10 Reasons To Take Up Roller Skating

Last year, I got my first pair of roller skates since I was a kid. Since then I've wobbled, stumbled, and downright fallen into all things roller skating, and let me tell you: I'm having a blast! Roller skating has changed my life for the better in so many ways. Here are a few:

1. It's good to be bad at something. Let me confess something: I'm not good at skating. I'm still very much a beginner. But that's one of the things that drew me to it in the first place. Being a beginner humbles you. It pushes you to learn new things and not be afraid to look stupid doing them. And trust me, that's a very valuable skill.

2. It's exercise that's actually fun. For a while, I thought the only kind of exercise I found even moderately enjoyable was walking. Seriously. I thought I just wasn't an athletic person. I could list off a ton of the physical benefits of roller skating: It requires leg strength, core strength, good posture, and flexibility, not to mention balance and coordination. But the main thing that matters is that it's fun! When I'm cruising down an empty street on skates, I feel like I'm flying. Who doesn't want their workout to feel like that?

3. The community is amazing. My first introduction to the skating community was this video. Maybe it's cheesy, but it's what gave me the final push I needed to commit and get myself a pair skates. Since then I've discovered #moxiskatedaily on Instagram and stumbled into the most supportive, empowering, and downright friendly community on the internet. Seriously, I've never seen an unkind comment on anyone's posts, and I've connected with skaters all over the world.

4. It helps you face your fears. Skaters face the fear of falling every single time they lace up. They roll over cracks. They drop into bowls. They jump and spin and fall, fall fall. Feeling the fear and doing it anyway has extended beyond skating and into every aspect of my life. Skating makes me a more confident, fearless person, and for that I am forever grateful.

5. It makes you see your city in a whole new light. One of the best things about owning skates is that the only thing you need to have fun is a smooth stretch of concrete. I find myself noticing great skating spots everywhere I go. Every time I see a tennis court I make a mental note (inside scoop: tennis courts are like impromptu outdoor roller rinks). Walkable areas become skateable areas, plus a stretch that would take you twenty minutes to walk takes about half that on wheels. The possibilities are endless!

6. You can really gauge your progress. Unlike other creative pursuits, where it can be hard to judge your progress against any kind of objective metric (AKA: Writing.....haha ha ha ha....), skating is satisfying in that you can physically see your progress. It's simple: you put in the work, and then suddenly your body is able to do something that felt impossible just weeks before. Finally getting a new trick down is one of the best feelings in the world.

7. It improves balance and flexibility. This one is pretty self explanatory, but I didn't realize just how uncoordinated and inflexible I was until I got on roller skates! Now I find myself looking up exercises to do off skates, JUST so I can become a better skater. Who am I???

8. It's empowering! Want to see some strong, badass women? Look no further than the roller skating community. I'm not just talking about roller derby, though of course that's a big part of it. Roller skating is female dominated in part I think because skateboarding is such a boys club. Roller skaters can do everything (and more!) that a skateboarder can do in a skatepark, AND they're doing it with wheels strapped to their feet. No simply jumping off boards for us—when our wheels roll out form under us, we go down with them. You only have to see EstroJen do a flip in the bowl to believe that roller skates are the next feminist power symbol.

9. You get to know your inner kid again.  A lot of people take up skating to feel the freedom and fearlessness they had as kids. Let me be the first to say: I was not a fearless kid. I was probably more cautious and reserved than I am now. Skating as an adult feels a little bit like a gift to my younger self. It's me saying: look what you can do now. Look how far you've come. I have to believe that little Laura would be proud.

10. It's more fun than walking! Need I say more? I don't think so :)

Before I sign off, I just want to say: maybe roller skating isn't for you. That's fine. But I'm so glad I found a hobby that  makes me feel like a kid again, that brings joy and play into my every day life, that allows me to make new friends and challenges me to grow in ways I didn't think possible. Don't question wether you'll be good or bad at it, or if you'll look stupid doing it. Just find something that makes you happy, and go with the flow :)

Happy rolling!

ps. If you want to updates on my slow, un-graceful roller skating progress, follow @lauralearnstoskate on Instagram :)

pps. Here are some of my favorite resources for the beginner skater:

Planter Roller Skate

Nicole Fiore's Tutorials

Deborah Harry's Tutorials

Chicks in Bowls

 I go to meet the Skate Queen herself: Indy Jamma Jones