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Our shipping and handling charges are ten dollars per order regardless of order size.

Additional charges will apply for international orders!

The web site will not calculate the international order charge so if you place an order from outside of the USA please contact us via email.

Most orders to Canada require an additional charge of $10.00. The charge for other countries reflects the costs from the US postal service.


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About Gatorback Skate

The Mission

This company exists to help the sport of outdoor inline speed skating grow. We focus 100% on the needs of the high performance outdoor skater. Our products make the sport safer and more fun.

The Word "Gatorback"

"Gatorback" is a word that experienced skaters use to describe rough road. The most famous Gatorback pavement is a rough 10k section of the Athens to Atlanta speed skating event. We chose to name our company "Gatorback Skate" because we feel it captures the essence of our focus on outdoor skating. We will focus on outdoor skating while other companies focus on roller rinks and ice.

The Founders

Mark Farnsworth (aka "the Duck" ) and his wife Kendra Hudson are the people behind Gatorback Skate. Mark and Kendra have been involved in the sport of outdoor speed skating at many levels over the past ten years.

Mark races at the pro/elite level with a focus on Marathon distances. Mark has placed in the top ten in major speed skating marathons. Mark's best result in 2004 was the win at the Orlando Midnight Ramble 20k race and a seventh place finish at the Big Granite marathon. The 2005 season has already started well with a 5th place pro elite finish at the Texas Road Rash. Mark always skates with the GatorStop system and other innovative Gatorback product prototypes.

Outside of skating Mark, has a background in computer software design and was involved in four successful high tech startups prior to the launch of Gatorback Skate.

Kendra also races at pro/elite level and has reached the podium at A2A, the New York 100k, the Inline 111, and other major outdoor speed skating events using prototype versions of the GatorStop system.

The Products

Gatorback Skate is working on a number of products focused on outdoor skating. By creating products that are designed from the ground up for outdoor skating we will make the sport safer and more fun. Over the next few months you will see us testing our products at major marathons and we will only release product for sale when they meet our high standards.

One of our first products will be a high performance braking system for inline speed skates. Both Mark and Kendra have used prototypes of this system while racing in pro/elite outdoor speed skating events for the last three years.

The original idea of brake leverage devices comes from Don Ruiz. Uwe Brockmann later refined the idea and introduced it to many people. Both Don and Uwe are past winners of the 87 mile Athens to Atlanta road skating ultra marathon event. These early pioneers were the inspiration for the GatorStop system. Mark Farnsworth met Uwe around 1996 and continues to consult with him on design issues.

You can read about Uwe's system at http://brakes.ipfox.com

Mark Farnsworth invented a leash system that is 100% boot mounted, the GatorLeash does not involve any additional shin or leg mounted straps yet is easy to reach and stays in place on any standard speed skating boot. Mark also improved the brake device with a high performance single sided axle system, improved pad geometry, adjustable pad height, a rock blocking system to prevent wheel jams, and a quick release system to allow for rapid removal of the brake pad mount with no tools.