While skating rinks may not be as prevalent as they used to be, skating itself has never really gone out of style.
It has just rolled on through the generations, changing along the way and inspiring other active pastimes that bring fun and fitness to countless people across the world.
In the summer of Covid, roller skating (skates with four wheels) came back on the social scene through TikTok.
An article published in July that year stated that “Skating has become such a hit that #Rollerskating has over 2 billion views on the app.” And just like that, this 100-plus-year-old sport, inspired another generation to grab some wheels and get moving.
Finding real roller skates became easier than it had been in a decade and going to a roller rink became trendy again if you were lucky enough to live near one.
However, this time around, people who are participating in roller skating seem to be taking it to the streets more. Rolling in the great outdoors to be exact. Using bike trails, public parks and neighborhood streets.
Another interesting fact about the most recent return of roller skating, is that current industry stats show (since 2020) the older crowd, if you will, seems to be a good deal responsible for inspiring the continued trendiness in the comeback of this age old pastime.
Why?
Because skating, be it roller, inline or ice, is one of the best aerobic activities for all age groups alike. It is also affordable and doesn’t require a lot of accessories. There are no upgrades, licenses or memberships needed to participate. And no matter what age you are, if you can walk, you can skate in no time.
Picking it back up is something the older generations are able to do with a fair amount of ease and confidence. For them, the return to roller skates was a workout that offered nostalgia and happy endorphins.
This became apparent when Covid came around. Everyone was looking to be active as a way to be distanced and not cooped up. Soon, others were searching for ways to help rehabilitate and build their own strength and abilities back.
Rehab clinics and therapy appointments were spread thin, like most things during and since Covid. But somewhere along the way, physicians and patients remembered the great benefits of participating in a less impactful exercise and Covid recoverers picked up the exercise for fun and fitness, with a high return result.
The American Heart Association lists skating as a top exercise for heart health. This aerobic sport improves circulation significantly which is a key ingredient for recuperating or keeping at bay the effects of respiratory issues. In addition, skating can burn anywhere from 350 to 600 calories per hour, making it a great way to lose or maintain weight when combined with a healthy diet.
Roller skating promotes the strengthening and toning of many muscles in the body, without stress to your joints. It is a definite great lower body exercise, working muscles in your calves, quads, and glutes. It’s also a great way to build core strength, and depending on your form, you can even work an arm workout into your routine.
Pushing off one foot and then the other while skating requires that you use your glutes, hamstrings, quads and calves each time you pick a foot up to move. Alternatively, when you glide with both feet on the ground, your lower body still works, but it stabilizes you rather than pushes you forward.
This type of movement is like using an elliptical or other cardio machine at the gym but even better because your body is working with both feet stationary as well as both feet in motion. Plus, the stability required in the ankle, calf and foot to balance on one elevated skate each time you take a stride is more intense compared with having your foot flat on the ground while running or on a cardio machine.
All this, strengthening your muscles and improving your joint health, leads to better balance. Having good, solid balance is imperative as one ages so you don’t spend retirement in a cast or two.
Remember me mentioning those happy endorphins? Well, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, within five minutes of performing an aerobic exercise such as skating, the body’s natural chemicals will begin to stimulate anti-anxiety effects. That shouldn’t be a surprise since we have known for years that regular exercise can be great for one’s mental health.
Not only do studies show how regular exercise can reduce stress and improve one’s overall mood. It can help boost confidence, improve focus and even rest.
So, in fact, skating, in any fashion, can help people become better focused, healthier and in turn, happier!
A little bit of Roller Skating History:
James Leonard Plimpton was an American inventor who is known for changing the skating world with his patented roller skates in 1863. Plimpton’s roller skates were safer and easier to use than the existing versions, his “rocker skates” or quad skates allowed people to steer by simply leaning to the left or the right.
Plimpton’s patented skate was the first of its kind. Rather than affixing the wheels directly to the plate of the skate, Plimpton designed his skate like a wagon wheel so that it could move independently of the plate itself.
This allowed the skate to “rock” and, therefore, turn more easily than its predecessors.
Roller-skating boomed. Plimpton set up a skate factory and opened America’s first roller-skating rinks in New York City and Newport, Rhode Island, where he leased skates to customers. Skating soon became a popular family activity. The New York Roller-Skating Association — the first of its kind — and other clubs held speed and distance competitions in cities across the United States.
Before Plimpton’s invention, John Joseph Merlin, a Belgian who initially designed the roller skate, introduced his new wheeled shoes at a party in London then promptly crashed into a mirror. The year was 1775.
It was Monsieur Petitbled who actually patented the roller-skate in 1819. His skates were inline, with only three wheels and no way to turn! Next came Plimpton’s roller skate.
The first public skating rink opened on Aug. 11, 1866 in Newport, Rhode Island. The rink was created when Plimpton converted the dining room of The Atlantic House Hotel in Newport into a skating area. Having been abandoned by the U.S. after the Civil War in 1865, the hotel was seeking new guests and activities for the summer. In July 1866 the hotel contracted with James Plimpton to provide rooms for rent to introduce roller skating to Newport.
Known as “rinking,” roller skating developed in the parlors of European aristocracy and was actually imported to America. Europe’s first Plimpton skating rink opened at London’s Crystal Palace in 1865.
Skating fell out of favor in the 1900’s until the waitresses at drive-ins started rolling to customers to take orders and deliver meals. Roller-skating quickly rose in popularity, hitting its peak in the roller-disco era of the 70’s and 80’s. Inline skates took over in the 90’s, but roller skating has once again hit its stride.
Currently, in the United States, there are 443 skating rinks, and they bring in $419 million per year in revenue.
In 2021, the number of participants (aged six years and above) in inline wheel roller skating amounted to approximately $4.94 million.
