These days it has become so easy to buy anything you need from a skate online store and go conquer the streets in company, or on your own. Not to mention that most skate venues have music, games, food, and lots of people who are just as interested in skating as you. This really is quite a time to be passionate skater, a few centuries ago it definitely wasn’t the case. Times have changed, but before we talk about the future, let’s go over a quick history of roller skating.
The first pair of roller skates were invented by a Belgian inventor known as Joseph Merlin. He first introduced his invention all the way back in 1760. He made his debut at a party in London where he crashed and broke an expensive mirror. After that, he stopped showing interest in skates but many other inventors derived their ideas from there and started producing their own models. Many tried to achieve the same fluid movements that you could do with ice skates, but at the time, the wheels of these models wouldn’t turn, so it an impossible mission in motion.
Things stared changing in 1863 when James Plimpton invented roller skates that could turn. At the time, they called it a rocking skate and it was the first of its kind. Up until this point, there weren’t any roller skates that could allow people to really turn and curve. James Plimpton opened his own skating club where gentlemen would go to impress women with the moves they learned on roller skates.
Fast forward 20 years and roller skating had become an insanely popular hobby for both men and women alike. There were also many different hobbies you could take up that included wearing roller skates, such as roller polo, which is basically hockey with roller skates. You could easily compete in dance and figure skating contests, there were even racing competitions. The more the general population saw of roller skates the more they wanted to try it and get involved themselves and this is what really boosted the roller skating industry.
After this came the gathering of roller rink owners that formed an association known as The Roller Skating Association International or RSA for short. This alliance really boosted roller skating all through the 40’s, 50’s, 60’s, and is still very present today. This association made the link between roller skating and making it a family activity. They advertised that roller skating would keep you fit, keep you socialized and that it was fun for everyone, which is still very true to this day.
The 70’s were times when roller skates got upgraded with plastic wheels that soon after became the standard. This made riding a lot smoother and the wheels themselves a lot easier to clean and replace. This really had a huge effect, with the upgrade in place it became a lot easier to ride, so nearly everyone was going to roller rinks where music, lights, and roller skates became the latest craze. Somewhere in the mid 80’s, sales began to drop, but once again took a peek in the 90’s. Marketing of skates had changed, manufacturers were more focused on selling them to people who wanted to get fit.
These days you can still find many people enjoying roller skating and going to skating establishments. It’s expanded into whole family fun centres that are still enjoyable to this day. Roller skating is a great way to get the family together and you don’t have to be indoors. It’s both a great indoor and outdoor activity that can be enjoyed by everyone. You can easily buy roller skates from a skate online store where you can browse and buy various models. Roller skating is a hobby of both past times and the future, enjoyable for people of all generations and a fun way to get rid of all frustrations!