With spring here and summer quickly approaching, I've gotten my skating itch back. I don't know what it is about this time of the year but having nice weather and more sunshine definitely translates to skate season in my mind. I started rollerskating for the first time a little over a year ago throughout the summer, took a little fall/winter hiatus + now we're getting back to it. It's been one of my favorite hobbies lately + a fun way to get in a little more exercise and movement.
I'm definitely still new in town but we're making some progress so here's a little update! It's also actually kind of crazy to follow + see your own progress with something that's a "learned" skill as an adult. Before last year, I'd never put on a pair of traditional quad skates. We did rollerblade a tiny bit in gym class during my middle school years but any attempt outside of school was short-lived + did not stick.
When I first put on a pair of skates last year, it was a totally foreign concept and feeling. When you see others skating, it looks so easy + effortless. Take out the skill and years of experience and the translation to reality is totally different, haha. I think the biggest thing for me was just learning how to balance and building up a confidence. I wish I'd learned as a kid-- there's definitely a lot more resilience and room for error, lol. I also have zero desire to break any bones at my age so I've been taking it slow + still wearing all my gear.
Speaking of gear- it came in handy a few weeks ago when I experienced my first legit wipe out, ya'll. I normally skate alone but this time my mom was watching + chatting about her skating days as a kid and BAM. I'm just zooming around for her and the next thing I know, I'm landing flat on my back and totally ate sh*t, ya'll. I was a little distracted and I think straightened my legs up which will send you straight backwards. My basement where I skate is all concrete floors so it definitely didn't feel great but the sound of that helmet smacking was worst, lol. I was a little achey right after but thankfully fine + grateful I had this helmet and all the guards on. I always feel a little too cool for school with the elbow/wrist/knee pads but I'm definitely not when it comes to busting my ass, lol. I'll definitely keep wearing them while I'm still learning but my goal is to ditch them once I feel good enough to hit the skating rink!
As far as the actually skating goes, I feel pretty comfortable moving around + I can pick up the speed a little bit. I was also really happy that I picked up where I left off last year and could still do all of the same moves. I've taught myself the fundamentals of moving around as well as cross leg turning, plow/pizza stops and more recently, t-stops. I'm still a little shabby on those but I'll nail them eventually!
I usually try to skate for at least 20-30 minutes at a time, 2-3 times per week. I'm hoping to get comfortable enough to skate in public at the rink this summer + to also hopefully keep skating consistently even in fall and winter. I'm looking forward to the day where skating just feels like walking or driving a car-- inch by inch, right? I've also given myself permission to upgrade my skates if I keep sticking with it! I've been using this starter pair but once I get a little more advanced, I'm definitely buying a pair of these! PS- if you're curious about all my gear, I'll link everything I currently have here.
*SHOP ALL OF MY SKATING GEAR HERE*
If you could learn any new hobby, what would it be?
I love sharing my picks with you all! Should you click on or make a purchase through the links in this post, I'll earn some money to keep on shopping! Pretty cool, huh? :)
