Inline Skating Is Fun

Also see the Stride 1 page & Falling On Inline Skates

How could it not be fun? Remember when you were a kid & got your first pair of roller skates? The whole world suddenly opened up to you. Even if your mum would not let you off the bumpy sidewalk you still felt like you were king of the block. You can have that feeling back again. Mercury had wings on his ankles & was messenger of the gods. Now you can have wheels on your feet & once again taste the freedom you maybe forgot. Now that you are grown up you can venture off the pavement. Roll with it.

There are as many different reasons to skate as there are inline skaters - which makes for 50 million different reasons worldwide. We do not have the bandwidth to list them all here, but some months ago we invited visitors to this site to tell us why they inline skate. Here are some of their responses.

·      Physical invigoration & mental serenity
sandy@nacs.net

·      I like to skate because its fun, energetic, keeps me out of trouble, but the main reason is the adrenalin rush I get when I skate up to a bench & do a plant 180 hand plant safety grab & land it!!!
oldpops@hopper.net

·     It beats watching other people skate!!!
WokXpRess@aol.com

·     To do tricks
Smooth99@aol.com

·     Because when you skate you get to reap the benefits of the the other nine reasons to skate.
Robert Jones

·     I like the way it firms my buttock & my thighs.
RBNgrl@aol.com

·     "For the love of it"
Thomas Hudson, age 14, Pittsburg California

·      I love to aggressive skate cause it is the thing to do. i like saying that I am an aggressive skater & I love doing it
Ryan

·     Because it frees you
SkateOne8@aol.com

·     I think the number one reason to skate is because "It is da' bomb baby". Skating is the best. It keeps me busy, pushes me to the limit & I love it.
Erica DeRuyscher, Arizona

·     Skating is the best thing since sliced bread. It keeps me healthy & stops me from robbing banks & doing drugs.
Brandon <hsgoad@esn.net>

·     The only time I will stop skating is when I am dead
Randall Smith

·     I love to show off my best moves
Mrsoloman@aol.com

·     The love the rush & the fun of the sport.
Skate6666@aol.com

Inline Skating is Social
Whether it is just you & a best friend on a remote trail or bombing through the Lincoln Tunnel with 2,000 other skaters, inline skating is a great way to celebrate friendship & meet new people. Skating bridges the generation gap & brings families together in a way that is healthier & more meaningful than sitting around the TV. With over 30 million people in America alone & another estimated 20 million worldwide, chances are you will not have to go far to find a partner or get involved with the local scene.

Inline Skating Clears the Air
Think globally, skate locally. Imagine a city with no cars, just skaters, cyclists & pedestrians. What would it sound like with only the hum of wheels, shifting gears, & shuffling feet to fill your ears? Would it not be nice to breathe clean air? Skating instead of driving is just one way to show Mother Earth that you care. We will not stop till we see these signs marking skate/bicycle lanes everywhere roads run.

Inline skates were invented as an alternative to the brief off-ice season by a Minnesota hockey player. But the concept quickly caught on as people took to inline skates as a great new means of transportation & recreation. Faster than a flat-footed pedestrian, more maneuverable & sidewalk-adaptable than a bicycle (& less likely to get stolen), inline skates are the ideal way to get acquainted with a new place, whether you are on vacation or just rediscovering the neighborhood from a brand new perspective.

Inline skating as a form of exercise is as beneficial as running or cycling, according to Dr. Carl Foster, associate professor of medicine at the University of Wisconsin Medical School & coordinator of sports medicine & sports science for the United States Speed Skating Team.

Inline skating, when compared to running, causes less than 50 percent of the impact shock to joints, according to a recent study conducted by the University of Massachusetts, thus demonstrating that inline skating is less harmful to the joints than the higher impact sport of running.

Some people are born to dance. Some are born to skate. Some do both. The one thing dance & freestyle skaters have in common is that no two have the same style. How you move on skates is unique as a fingerprint & just as distinctive to the trained eye. Whether you like to move to salsa, reggae, rock, or the soundtrack in your head, inline skates will put poetry in your motion.

If speed is what you need, inline skates hold the key. Set your self up with some five-wheelers, 80 mm each & no brake. Find yourself a nice hill, tuck & you are gone. Of course, you might want to work your way up to this level, especially since speeds upward of 45 mph are pretty common among serious edgeheads. Even without going to this extreme, inline skates will get you there almost as fast as a bicycle & a heck of a lot quicker than running.

A Great Sport for Young & Old Alike
If you can walk for extended periods of time without falling down, chances are you have all the balance you will ever need to make it as an inline skater. If you have ever skied or ice skated, chances are you are already there. To be on the safe side, take a lesson with a qualified instructor. Just like riding a bike, once you learn you will never forget. 30 million skaters in America cannot all be more coordinated than you. Why not give it a shot? You might just surprise yourself.

The Right Profile
Who inline skates? While teens in baggy pants doing flips high above a half-pipe are the images which attract media attention, most inline skaters are people of average athletic ability who welcome the opportunity to have a good time & get healthier by doing it. As with most sports, the people you see on TV & in magazines are at the top of their field, but it is folks like you & me that make up the majority of inline enthusiasts.

If you have ever ice skated or skied, you will adapt quickly to inline skates. If you have not indulged in these other activities, inline skating will prepare you to enjoy these sports, at your own speed, without having to endure the cold. Inline skating started as a substitute for ice skating & offers the same potential for grace & speed. If you have been reluctant to get on skis, inline skating will help you find your center of gravity by allowing you to practice balance & maneuverability before you hit the slopes.

The best part is that inline skating is not just one activity. Once you start rolling, you can adapt your style for speed, or for serious aerobic workouts, or to play hockey, or to dance, or to artistically express yourself, or to go off-roading, or to play basketball, or to sail (literally, using the wind) across a salt flat, or to just goof around with friends, or some combination of these that has not even been dreamed up yet. The one rule is there are no limits.