The early spring sun shone through the tiny gaps of my bedroom curtains and it was getting too bright for any sleep to persist. Another morning, another day of activities. Oh, but this is not any other day, it's the National Inline Skating Meet. It's the day where many inline skaters will come together to pit their skills against each other annually. A day filled with adrenalin and excitement.

At 10.30 am, we arrived at Chinese Garden, the "circuit" for today's race. As a main sponsor for the event, we were given a booth that we went about setting up almost immediately. All the viruses were busy helping the organizers to set up the markers, carrying planks to place across the drains for extra protection, etc.

Fred Loh, InSSAS President; Professor Sim, InSSAS Advisor were all busy updating records and checking logistics. Skaters were busy checking their equipments and familiarizing themselves with the circuit. Children skaters were having a ball playing catching on their skates, oblivious to all the excitement around them.

15 of our Team Viruses took part in the meet and some, for the very first time. They were in this just for the fun of it and to gain some racing experience. Our Team participants consisted of skaters between the age of 7 - Sean Lim, our Baby Virus, to the age of 40+ - our extremely fit Lau Chek ("senior" in our local slang).

More skaters started flowing in at about 12 noon and the circuit begin to fill up with colourful jerseys, skinsuits, shiny recreation skates and gorgeous looking speed equipments. The place is now filled with music, the sound of urethane against the tarmac and skaters of all shapes and sizes. Hey, there's even a group of supporters sitting on ground sheets looking like they were having a picnic!

The first and second races were the Boys under 14, followed by the Girls under 14 categories. The cheers from the crowd was more out of admiration and awe as skaters as young as Age 5 - Sylvia Tan (Girls) and Sean Lim - Age 7 (Boys), zoomed round the circuit. Parents armed with bottles of water, long sleeve shirts, super dark sunglasses and umbrellas were standing all around the circuit, shouting, "Go Boys Go". We admire them for their dedication towards the kids and their contribution towards the sports. Three cheers to the supporters! After 2 km, the fastest skaters emerged, with Nicholas Han and Sean Lim- (Team SpeedVirus) coming in 2nd and 5th in the Boys' event respectively. Well done Nicholas and Sean!!

Third race - Ladies' Recreation span from bikini-clad girls to ladies in team jerseys, they made a quick dash for 4 km. Any roving eyes went "Ooh and ahh". There was a photo finish between the 1st and 2nd participants; finally the 2nd and 3rd places went to Team SpeedVirus' Judy Lim and Josephine Sin respectively. Way to go Girls!!

Fourth race - Men's Recreation saw many experienced skaters doing their twang. One "stylo" participant was seen chatting on his hand phone right at the starting line - getting last minute tips from his coach?? After 6 km round the circuit, the top 3 skaters emerged, most of who are regulars with speed experience for many years. Good job!

Fifth race - Ladies' Open had only 6 competitors - we need more gal skaters! Looking like a group of "serious" skaters in jerseys and skin suits, the expectations were a lot higher. At the sound of the whistle, we dashed off at our max speed and formed a peleton within seconds. Round and round we went, for 6km. The cough, which I was recovering from, immediately caught up with me - feeling my lungs cramping in on me, I had to struggle for breath with every push. Sigh!! Wrong day, wrong wheels, wrong lungs! Kimberly Ames was leading the pack from the beginning. Her years of skating experience gave her the lead with little effort. Go Gals Go! In the final few rounds 2 gals were neck to neck against each other and all the supporters went mad cheering for them, with one gal in the front in one round and the other gal ahead in the next. After 6 crazy km, Ethel Lui of Team SpeedVirus emerged 3rd. It was a great fight. For someone who has been skating for less than a year and only into speed for a few months, that's a great achievement. Her timing for 6 km is also more than one minute faster than the guys' in the recreation race. Well-done Ethel!

Last race - Men's Open. The excitement mounted to a feverish height. The guys were fidgeting in their speed boots, all ready to go. Months of training and now is the time to prove their mettle. The event took on a rolling start, with a cyclist rolling for one round before the race begins. The skaters huffed and puffed under the hot afternoon sun. Soon, Frenchman Fabien and American Jonathan Seutter were seen in front of the pack. Round and round they went for a battling 10 km. Crossing the finishing line 1st was Fabien, followed by Jonathan - who pulled back at the very last second for a younger local skater to pass. Impressive! For the Virus mens, this being the very first race they are in, completing the distance and chalked up a great racing experience under their belt, is effort enough to deserve merit. Great job guys!!!!!!!