Nickname: Mychalita

Age: 46

Marital Status: Single

Have been skating for how long:Since I was about 6 or 7.

Equipment Brand and Type: Reidell She Devil Quads.

Life Philosophy: Hmmm... Probably it would have to be something like "dance 'til you drop", but that would be silly. I DO so love to dance.. more than just about anything, and I think it keeps me really happy.

Favorite Time of Day to Skate: the hour before sunset in the fall, winter, and spring..but summer i gotta go early..10:30am is about as early as i can muster. 58-88 degrees is my window.

Favorite Skating Events: I have really enjoyed the full moon skates...those are just magical!

Awards / Competitive Wins: I think the last time i competed was around 1975, and i won plenty of Blue Ribbons for Pace Yourself that year... i was a lean and mean 7 year old!

Most memorable incident / Biggest skating adventure: I'd have to say that one of my favorite things to do every year is to take my skates to Chicago and skate along Lake Michigan...I usually do a 10 mile skate there...lots of joggers and bikers and so forth...but my goodness, it's gorgeous in June!! I just can't stop smiling the entire time...it just makes me giddy...every time!!

What do I get from skating: Skating is my exercise, my time alone, my delicious escape from everything else. I love being at the veloway...being in touch with the seasons out there...getting to know the various wildflowers and trees, and knowing their rhythms and cycles. Skating just before the sun goes down, the air getting cooler, the insects starting to buzz - This sounds like an advertisement for the veloway, doesn't it?

Would like to do this year in skating: I'm going to Russia this summer, and am hoping to find a place to skate there. I love skating in foreign countries... "You get to know things better when they go by slow"...( Poi Dog Pondering ).

Coolest Accomplishment: Running a pretty darn successful bookbinding business since 1994 in East Austin ...Iona Handcrafted Books...I love what I do!! Being my own boss allows me to live the life I want, and skating is a big part of that. .

Other sports / hobbies you enjoy: I love being on the water in my kayak...it's a good balance after the lower body workout i get from skating...but I don't do it nearly as often as I'd like. I LOVE to dance...mostly latin dancing...salsa, bachata, CUMBIA!! If you see me at the veloway...that is likely what I'm listening to!!

Favorite skating gadget / tool: Nicole gave me a really cool carabiner thingy to carry my skates with...thats the only "gadget" I really have.

Mentors:Ooooh... My Mimi...she was the best!

Helpful Advice to Beginners: Wear Wrist guards!!!!

Favorite Quotes: "We should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once." - Friedrich Nietzsche