Rich Parker Inline Skater

We have had a fabulous and energetic afternoon with Rich Parker our inline skater professional athlete. He arranged a circuit for us all which was very tiring! He talked to us about his sport and the equipment he uses including all the safety equipment. He explained how important it is to wear helmets when on our bikes, scooters and skates. He talked about how he got into skating and his determination to keep practising. With lots of practise, he became the fastest skater in his class. He saw a competition called the X Games. He explained how he watched the best people in the world performing. Rich started on one  small ramp and kept going until, at the age of 12, he was able to ride on the biggest ramps. Rich knows 40 different tricks. He started learning backflips at 13 and retired at 33 by which point he had done 10,000! At 17 he won the British championships and at 18, he qualified for the world championships where he was the only British competitor. Unfortunately, he injured himself and had to leave the competition. He talked to us about how he had two choices, to give up or to put it behind him and try again. He then won the European championships five times. He is very proud of his X Games medal. He talked to us about persevering to achieve your goals. We then watched him perform. Mrs Nottley was brave enough to accept his invitation. He then asked for another volunteer and Mrs Parry joined in.... and then Mrs Cresswell! Rich skated and jumped straight over them! He is so skillful! What an inspiration. Thank you so much Rich!