First ever Operation Ohio skate from Cincinnati to Columbus Sept. 3, 4, 5, 6 on the Ohio to Erie path

Operation Ohio works with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), a national advocacy group that was originally formed as a grassroots group of family members of people diagnosed with mental illness. One of the organization’s largest offices is in Cincinnati.

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NAMI leaders will attend nightly campouts during the skate event to guide and facilitate mental health conversations.

The first day of Operation Ohio will be 40 miles, the second day 23 miles, the third day approximately 27 miles, and the fourth day 25 miles.

“Well, yes, that must be something you mean seriously,” said Effinger.

However, participants can get on the big skate at any time during the event. There will be amazing departure times for different skill levels so that skaters of most skill levels will have an opportunity to get something out of the challenge.

“You don’t have to do the whole hike with us,” said Effinger. “If you only want to do one day, you can step in anywhere. And we have different starting points and we have different places where people can just jump. “

Effinger has been an avid Cincinnati Rollergirl since 2008 and began training the Cincinnati Junior Rollergirls in 2014. She said there wasn’t a lot of derby so it was cool to be part of introducing the sport to the area.

For Effinger, the community was the greatest advantage when immersing yourself in the region’s ice-skating arena.

“Honestly, the skater community is great and great because you can either … learn and grow in the community or do it yourself,” she said. “Skating is one of the most unique sports because it is so versatile. There is speed skating, there is dance skating, there is derby (and) there is distance skating. “

Effinger and local skater Brandi Goulet started organizing Skatin Dayton Meetups in August 2020. The group organizes on the Skatin Dayton Facebook page and meets regularly on Tuesday evenings at 6 p.m. on various trails and parks around the Miami Valley.

Skatin Dayton will also host special meetings for skaters interested in training for Operation Ohio.

So far, 15 skaters have registered for the skate, which Effinger regards as “astronomical” for the first official year of the event. As more and more people get involved, the goal is to win sponsors for the skate and to hold a big raffle at the end.

To keep track of the updates and training meetings on Operation Ohio, ask to contact the Skatin Dayton. to follow Facebook group, follow Operation Ohio Facebook site or visit operationohio.com/.