp right turn after charging down the slope. They received help from the SAVs to tackle this portion.
After crossing Upper Boon Keng Road, we arrived shortly at Kallang Road near Kallang MRT Station. We headed along the pavement in the direction of Kallang Ave and crossed over to Kampong Bugis beside an indian temple.
Our journey came to a bottleneck as Rochor Link Bridge is closed and we had to detour along Kallang Riverfront Park back onto Kallang Road again. This time round we took to Crawford Street and proceeded along our along Republic Ave. This brought us pass Nicoll Highway MRT Station and onto the part which everyone was looking forward to - The Formula-One track located at Marina Promenade Park.
It was here that everyone was able to sprint and dash to their hearts content on the wide and vast track towards the Singapore Flyer where we had a longer break. The participants were delighted to indulge themselves in the various food outlets that the Flyer has to offer as well as the magnificent night scenery of the Marina Bay Sands.
After the break, we headed across the Helix bridge amongst the evening crowd and arrived at Marina Bay Sands. We then headed in the direction of Clifford Pier and arrived at the Merlion where packs of tourists were seen taking pictures of the country's iconic monument.
The destination was just metres away, and we proceeded to cross the Anderson Bridge and enter into the Esplanade Park. The Cenotaph Memorial is located at the center of this park, overseeing the Padang.
It was a sweet finish for the participants, and we clocked more than 15km on the GPS, mainly due to the detour around Kallang. But we were still glad to complete the journey under 3 hours.
It wasa magical moment to remember for Zulfaidi and Mas, a married couple who were taking on the Night Skate for the first time. They started out taking lessons from us at our venue at Pasir Ris Sports and Recreational Centre. Their common interest in this sport has seen them mature in their skills together and confident to challenge our urban night skating. Recounted Zulfaidi, 'It is pretty tough, but we are up to the challenge. Completing this journey together with my wife brings me so much satisfaction!' Indeed, inline skating can be a great activity for couples to enjoy and exercise together.
Credits
Safety Van
Edmund Vong
Photo
Agnes Faussi Lamiran
SAVs
Vincent Lim
Ong Chong Boon
Agnes Faussi Lamiran
Saturday Night Skate 27 April 2013 - Park Connector Night Skate II, Buona Vista MRT Station to Choa Chu Kang MRT Station
Report by Jon Wong
Night Skate Captain
Wet weather threathened our latest Night Skate on the western Park Connectors, with grey skies looming even as evening approached. However, 15 faithful skaters kept the faith and the weather changed in our favour, allowing us to continue the activity. This was the smallest group in months but it also allowed us to increase our pace significantly. And we were proud to have 4 participants from Italy and France joining us for their first ever Night Skate in Singapore.
We set off promptly Buona Vista MRT Station, which was buzzling with people since it has become an interchange for the east-west line and circle line of the MRT network. We crossed an underpass towards Commonwealth Ave West and the entrance of Ulu Pandan Park Connector.
The steep descend right from the start set our adrenalin pumping and we began our cruise along this stretch of the PCN beside Sungei Ulu Pandan canal, which is a pleasure to skate on thanks to its smooth surfaces. We arrived at Clementi Road soon after and after crossing the road, we continued along the PCN passing by Clementi Ave 6 and another segment of Commonwealth Ave West.
We arrived at Faber Crest and the original plan to enter into the Faber estates were dropped. We decided to continue on the PCN and thankfully, we were able to cross the bridge across Sungei Ulu Pandan beside the Ayer Rajah Expressway. This bridge, which was once a raiway track between Singapore and Malaysia, is now a concrete path, making it a breeze to skate or cycle on.
With the shortcut it shaved our time significantly, and we were able to stopover at MacDonald's restaurant situated at Tradehub 21 for a longer break. After the well deserved rest we re-entered the PCN again and that brought us to the Pan Island Expressway, with an overhead bridge that we need to cross. The steep climb up the bridge was a challenge but the magnificant view of the vehicles zipping along the expressway under us was worth it. On the other end, the steep downslope ride and tight hairpin corners gave us the best adrenalin rush of the night.
We find ourselves in the heartland of Bukit Batok and Choa Chu Kang as the PCN runs through the neighbourhood. We finally reached the end of the long Ulu Pandan PCN and transited into Bukit Batok East PCN. This stretch of the PCN brought us past one of the scenic features in the west - the Little Guilin Lake. This manmade lake boasts a magnificent view of huge rocks and cliffs, surrounded by water. It makes you feel as if you are at the plot of an ancient chinese movie.
With the fast pace that we were travelling at, we arrived at Bukit Batok MRT Station at 10pm, which was relatively early, because the end point at Choa Chu Kang is only the next station away. We had another break before we make the dash towards the destination, as most of the skaters helped themselves treated themselves to refreshing beverages from one of the vendors located at the station.
After the break we continued along Choa Chu Kang PCN which runs along Bukit Batok Ave West and Brickland Road. Once again we travelled through the heartland of Choa Chu Kang and soon after, Choa Chu Kang MRT Station was within our sights. It took us approximately 150 minutes to complete the trip.
I had the pleasure to interview one of the participants, Chandi from France who joined our Night Skate for the first time.
Me: How did you get to know about our Night Skate?
Chandi: One of my friend sent me a link about this.
Me: How do you find our Night Skate?
Chandi: Its very good, nice pace. Its more than what I've expected, and I like the fact that I can enjoy the scenery and landscapes of Singapore. I like the regular breaks and rest for us to grab a breather.
Me: What's your experience in urban skating like this?
Chandi: We have something like this in Paris every week, and the streets will be closed. There are much more participants, it can thousands. But that is in the day, so something like this at night is new and interesting to me.
Me: Would you like to do this again?
Chandi: Absolutely.
Me: Any room for improvements?
Chandi: Perhaps the participants can be taught or be reminded before the start of the acvity on how to alert people when we are passing by them. They can also learn about raising their arms to indicate slowing down or sounding off when there are obstacles to skaters at the rear.
Credits
Safety Van
Edmund Vong
Pics
Edmund Vong
Saturday Night Skate 23 February 2013 - Scenic Night Skate, Loop from SMU School of Business via Gardens by the Bay and Marina Barrage
Report by Jon Wong
Night Skate Captain
Despite a rainy season during the Lunar Chinese New Year period, fine weather greeted us for our latest Night Skate in February in town. We had the pleasure to collaborate with skaters from Singapore Management University (SMU) who gave a presentation on their skating expedition back in December 2012, named 'Zero Limits', prior to the event at the School of Business.
At their seminar room, they shared about the challenges and difficulties faced while skating in European countries under harsh weather conditions, and showcased a video on some of their defining moments, with the aim of inspiring people to take on challenges and overcome them with determination and team spirit. And some of the members joined in our Night Skate too.
More than 60 skating enthusiasts showed up for our little escapade through one of the bustling areas in town - the Marina Bay area. We set of from SMU and headed towards the Esplanade, passing by Peninsula Shopping Centre and the Padang.
The night was pumped up with the Chingay 2013 performance happening nearby at the Formula One hangar beside the Singapore Flyer. We crossed the Helix Bridge over to Marina Bay Sands and headed along the Lower Boardwalk.
We passed by the magnificent Flower Dome and Cloud Forest green houses of the Gardens by the Bay and continued to make our way towards Marina Barrage. This section has proven to be a hit with people not only visiting the garden but also exercise enthusiasts as joggers and cyclists were spotted frequently too.
Crossing the Marina Bridge was a fantastic feeling, as we were not only enjoying the wind from our speeding but also the strong sea breeze from sea. So after we were on the promenade on Gardens by the Bay East, which is situated opposite the Formula One hangar. This part of the garden is next to Marina Bay Golf Range and featured beautiful garden landscapes.
We transited from the promenade onto Geylang Park Connector which was linked under Shears Bridge. This connector is relatively shorter and runs along the Kallang River and Singapore Indoor Stadium. This foolproof path led us onto Tanjong Rhu Bridge where we transited over to Stadium Crescent and headed to the pit stop that we have been yearning for - the 7-11 convenient store located at Kallang Leisure Park.
After the rest and hydration, we embarked on the final phase of the route, via Stadium Boulevard and onto Mountbatten Road. This part is more challenging due to the various construction works in the vicinity, and we had to cross roads and an overhead bridge to get to Nicoll Highway.
Our legs were up for good massage as we skated onto the path on Nicoll Highway, made up of interlocking concrete slabs. Ascending and descending this mighty highway proved to be a challenge to both skill and endurance for the participants as they had to endure the constant vibrations and focus on not getting their skates caught in between the gaps which may result in a bad fall.
After the strenuous highway, it was smooth skating from then on along Suntec City. Soon we were on Bras Basah Road and travelling along Raffles Hotel and Carlton Hotel, and SMU was in sight within minutes. We took about 2.5 hours to complete this 13km journey.
James, an expatriate, who joined us for his maiden Night Skate recounted, 'I work here and my office is around Boat Quay area, but it sure is a fantastic to view the Marina Bay area on skates than from my building!' Another first-timer, Priscilla, mentioned,'I didn't expect this (the Night Skate) to be so tiring and physically challenging, but I like it!'
We thank Singapore Management University for their presentation and sharing their experiences as well as support and participation in the event.
Credits
Safety Vehicle
Gordon Lim
Photo
David Lim
SAVs
Mike Tang
Lee Chun Yang
Gabriel Koh
Shanjeevi
Saturday Night Skate 26 January 2013 - Park Connector Night Skate I, Pasir Ris SRC to East Coast Park
Report by Jon Wong
Night Skate Captain
More than 40 skating enthusiasts participated in our first Night Skate in 2013, from Pasir Ris Sports and Recreational Centre to East Coast Park. The entire route, spanning a distance of about 15km, brought us along Tampines Park Connector and Bedok Park Connector.
The weather was great and cooling and it was a breathe of fresh air, as the Night Skates during the final two months in 2012 were forced to be cancelled due to bad weather.
Some of the participants arrived earlier and were treated to special offers on milkshakes and ice-cream from our neighbour at the centre, Once Upon a Milkshake. It was refreshing to see new faces joining this activity and we welcomed Miss Helen Yeo, with her two sons, Vernon and Hayden on their maiden attempt at urban Night Skating.
We set off at about 8pm, heading south into Pasir Ris Town Park and along Tampines PCN, and arrived at the first obstacle of the night - an overhead bridge across the Tampines Expressway (TPE). This was one of the 2 overhead bridges we had to cross for the journey and it proved to be a challenge for some to ascend up the steep slope.
After the bridge, we travelled along Sungei Tampines briefly and continued south in Sunplaza Park before the PCN brought us into civilisation and to Tampines MRT Station and Tampines Mall.
We headed Southeast under the MRT train track and turned Southwest at Tampines Ave 2, bypassing Safra Tampines. There were some works on this part of the PCN and we had to detour, and took the chance to have a break at a mini-store at the void deck of Blk 935.
The PCN continued along Bedok Reservoir Road briefly and we turned east along Sungei Bedok. That brought us to the next overhead bridge across the Pan Island Expressway (PIE). This bridge was slightly more challenging, not only for its steep uphill climbs and downhill rides, but also for its sharp and tight hairpin corners.
That was the last major obstacle of the night, and we cruised comfortably along the PCN until Laguna Country Club. We exited the PCN at Upper East Coast Road and had a longer break at Bedok Food Court opposite Bedok Army Camp. This Food Court is famous for its wide variety of delicacies. The participants took little time to find their seats and indulge in the cool drinks and light snacks that the stalls have to offer.
We got on the way after the long break and continued along the PCN which took us around Bedok Camp and Camp 2. We were travelling along the side of East Coast Parkway and reached an underpass which led us across to East Coast Park near the National Sailing Centre.
The route was smooth sailing from then on and the participants cruised in the cool sea breeze towards East Coast Park Lagoon Food Village.
It was satisfying to complete the journey and joy was written on the participants' faces. And for Ms Helen Yeo, it was even more memorable. 'I was nervous when going down the steep slopes at the bridges and underpass, but I'm thankful to the Marshals for assisting me and helping me through. My boys and I couldn't have done it without them', quoted Ms Yeo after the activity.
A great start to the new year for the Night Skaters, and many more to come in 2013!
Credits
Safety Van
Gordon
Photo
Jon
SAVs
Timothy
Jack
Jonathan
Vincent
Gabriel
Chong Boon
Albert
Edmund
Saturday Night Skate 27 October 2012 - Halloween Night Skate, The Cathay to ION Shopping Mall
Report by Jon Wong
Night Skate Captain
About 100 skaters showed up for some Halloween fun last Saturday right in heart of town out The Cathay theatre. This event, in its 4th year running, has never failed to attract skating enthusiasts to dress up or make-up and trying to scare some people in the process.
As always, we had the pleasure of fresh faces joining our event, and this month, one such person is Mr George, who came to the event right after he touched down at the airport his flight from Hong Kong. 'I wouldn't want to miss this for the whole!', exclaimed Mr George, who is a inline hockey player himself.
Mr George from Hong Kong, with me
We started our journey heading into the tunnel at Singapore Management University's School of Economics building which led us to Stamford Road where the School of Accountancy resides. We headed in the direction of Clarke Quay towards River Valley Road, much to the buzz of the evening crowd and reached Novotel.
From there on we turned towards the Singapore River and crossed Read Bridge. It was exciting to see another group of people dressing up as zombies and parading across the bridge together.
We entered the underpass next to The Central Shopping Mall and arrived at North Boat Quay. Another underpass brought us into Boat Quay and we continued past The Parliament House, The Arts House and The Asian Civilisations Museum towards Anderson Bridge.
After crossing the bridge, we arrived at The Merlion monument near One Fullerton. We cruised along Merlion Park, entertaining occasional requests for photo taking from the tourists there towards Clifford Pier.
It didn't take us long to reach the Customs House and the Marina Boulevard Boardwalk and we continued to Marina Bay Sands, drawing attention from the patrons and diners.
After crossing the Helix bridge, we head towards The Singapore Flyer and had a break. The place was buzzling with people due to a movie screening. Tourists were seen asking some of the participants who dressed up for picture moments.
Public getting a picture moment
We backtracked a little towards the floating platform and skated along the waterfront along the Esplanade. After circling around we went into the underpass which brought us to the War Memorial Park opposite One Raffles Link.
We crossed the road to Raffles Hotel and headed along Bras Basar Road. Soon after we went pass our starting point at The Cathay and continued towards the Istana and Orchard Central Shopping Mall.
We managed to startle a fair number of evening shoppers along Orchard Road, who in turn captured us with their camera phones.
We reached ION Shopping Mall soon after and headed to the back where the traffic junction is located. We crossed over to Wheelock Place and was nearing our destination - Forum the Shopping Mall.
The participants vying for the Best Dressed Halloween Skater and Best Dressed Kid awards stood out for the rest to vote. There were a couple of contenders with interesting alias, including Mr Justin Cheong, with his rendition as 'Jigsaw' from the movie series Saw, another Mr Gabriel, who calls himself Fang, looking like nemesis 'Venom' from the movie Spiderman 3.
Mr Justin as 'Jigsaw'
It was a close fight between Mr David Lim, with his horrid make-up and Mr Mike Tang, with his rendition of 'Vendetta', complete with outfit, mask and accessories. After voting, Mr Mike Tang won the coverted Best Dressed Halloween Skater award for 2012, beating Mr David Lim by a slim margin.
Mr David, with his scary teeth
Mr Mike Tang, winner as 'Vendetta'
The kids were up next, and they looked more cute than scary which proved very popular with the crowd. After a round of applause, Zoel Koh, dressing up as Harry Potter, came out tops and beat the rest of the kids to win the Best Dressed Kid award.
Winner of the Kids Category - Zoel Koh, aged 9 years, with brother Zavier
We would like to thank all the participants for their efforts and presence to make this Night Skate successful with one of the largest turnout of the year.
Credits
Safety Van
Gordon
Photo
David Lim
SAVs
Lay Suan
Chun Yang
Jack Wee
Kuan Ann
