Saturday Night Skate 25 February 2012 - Park Connector Night Skate, Upper Paya Lebar to Seng Kang

Posted on February 25, 2012 by Edmund Vong

Night Skate Captain

The Park Connector Nightskate in February attracted more than 60 skaters to participate. This route brought us along one of the North-eastern Park Connector Network - The Serangoon Park Connector. This connector runs along Sungei Serangoon River and links with the Punggol Waterway along Sungei Dekar River. 

Getting prepared

We welcomed some new faces, and even had a couple of ladies who followed us on their bicycles.

Bikers joining in

New faces

A couple of children from our Junior Skate Camp showed up to support this event too. Amongst them is 8 year old Gideon Low, who came with the support from his father, Mr Low Tock Heng, also a supporter of our night skate. 

Mr Low Tock Heng, with children from Junior Camp

We started off from our outlet located at Tai Keng Shopping Centre, heading towards Bartley Road. Soon after, we turned into Hougang Ave 3 and had our a short break at S11 Food Centre at Block 107.

Not long after, we turned into Tampines Road and at Hougang Ave 7, we entered the Connector. It was absolute peace and serenity as we cruised along the quiet and dark riverside, and the smooth finishing of the connector made it a joy to skate on. 

Cruising along the connector

The connector runs under 2 underpasses at Buangkok East Drive and the Tampines Expressway before bringing us to Punggol Promenade. We had another break, this time a longer one, at the popular @Punggol attraction, which features eating places like Popeye's Chicken, Xin Seafood Restaurant, Shin Nichi Japanese Restaurant, etc.

Relaxing at @Punggol

There were some misses too, as some skaters fell and had some scratches and abrasions, but thankfully they were treated by the Marshals quickly. 

A skater with his band aids

After a short trip past the Lorong Halus Wetland Park & Visitor Centre, we transited into Punggol Waterway. The Waterway boasts beautiful night scenery, with the gentle flow of the river greeting us. There are paths on both sides of the river, which occasional bridges for crossing over.  
 

Scenery of the Waterway

Covering almost the entire stretch of the Waterway, we arrived at the future Watertown Residential development area, situated next to Punggol MRT Station. We continued along Punggol Walk and transited into Punggol Way, heading towards Punggol West Flyover.

A look at Watertown for the future

This brings us into Seng Kang area and we turned at Cheng Lim LRT Station into Anchorvale Street. From here, it is a direct route to our destination - Seng Kang Sports and Recreation Centre, and specifically, the MacDonald's Restaurant which the children were yearning for.

Relaxing at MacDonald's

We clocked a total distance of 16.52km, according to the GPS from one of the skaters. Another great skate completed, thanks to the fine weather. 

GPS measured distance

Credits
Safety Van
Ken

Photo
David

SAVs
Micah
Eugene
Mike
Eric
Chloe
Merv
Timothy
Rochelle
Xun Zhong

SAV Attachment
Gabriel
Jonathan
Janet
Cynthia 

Posted in Event

Saturday Night Skate 28 January 2012 - Chinese New Year Nightskate, Fort Road to Vivocity

Posted on January 28, 2012 by Edmund Vong

Weather was unpredictable a few days prior to the event but thankfully, it was the clear and cooling weather that greeted us at the start point at carpark B1 of Fort Road, East Coast Park.

It was fantastic to receive the participants who chose to skate with us instead of carrying on with their own Chinese New Year celebrations. Amongst them were a couple of children too, who gave up their opportunity on new year visitng to collect more red packets, but to enjoy the skate instead.

Shi Kai, with SAV Ee Ping

There were a couple of new faces too for this new year skate too. For Shawn and Domenica, it was their first attempt at urban night skating. They have been taking lessons with our instructor, Mr David Ng, for the past 3 months before embarking on the SNS. It was great to see them mature in their skills and witness their progression from beginners to advanced skaters today.

 

We promptly set off at 8pm, heading along Mountbatten Road towards Nicoll Highway. Soon after, we arrived at Raffles Boulevard and had a break at the Singapore Flyer, amidst all the buzz from the tourists visiting the significant landmark.

 

  

After the break, we crossed the Helix Bridge and transited into Marina Bay Sands. It was great fun skating amongst the crowd, as the Chinese New Year River Ang Pao at the floating platform was buzzling with people. Marina Bay Sands has proven to be a favourite with the skaters, and cruising along its smooth pathways against the evening sea breeze was simply fantastic.

 

We continued along Marina Boulevard and turned into Shenton Way, heading towards Keppel Road. After a short skate, we had another break at a famous local Bak Kut Teh joint at Tanjong Pagar Distripark.

That was the last pit stop as we head towards Vivocity. It was an easy cruise along the nice pathway along Telok Blangah Road and it took us only 15 minutes to reach our destination. We were able to complete within 2 hours and the easy route was a good way to kick start the new year, and more so for the first timers to have a taste of urban skating.

 

Credits
Photo
David

SAVs
Justin
Eugene
Micah
Chong Boon
Ee ping
Jonathan (attachment)

 

Posted in Event

Saturday Night Skate 29 October 2011 - Halloween Night Skate, The Cathay to ION Shopping Mall

Posted on October 29, 2011 by Edmund Vong

Report by Jon Wong
SNS Captain 

Halloween Nightskate 2011 was completed successfully on the evening of 29 November Saturday, unaffected by the drizzles which occurred earlier on in the day in town. 

More than 70 skaters showed up in support of this event, in the 4^th year running. Though not everyone dressed up or make-up, but those who did were fantastic with their efforts and proving to be quite a scare for bystanders who stood watching us outside The Cathay Cineplex.

We started our parade on wheels promptly at 8:00pm, and along the way drew quite an attention from the public. Some shrieked and were frightened out of their wits, while others prompted for photo opportunities with the mascarade characters.

We proved to be quite a hit especially when we arrived at the Singapore Flyer, Marina Bay Sands and Clifford Pier. Foreign tourists were so impressed by our entourage that they beckoned at the chance for photo shots as we continued along the Singapore River at Boat Quay.

 

 

Shortly after, we arrived at Singapore Management University’s Lee Kong Chian School of Business. This houses the entrance of an underground tunnel that connects to the School of Economics at the other end. We never failed to draw the attention from the students who were still lingering there as we rolled along.

From the exit, it was a direct way along Orchard Road towards ION Shopping Mall. It was the late night shoppers’ turn to get a taste of getting freaked out by us. As usual, the traffic junctions were plenty, but shortly after we arrived at our destination.

The highlight of the evening was to select the winners of the various categories. Prizes for the ‘Scariest Kid’, Scariest Skater’ and ‘Scariest Couple’ were up for grabs and participants who dressed up or make-up were short-listed to become potential winners.

The rest of the participants and audience were the judges, and their applause decided the outcome. In the end, Mr Mike Tang grabbed the ‘Scariest Skater’ award with his ‘Joker’ theme, young Tan Jay Han won the ‘Scariest Kid’ award dressed as a monster and Mr David Lim won the ‘Scariest Couple’ award with Ms Janet Tan, as ‘Zipperman’ and ‘Zombie Schoolgirl’ respectively. They all walked away with attractive shopping and dining vouchers.

 

It was the first participation in such an event for Ms Tan, a current student with Skateline, and she enjoyed every moment of it. 'It was really amazing and fun to skate with so many people at the same time!', she exclaimed. 

Credits

Photo
David Lim

Safety Van
Albert Tan

SAV
Lee Chun Yang

Posted in Event

Saturday Night Skate 24 September 2011 - WaterFront Night Skate, Bishan MRT Station to Woodlands WaterFront

Posted on September 24, 2011 by Edmund Vong

Report by Jon Wong
SNS Captain

Fine weather greeted us for September's Night Skate, as we embarked on the journey from Bishan MRT Station to Woodlands WaterFront - one of the newest recreational landmarks in Singapore. This route, which was brought forward from August due to inclement weather, spans across a distance of 19km, passing by 7 MRT stations and a couple of Park Connectors.

We gathered at the area outside Toastbox at Bishan MRT Station, and were privileged to have some Korean press with us. They were taking pictures and intending to feature the Night Skate in one of their publications.

More than 60 skaters showed up to support the event, with some trying urban skating for the first time. Our entourage grew larger as more skaters poured in along the way, from various MRT stations down the route, amounting to a total of more than 80 participants.

Though the route was generally flat, the multiple traffic crossings and long distance proved to take a toll on the participants, as it took more than 3 hours for us to reach the destination. The Canberra Park Connector was more of a challenge with steep ascending and descending slopes, and some skaters need assistance from the marshals.

 

Woodlands WaterFront

For some, it was their first visit to the WaterFront. They did not know of this place prior to the Night Skate, and hence was an eye-opener for them.

With the cool evening breeze greeting us right from the dock that spans out to sea, and the beautiful night scenery of Johor Bahru right before us, all the hard work from reaching there paid off.

Credits
Safety Van
Albert

Photo
David Lim

SAVs
Chun Yang
Chong Boon
Felix
Moon
Steven
Mike
Wai MEng
Merv
Eugene
Rochelle

Posted in Event

Saturday Night Skate 30 July 2011 - PCN Night Skate, Bishan Park 2 to Lau Pat Sat

Posted on July 30, 2011 by Edmund Vong

Report by Jon Wong
Nightskate Captain

Shi Kai with Mum and David

Michelle and Juliana

It was also the last time for the rest to see the retail shop and skating rink as it is now, with the foreclosure happening in mid August due to Nparks developement of the park.

Enjoying the rink

Climbing the steps slowly

Crossing the bridge

F1 pit building

Fullerton Bay Hotel

SAVs

Posted in Event

Saturday Night Skate 25 June 2011 - Social Night Skate, The Cathay Cineplex to Haus of Patisserie, Jalan Senang

Posted on June 25, 2011 by Edmund Vong

It was fortunate that the late morning showers did not linger till the evening, and the Social Night Skate was able to commence as planned. Around 50 skaters showed up at The Cathay Cineplex in Dhoby Ghaut which was our starting point for the event.

 

Miss Carrie from Hong Kong with Mr Stone from Great Britain

Rest at MacDonald's

Shi Kai with David

 

Picture moment at the Skating Rink

Getting cozy at the cafe

The boss - Miss Hilary Ng

Signature designer cupcakes

Can't bear to eat the cupcakes

Posted in Event

Saturday Night Skate 28 May 2011 - City Night Skate, Loop from Wheelock Place to Orchard ION

Posted on May 28, 2011 by Edmund Vong

We took to the heart of town on our wheels in our latest issue of Saturday Night Skate with more than 80 skaters showing up. Their presence made Orchard Road buzzling with more excitement than ever as they gathered in huge numbers outside Wheelock Place, the starting point.

Packed with skaters

It was pleasing to see more new faces, some of which from overseas. We also celebrated the graduation of one of our Skate Assist Volunteer (SAV) trainee, Miss Chloe Chai, on her maiden duty as route marshal for the Night Skate.

Participants from overseas

We started slightly later than usual, as we waited for participants who were stuck in traffic or trying to get a parking lot. We kicked off at about 8:10pm, heading in the less crowded direction of Tanglin Road where Forum Shopping Mall is located, and transited onto Napier Road and Holland Road thereafter.

It was a gradual uphill climb at Holland Road until we reached the peak and faced the 1st major obstacle of the evening - a long steep downhill ride coupled with uneven surfaces and narrow paths, dark lighting and a bus-stop in the midst.

Waiting for the Marshals to deploy

All the SAVs were deployed along the slope to protect the skaters at the critical areas, together with the help from some of the participants who are our certified instructors. Help was also on hand for participants who were not confident of handling the slope.

Upon reaching the foot of the slope, we started climbing uphill again, along Queensway to ESSO petrol kiosk where we had our break. But right after kiosk was the 2nd major downhill slope of the night, which took us all the way down Queensway till Commonwealth Ave, beside Queensway Secondary School. This downhill slope packed a bigger punch as it was more steep than the previous slope, and manoevring is needed for its meandering paths.

 
1st pit-stop at ESSO

That slope was the last obstable of the night, as the remaining part of the journey was smooth sailing along the Alexandra Park Connector.

 
Alexandra Park Connector

Some of the skaters managed to have a little fun at a mini aggressive park packed with a couple of ramps and rails, while we waited for the skaters at the rear to link up with us.

 
Fun at aggressive park

After all the adrenalin rush from cruising along the connector, we arrived at our 2nd rest point, which was also everyone's favourite - Zion Riverside Food Centre. We get to indulge in the thirst quenching sugar cane drinks and some even managed to grab a quick bite.

 

Time was getting late, and we had to alter the course in order not to end too late. Forsaking the initial plan of travelling to River Vallet Road and Hill Street, we took a shortcut and moved from Mohamed Sultan Road towards Clemenceau Ave which brought us to Penang Road - the other side of Orchard Road.

Soon after, we reached Killiney Road and Orchard Central Shopping Mall, and moved along Orchard Road back towards the end point at Orchard ION. This was where the fun gets hyped up a notch, as we zipped past the curious shopping crowd and enjoyed the ride along the smooth surfaces of the pavements.

 
Zipping along Orchard Road

One of the participant remarked that we actually travelled around 19km as recorded from his GPS, 5km more than the actual map distance. Everyone were tired, but greatly satisfied of having the chance to skate in town with such a large group of skaters. And returning home was a breeze as Orchard MRT Station was right beside us.

Credits
Safety Vehicle
Albert

Photos
David Lim

SAVs
Mike
Timothy
Eric Tay
Merv
Chong Boon
Chloe

Posted in Event