Inspired to Roller Skate

Roller skating has made a comeback thanks to TikTok, but that’s not what inspired me to take up the hobby. I hadn’t been skating since I was a kid. My now-husband, who loves to skate, reintroduced me to roller skating when we first started dating four years ago. I couldn’t skate to the beat of the music. Instead, I would just roll around the rink, trying not to fall. Though I had fun the handful of times we went, I never really got into it — until now.

We started skating again about three and a half months ago. This was my first time on skates in over three years. I fell twice, and both times, I landed on my left wrist — bruising it badly. Luckily, I didn’t let that deter me from continuing to skate. Soon after, I bought wrist guards and my own pair of skates and took up roller skating lessons.

Learning How to Roller Skate

I was a little self-conscious about being the only adult in the class, but that didn’t last long since I wanted to learn. The teacher told me to shift my weight from one leg to the other, pushing from side to side rather than trying to walk on skates which is what most people do. She also said when pushing off, to keep my toe up to avoid tripping over my toe stop which could cause me to fall. That lesson was enlightening. Her advice clicked with me and made me skate more easily.

My classes, going forward, would be closer to home, at my husband’s childhood rink. I was pleasantly surprised to see many adults learning how to skate there. I finished my 11^th class on Saturday, and I’m happy with the progress I’ve made. I’ve learned how to skate forward, stop, skate backwards, and do crossovers. We practice drills, and as we progress in class, we learn other techniques to practice. 

These classes, along with YouTube tutorials (such as Dirty School of Skate), and my husband’s coaching, have all contributed to me skating better. It’s helped build my confidence in skating. Practicing in my own pair of skates has also been key to my progress. It also made a noticeable difference when my husband changed the bearings and wheels on my out-of-the-box skate setup.

Adult Skate

My husband and I also go to adult skate events across Ohio. We even travelled two hours to an adult skate night in Louisville, KY. At adult skate, you’ll find many advanced skaters who can truck, shuffle, and rhythm skate. The skaters are down-to-earth and welcoming and can adeptly skate around the newbies like me.

I aspire to be able to rhythm skate well and in sync with my hubby. In the meantime, I’ll continue to practice, so I can skate backwards fluidly, transition, and balance longer on one foot.

I’m excited that I can now feel and skate to the beat of the music, though I still find myself overthinking and getting in my own way. The best is when I feel carefree and confident on skates and not worried about falling or looking silly. Roller skating has been such a fun journey that I look forward to continuing.