SNS July 2008 Report - Journey to the West


Report by Jon Wong
Skateline Instructor

We completed the SNS for July recently, on the 26th. This time, we skated in the western region of the island, starting from Choa Chu Kang MRT station and ending at Jurong East MRT station. The entire route, which was about 14km long, took us through Choa Chu Kang, Bukit Panjang, Bukit Batok and Jurong East area, and about 3 hours to complete.

This is also the maiden SNS for our newly graduated SAVs, and for some, it was their first taste at urban skating. It was a magnificent sight to see more than 20 SAVs in their bright orange uniforms gathering aroung the MRT area, and certainly stopped many passer-bys as they looked on, This was a great testimonial to everyone that inline skating is a great sport and it can be so much fun when you do it with a community of dedicated skaters, like the SAVs.

We were blessed with good weather. Lead by the senior batch of SAVs, the new graduates had the chance to learn how to handle difficult terrain, work together as a team with other SAVs and ensuring the safety of the public and other road users. And because of this, there were no injuries or casualties at all.


At the railway track

This route has a mixture of upslopes and downslopes, with some challenging terrain at the railway track area and Bukit Batok area. We travelled mostly on pavements, with steel manhole covers posing the most threat, and went along the entire western LRT system and Bukit Panjang neighbourhood. We also passed by some prominent shopping centres, namely the Ten Mile Junction and Bukit Batok Plaza.

Everyone was really tired when we arrived at Jurong East MRT station, but the look of satisfaction was on their faces. For some, it was a great skate and a good workout. For others, especially those that joined us for the first time, it was a milestone for them to complete the entire journey, great achievement and sweet memories for time to come.

Many thanks to all the SAVs for volunteering their precious time to support the event, and the public for participating. It was heartwarming to see such a great turnout of skaters after 2 months without SNS.

For pictures of the SNS, click here. All photos are courtesy of Mr Moon Ji Wook and gallery courtesy of David Lim.

Route Description