Taking it to the streets

When everyone else is inside sipping hot cocoa, some students can still be seen gliding through cold winter nights on roller blades, bikes and scooters. Since three University students created the popular registered student organization Inline Insomniacs in 2001, students have braved weather— hot and cold— to roam the streets of Champaign-Urbana on wheels.

As long as the roads are dry, skaters gather on alternating Tuesdays and Wednesdays on the steps of Foellinger Auditorium at midnight to explore scenic spots like Crystal Lake Park, Meadowbrook Park and Hessel Park. Downtown Champaign, Urbana and the soda pop machine on the South side of campus that sells cans for 65 cents are favorite destinations, said Marcin Zarycki, junior in LAS and third-year club member.

Club members said it was not the skating that they enjoyed the most about this RSO, but the fellowship.

“On nights when it’s really cold, we may go to Perkins to eat and chat and I love getting to know everyone and laugh together,” said Gretchen Karcher, fifth year insomniac, senior in LAS, and president of the club.

Zarycki said he has always enjoyed roller skating, but what he loves most about the club is the friendships he’s made.

“Those who come nearly every week have formed strong friendships, which is what has made me enjoy this club so much,” he said.

Inline Insomniacs welcomes skaters of all levels. While Zarycki joined the club with a zeal for roller skating, Sarah Larson, a second year member, joined with little past experience.

“I actually re-taught myself how to skate so I could go,” she said. “When I first joined, I could barely get myself moving and definitely could not brake.”

Larson said that more seasoned skaters are always willing to give tips to newcomers. Guards in the front and back of the moving cluster make sure no one gets separated from the group. They also usually stop on the corners of the street to chat and let everyone catch up.

Larson also said that they alternate between skating paths that at least the leaders of the pack are familiar with.

“Sticking to those routes is important because it can be really dark that late at night, and we want to avoid any injuries,” she said. With anywhere from thirty to fifty people, it is better to maintain the same paths so no one gets lost.

In the winter, Karcher said, the number of skaters drops significantly. Right now, about twenty people are still skating. When there is snow, ice or rain they meet at the Ice Arena for Wednesday night public skates.

Other traditional skates include the annual trip to Meijer and the 20 mile distance skate at the end of each semester, Zarycki said. Last year the distance skate took them all the way to Willard Airport.

“It was the most tiring thing I have ever done, but it was so fun!” Larson said.

In addition to bar crawls, where some members even skate between bars, the club hosts an annual summer trip to Chicago where they skate around downtown by the Lake and through Navy Pier. When the weather is warm, they sometimes jump off of the pier into the lake and were even once professionally photographed doing so.

Larson’s favorite event is playing broomball at the UI Ice Arena, which involves no skates at all. Students chase after a hockey puck, equipped with tennis shoes, knee pads, a helmet and a rubber broom, she said.

“Everyone falls, gets bruises, and feels sore for the next day or two. But it is so worth it.”