Skate Kingdom

Rollerblading is a sport popular among the youth. It is actually another term for inline skating. In inline skating, the wheels, usually from three to five, are arranged in one line. The wheels are made of polyurethane. Aside from recreational rollerblading, inline skates are used for hockey and artistic inline skating.

When speed matters and it is a battle of who goes the fastest, inline speed skates are worn. This is a specialized form of inline skates. The diameters of the wheels are larger and the boots are more close-fitting. Inline racing is a difficult sport that needs strength, endurance, and a lot of practice. Mastering the different maneuvers requires discipline as well as skill.

Prominent US roller skate distributors were recently notified that Bont, a major manufacturer of inline speed skates, was discontinuing sales of their inline race products to the wholesale market in the United States.

Bont stated that the “US inline speed market is now officially dead”. I wonder if they mean that inline speed skating is dead because they have withdrawn from the market or was it dead before and that is why they are withdrawing?   Or — is this just a European opinion of the US market in general?

Bont also stated that another problem was “online shops…selling at wholesale prices” Now how does that hurt them since, in theory at least, they sell only at wholesale prices themselves? Looks to me like that is only evidence of a really competitive market here in the United States.

What do the rest of you think?

There are times when we want to enjoy skating outdoors and there are times when we want the social world of rink skating, or maybe we even want to get competive. But indoor wheels do not wear well outdoors and outdoor wheels do not perform well indoors. What to do?

Most beginners skates come with  a fairly basic multi purpose wheel that will probably do the job for you as long as you don’t expect top of the line performance in either the indoor or the outdoor environment. If you only intend to skate the streets of town with your friends and take an occasional trip to the rink, the beginners inline or quad skates will work fine.

Tor those of us who demand more and are willing to pay a little more to have a high quality roller skate, we have an option. Let’s say you buy a good indoor speed skate that you love. Your next step is to  invest in a set of outdoor wheels and  a set of bearings to mount them on. Once you have bearings inserted in your new wheels you can swap indoor for outdoor roller skating in a matter of minutes. The best of both worlds.

I just set out to buy my first pair of skates and  the choices are so great that I feel overwhelmed.  I just want to get out with my friends and follow the sidewalk wherever it will take us.  I don’t want to have to put a seecond mortgage on my cat to afford them either. What are my choices?

Fortunately our options are not overwhelming. Probably the most basic difference between an outdoor skate and an indoor skate are the wheels. Outdoor wheels are softer and have more rebound than an indoor wheel which is designed to go fast on a very smooth surface. An outdoor wheel will handle the uncertain surface  normally found outdoors. Most beginners roller skates have wheels that are suitable for either indoor or outdoor skating.

Next question, do we want a quad skate or an inline skate? In today’s world most inline skates are meant for outdoor use, particularly fitness skates. Quad skates are the most popular choice for indoor rink skating. However. that doesn’t mean that a quad wouldn’t be a good choice, just look for one with outdoor wheels. Another option would be to have two sets of wheels for your skates, an indoor set and an outdoor set. That way you can have the best of both worlds. But that is a choice we’ll get into in one of our next blogs.

Back in the 1950s, roller skating was known primarily as a hobby or socializing activity. Nowadays, kids roller skate for sport and are active in what is known as X games or alternative sports. As a matter of fact, roller skate designers have revolutionized the general look and feel of the skates.  Some designs for kids roller skates are more streamlined for use in competitions and races.

The otherwise laid back reputation of the roller skate has now turned edgy and cool.  Tricks and stunts have been tried and perfected.  Roller derbies have given way to roller parks complete with platforms and tunnels.  Parks are brimming with roller skating enthusiasts, hell bent on perfecting their skills.  Sports shops and hobby stores come out with advertising campaigns aimed towards kids and young adults, promoting roller skating as the newest, hippest alternative sports craze after skateboarding.

Let’s face it, we’re now past mid-winter, and spring isn’t all that far away!  Depending on where you live, you might even see the sun starting to peek over the horizon now and then.  When springtime comes, everyone wants to get out and feel the sun on their backs after the long cold of winter.  Here are a few fun ways to enjoy the sunshine regardless of where you live! 

~Skating – roller skates and inline skates might seem difficult to use if you’ve never worn them, but truly, the only difficult part to master early on is stopping.  That might sound painful, but just make sure you’re not going down hills on the first day and you’ll do great! 

~Ultimate Frisbee – everyone’s tossed the Frisbee back and forth now and then, but ultimate Frisbee is a game for a special occasion with a real goal, players, and a clear winner and loser; it’s fun for everyone. 

~Kiting – who doesn’t like to fly kites?  In most any area where you have a little wind, you can fly a kite, just make sure to get a running start!