Not PC, but I love Bill Burrs take on rollerblading:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VmMAE0za2-w
He connects the demise of rollerblading to homophobia
He connects the demise of rollerblading to homophobia
IMO the problem is I rollerbladed for 3 years and I never learned to stop properly. I basically had to fall on grass or cruise. IMO it died because it wasn't a good hobby for the average person. A skateboard doesn't have a speed problem like rollerblades. A bike has nice easy breaking system.
It was a giant 90s fad that was not a good idea for the average person. I loved them and wouldn't even consider getting a pair now based on the almost certainty of taking a massive spill.
Nonsense, utter nonsense.
So yes, skateboarding does have a speed problem but it’s easier to control for.
You can drag your foot exactly the same way to lose speed on skates by dragging one perpendicular to the direction of travel, while your other foot is still perfectly capable of jumping you over any cracks or edges since the skates are strapped to your feet.
I'll admit it's easier to never go too fast for comfort on a skateboard, by simply not riding the skateboard; you get off and walk on shoes. Which is a problem for rollerblades. But that's kind of irrelevant beginner territory isn't it?
Once you're competent enough to be riding either at speeds above a run, the skateboard has significant speed governing challenges, as do rollerblades.
I street skated for years and never became competent enough to use power-slides for governing speed on anything but the most ideal uniform asphalt surfaces. To propose that as some kind of accessible braking method strikes me as disingenuous at best. For most, attempting that'll be a spectacular prelude to a broken clavicle.
And you cannot assume that power sliding on a surface will be similar to another one that looked the same because a slight change of humidity, dust or grease may totally change the outcome and transform the slide into a hang up that will throw you at the floor pretty hard.
So if you combine a really thin margin of error with the inability to confidently execute it on new surfaces, it makes powersliding a pretty unreliable way of braking unless it’s an emergency, in which case jumping off the board is much easier.
Meanwhile, you can power slide at will in the skate park because you know the surface by heart, and it’s easy to get it consistent by how many times you just rode it.
See my other comment.
You're doing it wrong. If you catch a crack with your weight planted dead center of your board (which is how this is done) then you're already in dangerous territory. Speed is not your issue - the terrain (or your lack of proper technique) is.
>I street skated for years and never became competent enough to use power-slides for governing speed on anything but the most ideal uniform asphalt surfaces. To propose that as some kind of accessible braking method strikes me as disingenuous at best.
Disingenuous? How rude. That's how me and my friends did it. Maybe if you were below advanced-intemediate level then power-sliding to control for speed might seem impossible (but it isn't - that's the beauty of skateboarding). I will concede it's an unreliable method because of the variance of the surface (which the other commenter mentioned). It does come with risks and requires sufficient skill.
Curiously, your comment left out the obvious thing I mentioned. You can jump off the damn skateboard. It's one of the very first things you learn.
You can jump off.
My 8 year old does it every day. You know what he and his sister do when they get going too fast on 'blades? Look for a grass patch and hope for the best.
You seem to be slighted by the mere suggestion that one measly aspect of 'blading is harder or requires a different approach.
I skated for two decades, and worked in the industry for over half of that. If there's one thing I learned it's that skaters are funny creatures. Especially when it comes to beefs with their "adversaries" like rollerblading, BMX and scooters.
It really makes me chuckle.
I'm only saying that, placed at the top of moderately sized hill, a skateboarder has more options available to him/her to control for speed.
Like simply jumping off.
Any sport on a competitive level is hard. Including running. The skateboarding has the property of not that much control and ease of loosing it. (Leads to injuries).
Like, trying to run out of skateboard does not work in higher speed. It is good solution for small speed, but once you go faster then you can run, it gets ugly. Meaning, injuries look very ugly. And the skateboard is going God knows when risking to hit someone or something (old person, stroller with baby, car). It is just not safe once you don't control the thing.
I don't think that qualifies you to say "No, absolutely not" to my previous point when you really mean "except under extreme speeds".
I've also "tried both". I skateboarded for two decades and worked in the skateboard industry for over half of that. I'm now teaching my 8 year old to skate. He feels way more comfortable than on his rollerblades because it's way easier to bail out.
The skateboard hitting something else is not relevant to the point being discussed.
As bonus point, a single pebble or crack won't throw you down on Rollerblades the way skateboard does.
> The skateboard hitting something else is not relevant to the point being discussed.
It is massively relevant to the control in speed issue. The risk of hurting someone or something else matters.
The vast majority of inline skating injuries are forearm (typically wrist) injuries. This is usually from falling and putting ones arm(s) out to break the fall. This happens every single day at driveway speeds - Inline skate injuries at high speed (faster than you can run) are comparatively rare.
This whole sub-thread reeks of toxic skateboarder machismo. I lived around it long enough to recognize it (heck, I used to do it too). Now I just laugh.
What is the hardest thing about roller blading?
Telling your parents you're gay.
I never knew a joke could change the course of history.
Back then all I had was rateaskater.com to share the sport with.
> 2. (slang, derogatory) Used to express dislike: lame, uncool, stupid.
After living in Spain and watching teenage boys do mindlessly dangerous moto dirtbike tricks for audiences of girls on the street, I had an insight that this was probably how Bullfighting started... some kid daring another kid to go stab a bull, and him doing it for attention from girls. And that sport is still heavily associated with machismo.
One other thing on the macho side - like, my mom roller skated when she was young, and even she got a pair of roller blades. You can't really be dangerously cool doing something your mom does.
It’s actually the opposite. The term originated with skateboarders. Rollerblading was seen as (a) too easy and (b) lacking any sort of “culture”.
And we shouldn't forget one of the biggest jokes of the 20th century, Chamberlain.
In Germany, the same happened, but via the term "Arschgeweih" ["ass antler"].
For the readers who understand German: there also existed a song "Bye Bye Arschgeweih" by Ina Müller: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIY1SZ_boEQ
(the song title is of course a pun on the refrain line "Bye-bye, Miss American Pie" of the song American Pie by Don McLean)
The issue is that some assholes just could not stomach those women having something nice, so they needed to bully them out of it. And these kind of assholes have too much influence.