INLINE SKATING: Pat the Kid joins big boys on pro circuit

SHANE HURNDELL
Some say Hawke's Bay inline skater Pat McIvor is half-kid, half-adult.
And McIvor, 29, is happy to describe himself as a "kidult." That explains, to a certain extent, why he has been New Zealand's top vert ramp inline skater for more than 10 years. "Some of the pros are older than me ... the halfpipe tends to attract the older guys," he said, during a break from his job as manager at the Napier Skating Club.
The job also helps keep him young, as he works with his 200 club members at the club's Marine Parade base. In his 12 years in the role he has helped SkateZone become a fun place for Napier youth to go - not just to skate but to watch movies, dance, listen to music and meet people.
Feeling young and confident will be a huge plus as McIvor tackles his next assignment - his first appearance on the Aggressive Skating Association's Pro Tour in Birmingham on July 29 and 30.
He qualified for the tour when he won the world amateur vert ramp title in Florida seven years ago but because of his work commitments never took the next step.
"When I decided to go to England to visit my brother Chris (former Napier City Rovers soccer player Chris McIvor) I thought I would check out if there were any tour events on and if I was still eligible.
"The organisers said they would be happy for me to have a crack," McIvor said.
He will be the only Kiwi in the 15-strong field which will consist of 10 of the best pros on the tour and five others.
"Apart from the X*Air Games this will be my first taste of a Pro competition,' said McIvo, who finished fourth behind three Aussie Pros at this year's Games in Wellington.
The son of former international skater, Jenny McIvor, McIvor, has never been afraid to speak up on issues such as the unfair allocation of appearance money, prize-money and judging.
McIvor will have two one-minute runs to impress the judges. He'll be judged on technical ability, height, flow, consistency and his ability to stay on his skates after completing his routine which will include 900 and 1080-degree rotations.
"Technically I feel I'm just as good as the pros ... they just have better height and flow than me because they're competing and training all the time," he said.
McIvor's training routine in the buildup to Birmingham has consisted of a daily morning warm-up skate along the Marine Parade walking path and later in the day, over a two-hour period, he skates and does weight training to improve his strength - physical and mental - to improve his height on the ramp.
Depending on his success in Birmingham McIvor may be tempted to tackle more events on the Pro Tour but none fit in with his travel plans in the two months he'll be overseas. But considering it's seven years since he qualified for this one, McIvor is unlikely to be in any hurry for another taste.
And the "kidult" has time on his side.