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Eglin Airman has real need for speed skates

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Ryan Hansen
  • Air Armament Center Public Affairs
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFPN) --  Twenty nine mph does not sound fast. But on a pair of in-line skates, that is moving pretty well, and an Airman here just cannot get enough of it.

Airman 1st Class Eddie Canino, an F-16 Fighting Falcon avionics technician with the 46th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, started skating as a youngster and said he has never gotten his fill.

“I was real young, and it was just one of those new things to do,” Airman Canino said. “Once I tried it, I was like a fish to water.”

His competitive career started after racing and defeating other children at a rink one day in his native state of Massachusetts.

“These kids had their speed skates on, whereas I just had cheap Rollerblades, but I kept beating them,” he said.

Following his performance, Airman Canino was approached by their coach.

“He just said, ‘I’ve got to have you on my team,’” he said. “So, at 9 years old I got my first pair of in-line skates, and I haven’t quit since.”

As he grew older, Airman Canino competed in local competitions as well as regional and national events. His trophy case is as impressive as his large collection of medals. However, it is his goal to place at the National Indoor Speed and Figure Skating Championships.

“I made it to nationals in 2001, and I want to make it back there,” he said. “This year it’s in Pensacola, and that’s my home floor, so it would be great.”

To qualify, he must place in the top three at the Southern Regional Rollerskating Championships in Port Richey, Fla.

“Yes, I’d like to make nationals, but I’m just focusing on making it to the final round,” he said. “At that point, anything can happen.”

To train for such events Airman Canino drives an hour and a half to Gulf Breeze, Fla., where he works with the Emerald Coast Speed Team. His coach is a nine-time national champion and tells his students it takes more than speed to be successful at in-line skating.

“He’s 45 years old and can knock the doors off me,” Airman Canino said. “He teaches us about the physical aspects of the sport as well as the mental aspects.

“You have to know how to put moves on your competition and when to do it,” he said. “There’s also a lot to know about passing, how to avoid crashes and how to benefit if there is a crash. There’s really a lot of strategy involved.”

Most recently, Airman Canino competed along with 800 others in the 2005 Disney Inline Marathon in Orlando. After waiting through hours of rain and thunderstorms, he finished the 13-mile race in 57 minutes, claiming the military championship.

“It’s not every day you get to skate through Disney,” he said. “We went all over the place there … They even shut down roads for us.”

But events like this do not cost as much as the equipment. Airman Canino’s skates cost $1,800 and new wheels are $100 a set, which he needs for each race he enters.

“And after a race like Disney where it was wet, I’ll need to get new bearings which are about $400,” he said. “But even though it’s expensive, it’s worth it.”

If Airman Canino can continue to improve and move up in the rankings, he said he hopes to gain a sponsorship, possibly from the Air Force.

“I would absolutely love it,” he said. “I’ve tried to get permissive (temporary duty) for our competitions, but the Air Force doesn’t allow it because they don’t sponsor our sport. But I’m hoping that will change someday.”

Until then, Airman Canino will continue to log miles between here and Gulf Breeze for practice and to competitions throughout the South. With his dedication and true love for speed, he hopes to reach the grandest stage of all in Pensacola.

“I’ve been skating since I was 3 and speed racing since I was 7,” Airman Canino said. “I’m going to keep training hard, and hopefully good things will come.”