Coach Campbell was giving the “Can Dos’ a pop quiz about sports. They were doing fine until he asked about inline skating. So, he had the “Can Dos” take seats in the gym bleachers and he began to share what he knew.
“Inline skating is a form of roller skating. Skaters wear shoes with wheels set in a straight line on the bottom.
Inline skates were invented by a Minnesota hockey player so that he could skate during the off-season. California has the most inline skaters — 3.6 million residents regularly go inline skating. Many professional skiers use inline skating to train during the off-season, because some of the skills of each activity are the same.
There are several different types of inline skates, depending on the type of skating you do. Recreational skates have a plastic boot and 4 wheels. These skates are best for beginners.
No matter what kind of skates you wear, always wear a helmet, as well as wrist guards, elbow pads, and knee pads.
You can avoid getting hurt when inline skating by making sure your helmet and pads are on correctly. Your helmet should be tightly buckled, with the front coming down to right over your eyebrow, and your pads should be on tight, so they don’t slip while you are skating. It’s also important that your helmet is approved by one of the groups who test helmets to see which ones are the best: the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) or Snell B-95 standards are best for inline skating helmets.
Practice balancing on your skates by walking in them on a flat, grassy area. As you move to the pavement, balance yourself without trying to move. Gradually begin to skate by moving forward, but not too fast. Keep your knees bent and flexible when you skate — it will keep you more stable. And if you fall — fall forward. Then you will fall on your kneepads — they’re there to protect you!
If you try inline skating, make sure you are always in control of your speed, turns and stops, and be careful of cracks in the pavement where you are skating — they can be dangerous if your wheels get caught in them. It’s best to go skating out of the way of traffic and other people (skating rinks are great places to skate). As a beginner, it is best to skate with friends and family.”
Source: CDC, USA.gov
