Westwood resident defines new skating genre
By Ashley Skipwith
Dec. 4, 2002 9:00 p.m.
On Wednesday nights, you may be able to witness George
Merkert’s fast-paced lifestyle as he whizzes by you on Venice
Boulevard during his Wednesday night skating.
Merkert ““ at age 51 ““ is doing anything but slowing
down.
The Westwood resident recently secured his second consecutive
National Championship in the inline downhill category at the San
Francisco Gravity Festival on Nov. 9 and 10 by out-skating
24-year-old Sebastien Laffargue.
He is also in the process of defining a new sport ““
competitive inline downhill skating, which he describes as a
combination of NASCAR and alpine ski racing.
At age 46, Merkert used inline downhill skating as a way to
train for ski races. He would build breakaway gates, much like the
gates at the beginning of slalom ski run, at the top of a hill.
What began as a method of training soon evolved into its own
sport wherein up to five competitors race down hills on inline
skates reaching speeds over 50 mph.
Now, Merkert and his friends are constantly finding new speed
control techniques, more effective skating techniques and improved
equipment.
“The cool thing about this sport is that we are inventing
it,” Merkert said. The dynamic aspect of the sport, he
claims, is what makes inline downhill skating interesting.
Introduced to skateboarding at a very young age, Merkert has had
a continual interest in fast-paced sports. He competed in stunt and
freestyle skiing before becoming involved in downhill inline
skating. His avid childhood interest in hockey has been replaced
late in his life.
A lot later.
Merkert is well out of the age bracket of his competitors, but
he has found methods to use his age to his advantage.
“My physical skills are well beyond their peak, but I use
my experience and ability to use the technology to compete
effectively,” Merkert said. “It’s not just
strength.”
As for strength, “the fountain of youth is in the weight
room,” Merkert said. Lifting weights doesn’t help with
reaction time, but keeps him healthy and young.
He hopes to set an example for his two younger daughters, one of
whom he is teaching how to skate.
In addition to inline skating, Merkert has succeeded in his
career as a freelance visual effects producer for motion pictures
as well as TV commercials, music videos and short films.
He won an Academy Award in 1990 for his work in “Total
Recall” and was nominated again in 1998 for his visual
effects in “Starship Troopers.”
Merkert asks himself every day how long he will continue
competing. Of all people, he looks to skier Debbie Armstrong.
An underdog in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, Armstrong turned
to her teammates right before she hit the slalom run and shouted
“I’m just going to have fun out there, just have fun,
have fun!” Armstrong won the gold medal in that event quickly
thereafter.
With “Have fun!” echoing in his mind, Merkert now
has two championships of his own.
