2005 Memorial Day Weekend
Friday, May 27 - Monday, May 30, 2005

WAR invites skaters from across the country to skate with us in the nation's capital. There will be mirth and merriment again this year. Times, places, and skate descriptions for the weekend are listed below.

Please Note: For this event, here are no registration fees, police escorts, sag wagons, goody-bags, or water trucks.

Liability Waiver
All skating participants are required to read and sign this liability waiver (.pdf file, 76k) and wear a wristband for the weekend signifying that they signed the waiver. To save time print, and sign the Liability Waiver now. Bring it with you to the event.

Weekend Meeting Place and Event Schedule:

The host hotel for the weekend is the Red Roof Inn at 500 H Street NW Washington DC 20001. To make reservations, call 202-289-5959. Use the Block Code: B254WARST Rate: $99/night + tax and parking. Rooms must be reserved with a valid credit card by APRIL 27 2005 or they will be released to the public.

All skates start at the Red Roof Inn. Meet there15 minutes prior to the start time. We will leave the hotel ON TIME. If you get there 5 minutes after the start of the skate, we will be gone! Check Red Roof Inn Meeting Spot for directions and information about the hotel.

MDW Schedule, MAY 27-30, 2005

The following schedule is under development. We will have some flat skating. We will have at least one skate with some hills. We may have an "alley and obstacle" skate. At least one skate time will have two choices of distance and difficulty.

Interested? If members of your club would like to attend, please RSVP to mdw@skatedc.org with the numbers you have.

Things to Bring on the Skates
Bring the following with you:

• A water bottle or Camelbak since we will not have any water trucks. (You may have the opportunity to buy beverages at nearby stores during some stops.)
• Money for taxi/Metro fare since we will not have sag wagons.
• Shoes or sandals on each skate to walk through the memorials, or in case you want to ride the Metro, or eat in a restaurant that doesn't allow skates.

Skating Ability Levels
All skates are for strong intermediate/advanced skaters who can navigate safely through traffic and up and down steep hills. Plus, did we mention there is no sag wagon?

Skating Rules
National Skate Patrol will patrol the skates, but we will not have police escorts. Although street skating is not legally permitted in DC, Virginia, and on certain U.S. government grounds, the police generally do not bother us. To keep things safe, and to not provoke the police, we ask that you please abide by the following few rules:

• Participants are required to sign a waiver and wear helmets and wrist guards.
• Obey all traffic lights, stop signs, and avoid traffic obstacles (like a car).
• Limit your skating to only the far right traffic lane.
• We are a tourist town. Please be aware of pedestrian, bike, and vehicular traffic!
• Some skates are on crowded bike trails. Keep in mind:
  • Pedestrians have the right of way and there are speed limits. Skate slowly and safely. This is not a race.
  • Warn people ahead of you if passing. Use all other verbal signals as well. (e.g. bike up, bike back).
• In Washington stair skating will result in undesirable attention from the police. Please do not skate stairs--especially the steps of the memorials we will be visiting.

Other Resources for out-of-town Skaters:
Skating with WAR
Skate DC Safety tips
Local Skating Info
Places to Rent Skates
WAR Special Events Page
WAR Resources

Last Update: 2/11/2005