Ted Churchill - The Series cont.

Roller Skating To Oblivion-1970’s era

All the following are memories and stories that I remember from stories that Ted told me over the years of our friendship. My accuracy may be a bit off and for that I am sorry.

Ted, was WAY into Roller Skating in the 1970’s and Loved it, So much that he would skate all around NYC and Down to Central Park on the weekend for competitions. However, Ted was also a Mega Tinkerer, had to “play” and make things better, as it were. Well, as for the skates, those skates were heavy and all that metal on the bottom was just aching for someone, ANYONE, to remove it-Enter Ted.

Ted, being a Master Steadicam Operator, had a small Machine Shop set up in his Apt., Including a Drill Press that would drill ‘square holes’!! So ‘LET THE DRILLING BEGIN’!!!!!!!! at first, a few holes no more than say 5 in a geometric pattern. Tried them out, and wow!, what a difference!! let’s DO MORE!

You can see a pattern already forming here, but while he would tell his stories you would be taken away to a different time, because he could also interject all the sub stories of the era, while working on Halloween or Wolfen how he got over on someone and had a adventure. Then he would get back to his story well after MANY, MANY Modifications the underside of skates looked like a fine piece of SWISS CHEESE!

Ted skated down to Central Park, (probably smoking a Pall Mall) and feeling Groovy, his skates, working like fine machines (which at that ‘moment’ they were), when he got there; he most certainly showed these skates off, and then started doing his thing ; only thing was (those skates were about show Ted why they needed All That Metal in the first place) while doing a trick, Ted felt a bit unsteady and then “CRRRRRRRAAAAACCCCCCKKKKKKKK-CLUNK”! The skate just folded in half, just like a warm Cheese sandwich. Ted’s Skating Dreams were crushed for (THAT DAY) He had to limp back home.

See You Next Time……