In today’s episode, we go over all of the various roller sports out there today including artistic roller skating, speed skating, roller hockey and roller derby. I give you an overview of each sport and then give you some helpful links on how to get started in each one.
Helpful Links
Here is a list of some of the helpful sites that I found for you to get started in a roller sport:
- USA Roller Sports (USARS): This site is the US body that is a part of the US Olympic Committee. If you are interested in getting started in competitive speed skating, artistic roller skating or even derby or hockey, I’d start here.
- Women’s Flat Track Derby Association or WFTDA: If you are into roller derby, then start with the WFTDA. They have an awesome website and a great directory that makes it easy to find a team in your area. They are international, so it’s likely there is a team somewhere near you.
- The Roller Derby Coalition of Leagues: If banked track roller derby is more your style, then check out this coalition. While there are not as many teams available, this is also a growing version of the sport.
- International Inline Skater Hockey Federation: If hockey is more your style, then check out this international federation that helps to run the sport.
- WorldSkate.org: Another governing body of roller hockey.
If you are having a hard time roller skating, be sure to check out my page all about How to Roller Skate. On that page you will find videos of yours truly skating. You can see me doing a two foot spin on the Roller Skating Tricks page.
Episode 34 Transcript
[0:00] This is episode # 34. Let’s get started.
[0:05] Welcome to the roller skate dad podcast, the show that covers everything and anything in the wonderful world of roller skating.
Now, here’s your host, the roller skate dad himself, Jeff Stone, Hey, everybody, welcome to the Roller skate dad podcast. I’m so glad you all could join me today.
We’re gonna continue the getting started roller skating series, but we’re moving away now from the skills and we’re gonna start discussing all the different roller sports in today’s episode.
This is actually the 17th episode now in the getting started series.
So if you’ve missed the previous episode, there are plenty to listen to on this subject.
You just need to go back and you can find all the step by step episodes with skating instruction on how to get started. I’m not going to recap all that.
[1:03] Um today we’re gonna be talking all about roller sports though, and then in some future episodes here in a couple of weeks, we’ll be talking about all different kinds of roller skate and roller blade maintenance.
[1:17] So today we’re going to be talking about four roller sports in particular, including artistic roller skating, speed skating, roller derby and roller hockey.
So this is going to be a fun episode and first I’m going to give you a quick overview of each of these sports,
and then we’re going to discuss what the roller sport, you know, is all about and how the sport is played and then I’ll go over how you can actually get started in each one of these. So let’s jump right in.
So first up, let’s start with artistic roller skating.
If you’ve ever watched figure skating in the olympics on ice gates, then artistic roller skating is really the exact same thing.
So you know, you have jumps and spins and you know, all kinds of like fancy footwork and um,
you know, it makes up this whole sport or at least the part that you’ve seen probably the most,
in the olympics on ice gates, which is freestyle skating, so that’s where all the jumps and spins and fancy footwork and the skater actually does it to music.
Um so it’s it’s really identical to the ice skating alternative, you know, except it’s done on roller skates and so skaters, you know, they compete against each other,
and they actually compete against each other in a variety of, of different events.
[2:44] And then medals are handed out to the top three finishers in each of the events.
And all of these events are judged and scored.
So there’s actually a panel of judges and the judges determine based on different metrics and, you know, uh.
[3:03] Tactical things that they’re looking for, specific things they’re looking for, they’re given a score and the skater with the highest score wins that event.
So, you know, this roller sport, out of all the ones I’m talking about is really not as popular as it used to be here in the United States, you know, but it’s still happening, you know, there’s still competitions throughout the US and around the world.
There are, you know, regional and then national and then world championships in artistic figure skating, you know, when I skated, you know, way back in the Stone Ages, um uh early.
[3:41] I guess it would have been late, mid to late 80s and early 90s, um you know, this sport was really only done on quad roller skates.
However, today I’ve also seen it done on, you know, special in line skates, you know, that have toe stops in the front.
So, um so whether you’re an in line skater or your traditional.
[4:06] Quad skater like me, you can totally get involved in this roller sport.
Um I think it’s a lot of fun, you know, I really enjoyed it as a kid and as a young teenager um you know, I think it really helps improve your balance just as a human, but obviously as a skater as well.
[4:25] And but probably most of you have only ever seen the artistic figure skating that they show,
on the olympics and ice skating and so that’s actually freestyle skating, like I mentioned, and it’s all about, you know, jumps and spins, but then there’s a bunch of other events as well.
So you also have dance in the dance and roller sports and artistic roller skating is actually,
they kind of have a variety of different ones, but basically what it is is there’s a preset kind of dance that you do, like, say for instance, you’re competing in the waltz or the foxtrot or the tango.
So these actually are pattern dances that already have a specific set of steps and you’re supposed to be following a specific pattern on the floor when you do them and then judges actually judge that.
Um then there’s even another event that probably none of you have ever seen unless you’re into this sport, which is figures.
And so if you’ve ever been to a skating rink before, um some of the skating rinks, especially if they’re art.
[5:38] Skating rinks where they practice and compete in art, you’ll notice that there’s these circles,
actually drawn on the floor and some of them will be really large circles and then you’ll see some smaller circles, and then even with some of the smaller circles, you’ll see little loops in the circle.
And those are actually used by artistic skaters who are competing in an event called figures.
That’s where the figure skating comes from. Um And so what,
figures is all about is basically each participant traces that line on the floor and they do different kinds of turns and maneuvers on those lines, and the idea is for that line.
[6:25] On a quad skate to be directly in the middle between your left and your right wheel of both skates and you’re judged based on how well you trace that line and how steady you are as you go around it.
They also look at things like how fast you go around the circle and different things like that.
[6:45] So anyway those are those are primarily the three main events in artistic roller skating.
Now there also are hi pair events where you actually pair up with a partner that’s primarily in freestyle and in dance skating,
um you know as a, as a young man, I skated um in all three of these events and I even had a dance partner,
so you know I did all kinds of like waltz and foxtrot and and tango with a dance partner that I had and we competed against other couples,
who did the same thing, but then they also have pairs, freestyle skating, which I’m sure most of you have seen,
on ice skating in the olympics and that’s where you know a man and a woman skating together, you know man usually is throwing the woman up in the air and she’s doing all kinds of turns and spins,
lift the girl over her head, things like that, they do the exact same thing in roller skating as well.
Um so when I was a kid, you know I competed mostly in freestyle, that was the the event that I liked the most and,
you know I was fortunate enough one year as a junior Olympian too win a national championship, a gold medal.
[8:03] In my.
[8:06] Age group.
[8:07] And so that was that was a lot of fun. And you know, it just brings a lot of good memories back.
[8:13] So me and my sister competing, she was actually a much better freestyle skater than I was, but the big difference was there were probably at that time.
[8:25] Hundreds, if not close to 1000 women girls in her age group, competing across the nation.
[8:33] And for men For boys, we’re talking maybe maybe 100 across the entire country here in the United States.
So she had a whole lot more competition about 10 times as much competition as what I did.
So while I may have won a gold medal, um, she was actually a better freestyle skater than I was, but it was a lot of fun, brings back a lot of good memories.
It’s been Over 30 years now since I since I did that.
So, so yeah, so that’s artistic roller skating.
Like I said, out of all the sports that we’re going to talk about today, it’s probably the least popular.
Um, I’ve been to several regional events with my daughters when they were speed skating went to a couple of nationals championship events as well.
And they had artistic roller skating, but it was a lot smaller than what I remember it being back in the 80s and early 90s.
[9:31] But if you’ve been around roller skating for a while, like I have, you know, these things are cyclical,
and things that even roller skating in particular, you know, becomes really popular and then it kind of dies off for a while and then it becomes really popular again and then it dies off again.
Um, and I when I say die off, I mean it’s just, it’s not as popular, right? Not as many people are doing it.
So I imagine this too will pass and there’ll be another, there’ll be another period of time where there’ll be a lot of people, hopefully artistic roller skating again.
[10:03] Um So all right, let’s move on to the next roller sport, This one is super popular and this is speed skating and so um you know, this is another roller sport that I have some good experience with,
as you know, both my daughters competed in speed skating growing up, this is primarily just because the skating rink that we had here in Austin Playland skate center,
had a speed club and they still do and so my daughters when they were teenagers decided that they wanted to be a part of that speed skate team,
and so I myself never actually competed um but I did practice with them sometimes and so so I know quite a bit about the sport, I mean I grew up around it as a kid as well,
and you know, it’s very different obviously from art skating, you know, in this ruler sport, it’s a race, you know, among skaters,
typically of the same gender and age, but that’s not always true, there are some events where it’s mixed um you know, skaters line up at the starting line, you know, a horn or a,
you know, fake gun blows and everyone skates a certain number of laps trying to come out in first place,
you know, and then medals are awarded to, you know, 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finishers.
[11:24] And you know, this sport in particular, you know, there’s a variety of different race formats and different distances.
Um My girls competed mostly indoors, but there’s a whole outdoors component to speed skating as well.
Um you know, there’s also relay races where you have 23 or four racers skate together in a team,
and they compete against other teams, you know, those, those are actually a lot of fun, both to skate in, you know, and to watch um, because there’s just a lot of action on the course, I mean on some of the four person relays that I watched, you know, you could have.
[12:03] Three or four teams going at one time, so there’s like 16 skaters out on the floor and,
you know, so the speed skating competitions, they also happen at the regional national and then there’s a world championship every year as well.
And like I said before, the sports done both indoors and outdoors and you know, there’s huge outdoor marathon events as well where competitors gate, you know, like super long distances.
This is where you’re um aggressive,
in line speed skates come in, these are different from roller blades, you know, the wheels are typically really tall, I mean we’re talking like 110, 125 mm,
um really tall wheels because you’re skating really long distances.
So you want those wheels to, to give you a whole lot extra roll and that taller wheel helps, helps to do that helps you maintain that higher speed for a longer period of time without as much effort.
[13:04] Um, so, you know, if you love to race or you just want to really get in shape, then speed skating’s for you.
Um that’s why I got involved in it with my girls, even though I never competed, I used to have the coach constantly like, hey, come on, why don’t you go compete?
I was like, no, this is for my girls, it’s not for me, I’m past the competing age, I’m in my forties, I’m not interested in that, but I was interested in getting in shape and, and it really helped.
So, you know, this roller sport, it’s super fun.
Um I will say that at the top level, I mean it’s, it’s hardcore like these are some, a lot of chiseled and you know, in shape speed skaters out there, it takes a lot of work, it’s a heck of a workout.
Um like I said, I never competed officially, but I practiced regularly with my daughters um that was just a fun thing that we got to do and I was out of shape and winded a lot practicing with these folks.
[14:07] They can really, and it’s not so much about speed all the time.
It’s also about um, the ability to go long distances. I mean some of these races were talking about, You know, they’re 50 laps, 60 laps I’ve seen 100 lap races before.
Um Those are obviously the super long distance races but um it takes a lot of stamina and a lot of work to be able to build yourself up to that level.
[14:36] Um So anyway speed skating is a great activity. Um You know you don’t necessarily have to join a team or look for a club to do this.
Um You know speedskating can just be something you actually practice and do outdoors when you know you strap your skates on and you want to get a good workout.
You know put on some good tunes, slap on your headphones and and just go find a nice safe place where you can you can skate without having to worry about you know traffic or people um And just just have a good time.
[15:08] So I still do that myself from time to time and it’s a it’s a blast.
So next up let’s talk about the next roller sport.
So we have roller derby um super hard hitting, fast action paced sport.
[15:22] I really like it, I’ve never played, but I’ve watched a ton of it and you know, it’s just one that’s a lot of fun to watch and I know from talking to roller derby, mainly girls who play it.
Um they love it, they just love it. Um I’ve gone to several matches here in Austin, there’s a few teams, we have both a banked track here and a flat track team set of teams, a league basically.
And so I’ve gone and watched these ladies compete and,
it’s a ton of fun, you know, the object of roller derby for those of you who maybe don’t know much about it, you know, it’s pretty simple, each team is trying to score more points than the opposition, right?
And so points are awarded when the offensive player for one team, that’s that person is known as the jammer laps a member of the opposing team.
And so this is a full contact sport, super full contact sport.
Uh you know, so the defensive players of the opposing team,
they’re also known as blockers, um they try to physically stop the jammer from passing them,
as well as helping to clear pathways for their own jammer who’s also on the floor at the same time trying to lap the other team,
um you know, like the other blockers on the other team.
[16:47] And so you know, if you’re someone who wants to hit somebody without going to jail, you know, then this may be the sport for you um Yeah, I’ve watched plenty of matches and I have to say that it’s not for the faint of heart.
Uh There there’s some pretty good hitting going on out there.
Um So you know, you need to have your head on a swivel, you know, get really good at maneuvering quickly on your skates or you know, just taking someone out.
Um And there’s a lot.
[17:20] Of depending on where you live there are a lot of different avenues here.
Um I know here in Austin where I’m from there are several roller derby teams here.
Uh And both with T. X. R.
D. Texas roller derby as well as the texas rollergirls and they have tryouts and they have like,
beginner programs where you can get started even if you’re just brand new to skating and you kind of work your way up through the ranks until you’re good enough to get onto a team.
Um it’s a really awesome experience I think for a lot of ladies.
Um my daughter lily and I we actually looked into it because she was thinking about getting into roller derby when she was about 13-14 years old.
Um And you know if you’re interested in roller derby then you know check out episode seven and episode 12 of the podcast,
In episode seven I had Felicia Graham on the podcast and she was actually a she’s a photographer and an author who wrote a book about the texas rollergirls,
and she spent years following them around and taking pictures and all their bouts,
was actually a really fun interview and her book is really awesome.
I gave away a couple of copies a few years back when she wrote it.
And then in episode 12 I had mila on from the texas roller derby.
[18:49] Mhm hardy and she plays for the Cherry bombs,
and so which is a roller derby team and she was on the show and I got to ask her all kinds of questions about you know what it was like getting started and how you actually go about getting started in roller derby as well As you know, she’s an all star in the TX R.
D. As well. So I asked her about training and how do you know all kinds of stuff around competition.
So it’s really a lot of fun and I will put ah.
[19:19] All kinds of links and we’re gonna be talking about it here in a minute in the show notes to all kinds of resources for you guys if you were interested in playing in one of these roller derby sports.
So links out to some of the places you need to go.
Um if you’re interested and you can actually many of these sites have.
Uh huh location look up where you can actually find a team in your area if you’re interested in playing,
any of these sports, whether it be roller derby, artistic roller skating, speed skating or the last event, the last sport I was going to talk about which is roller hockey.
So let’s talk about roller hockey a little bit. Um Roller hockey is pretty much just like ice hockey.
[20:09] Generally speaking, except that it’s played on roller skates.
So this is a team sport Where one team is trying to outscore the other team.
So each team tries to shoot, you know, a ball or a puck,
depending on what kind of roller hockey you’re playing into the opposing team’s goal and each goal is worth one point or it’s called one goal, not a point and the team with the most goals at the end of the game wins.
It’s pretty simple. Um, but very uh physical game.
So, you know, there’s several variants of roller hockey, like I said, some were played with a puck, just like an ice hockey, others are played with a ball, some variants are played on quad skates, others are played on in line skates.
And you know, this is another sport that I played casually as a kid. I was not in any kind of competition or on any real team, but you know, just me and my friends would get together go play in the street or in parking lots.
[21:13] You know, we strap on, my friends would strap on their rollerblades because those were a thing at that time and were quite popular because they had just come out,
you know, and I put on my quads, basically we’d set up two cones for our goal, you know, because we’re too poor to, you know, go out and buy a goal with a net by a goal with a net on it.
You know, it was just a lot of fun, you know, I think the last time I played hockey I was at a Barnes and noble parking lot next to my apartments and that would have been like in.
[21:48] 1995 or something like that.
That was the last time I played like, serious hockey.
Um Just what I say serious, like I had a stick and we had a ball and had like eight guys out there and we were, you know, goofing around on our skates, shooting at at goals, that was fun.
[22:06] Um So let’s talk next about how you go about competing or finding a club or team, you know, now that we’ve gone over every roller sport, we can talk about how you actually get started in each one.
So if you want to get onto a club or a team for any of these sports, there’s a couple of places you can go to look for information, you know, again, like I said, I’m going to link all these up for you in the show notes, so you don’t have to go doing a bunch of searching online for yourself.
Um So the first thing to do is check out the website of your, of any local skating rinks around you.
Um Most of the rinks are gonna advertise if they offer skating lessons.
[22:47] And usually when they offer those skating lessons on that same page of their website or you know maybe at the lessons themselves a lot of times these are free.
They’ll mention whether they have like an artistic team or a speed team or a derby or a hockey team at their rink.
So I would first start off with any roller rinks in your area.
That’s the easiest way to find teams.
[23:15] And you know if you don’t have a rink nearby or you know yours is one that doesn’t offer any kind of roller sports, you know then there’s a few other places that you can go and see if there are any roller sports in your area.
So let’s talk about the first one. The first one is usa roller sports.
So or use ours for short U. S. A. R. S.
And this is the U. S. Body that organizes all the national roller sport competitions for artistic speed derby and even some roller hockey as well.
Although derby and roller hockey kind of have their own thing too that they do.
But for artistic and speed and some derby and hockey um use ours is a great place to go.
They have a really great site and it’s one you should definitely look at If you’re into art or speed skating.
Um they’ve been around since like 1937 I think I looked looked up before the show because I was just curious and they’re actually a part of the U. S. Olympic committee.
So they are affiliated with the USOC. Um It’s a good site to get rules about each of the roller sports.
[24:28] And, you know, you can find places to join a team there and you can see when upcoming competitions are, you know, coming up for each of the roller sports and when, you know, where they’re going to be,
um going to an event like that, if there’s one nearby, even if you’re not on a team is also a great way to figure out how to get into a roller sport because you’re at the competition and there’s all these people competing, you can walk around and talk to people.
Um, so that’s another great way.
Users also has a club members database that you can use to look up clubs that are currently active.
So they have over 375 member clubs as of this recording And they have about 500 coaches And there are over 6000 individuals who are signed up with the organization.
So basically your member clubs are your skating rinks or maybe it’s not an official skating ring, but it’s a club and they basically a team, they basically decided to Upon a user’s member.
Right then the 500 coaches are just that they’re actual coaches in these different roller sports.
Usually they’re affiliated with a member club.
Almost all of them are, And then you have your 6000 individuals who are signed up, those are the actual athletes, those are the people who actually compete,
under a user’s competition if you want to compete like me and my sister did and um.
[25:57] And you know, way back in the 80s and early 90s, we actually had to become users members. We had to pay a small fee.
I don’t remember what it, I didn’t actually look that up but I know it can’t be too much and you basically get a user’s membership card and then your users member.
And so anyway, like I said, this is a good way. I would start here first.
Um and look up, especially if you want to get into art or speed skating, this is a great way to find a club in your area.
[26:29] So let’s talk about the next event, which was roller derby and there’s a couple of different places you can go for roller derby.
So the first one is the W. F. T. D. A.
This is the women’s flat track derby association and they are really big.
So if you’re into roller derby and that’s you know more your thing, ah then you’re gonna want to check them out.
So the W. F. T. D. A. Or the women’s flat track derby association.
So this organization, it’s all about roller derby Played on a flat track kind of like at a skating rink and they have over 445 member leagues On six different continents,
so they’re pretty big and if you as long as you’re not in an Antarctica um I’m pretty sure that you could find a roller derby team.
[27:29] Somewhere on your continent, at least. Certainly anywhere here in the United States, you may have to drive a few hours to get to one.
You know, I can’t say that there’s one in every, you know, within an hour of everyone listening to me, but certainly there’s probably one in almost every state here in the US and in a lot of countries in europe as well.
So they have a really nice site. I really like their website.
It basically lays out each league, Um, of those 445, you know what it lists out all those leagues and it lists out all the teams that are underneath each of those leagues.
And you get kind of, as you click on each team, you get kind of a synopsis and like a description that comes from the actual, I guess it’s like the team founder, the team itself and they kind of talk about their team a little bit.
It’s, it’s a really great resource for those of you who are just getting started.
[28:26] You know, I really like their league’s directory. It’s broken down by city and state here in the US to make it easy to find a team in your area.
Um, I’ll put a link to it in the show notes.
[28:37] The other option that you can go to is you can go to the Roller derby coalition of leagues.
And so this is actually the banked track roller derby organization.
So bank track basically means that you don’t play on a flat track.
The track is banked. So it’s kind of lifted on the sides basically, and, um, you know, they have eight different leagues sprawled on.
Most really just across the U. S. I’m not sure if there’s any overseas in europe, but but there’s eight different leagues sprawled out here. Across the U. S.
And obviously they’re small smaller than the flat track association. But there are a lot of fun to watch.
This is actually home here to texas.
[29:26] You know we have the T. X. Rd texas roller derby league That was founded right here in Austin and they’ve been around since about 2001,
And they have a 19 league that plays here at the Palmer Events Center in Austin which is a pretty,
it’s kind of our bigger mhm auditorium here and then there’s a place called Thunderdome,
down in Buta that they play at as well which is buddha is near Austin and like I said, I’ve been to a match or two of these and they’re super fun and you know it’s super hard hitting but lots of fun.
Um So yeah, if you’re into roller derby there’s definitely options for you.
I would definitely check out the women’s flat track derby association and the roller derby coalition leagues and I’m almost positive that you will find a team nearby um Roller hockey. This is our last one.
This is probably the one I know the least about for those of you who know a lot more about roller hockey. I know there’s a few of you out there who have reached out to me before.
If you have other um ways to get started, please send them to me and I’ll include them in the show notes.
Maybe I’ll do a separate episode on it later down the line, but the few that I found, obviously I mentioned it already use ours is a place you can go.
And that is affiliated with USa Roller Sports.
[30:47] Um They’re affiliated with the U. S. Olympic committee and they have some good information about the sport, you know, in ways to join the team.
Um, the two other big ones that I found the International in line skater Hockey Federation.
So this is mostly for folks who live in europe.
Um so international in line skater Hockey Federation Federation, it looked like they represented several european countries and teams.
I’ll put a link to them as well in the show notes for you, and then there’s world skate dot org.
So they are a governing body, there’s another governing body basically for roller hockey.
And so I will put them in the show notes as well.
[31:34] So there you have it, that’s kind of roller sports. In a nutshell, at least the big ones, there are other types of, I wouldn’t necessarily call them roller sports, but I guess you could argue and say they are,
there’s jam skating obviously, and there are all kinds of jam skating competitions.
Um I couldn’t find like an official body that,
supports that, so that’s why I kind of left it out, but there are um, all kinds of different, like vanilla as a company here in the US, which is a roller skating manufacturer.
They do a bunch of different skating competitions.
Um, but nothing that I could find that was super formal of any kind. Um.
[32:18] So anyway, and I know there’s all kinds of like dance parties and things like that as well. I didn’t get into any of that where you know, you get a lot of rhythm skating and stuff like that, that could be a whole show in and of itself and I would definitely want to bring on experts for that.
But for the most part, that is most of the roller sports that exist today.
If you know of any others that you completely think I have missed and you have more details, send them to me and I will be happy to include them in the show notes.
It’s a great way to get a link to your organization. If you have something out there, that’s, that’s different, that would help the audience here.
Um but I think you know that’s gonna close out this episode.
One final note, if you like I said, if you are a member of a roller sport,
and if you have any additional information or ways to sign up for a beginner organization out there that maybe I don’t link to in the show notes, let me know and I will include it in the show notes.
You know, I’m just trying to gather as many resources as I can and put them all in one place to help newbies out and so you know, if you have anything that I may have missed, let me know um just wanna, you know, I just want to help everyone out.
[33:27] That wants to start in a roller sport, find a good home.
So alright, everybody, I think that’s all I have for today’s episode. I hope you enjoyed it. I did.
Um if you want to see a transcript of today’s episode or get more information about some of the things I discussed today, then you can check out the show notes.
You can get those at real estate dad dot com slash 34.
[33:52] Alright, everybody, I think that’s a wrap until the next time. Get on out there and skate.
Thank you for listening to the Roller skate Dad podcast at www dot dot dot com.
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Wrapping Up
Thanks again for rollin’ by. If you have a question about the podcast or just want to leave me a note, please comment below.
I hope you will join me every week for a new episode of The Roller Skate Dad podcast.
Please subscribe to the podcast on whichever podcasting platform you listen on. And, don’t forget to join the Roller Skate Dad Club. You can do that easily with just your first name and email address from any page on this website.
Did you like what you heard? Do you want to hear more? Check out these additional episodes:
- Episode 1 – Get Out There & Skate
- Episode 2 – The Roller Skate Wheels Episode
- Episode 3 – The Roller Skate Bearings Show
- Episode 4 – Teaching Roller Skating to Others
- Episode 5 – Roller Skating Injuries & Protective Gear
- Episode 6 – Avid Roller Skater Alberto Quinones
- Episode 7 – Rollergirls: The Story of Flat Track Derby
- Episode 8 – The Roller Skate Boots Show
- Episode 9 – Starting a Roller Skating Rink
- Episode 10 – United Skates Documentary with Tina Brown and Dyana Winkler
- Episode 11 – The Skate Critic with Ginger Mathews
- Episode 12 – Milla Juke-a-bitch
- Episode 13 – Ask Dad: Your Roller Skating Questions Answered
- Episode 14 – Ask Dad – Balancing Exercises, Helping a Child Skate & Picking Skates for Stability
- Episode 15 – UK Artistic Roller Skating Performer, Coach & Organizer Dave Nicholls
- Episode 16 – Building Nonprofit Roller Skating Clubs with Dave Nicholls (part 2)
- Episode 17 – Roller Skating Health Benefits
- Episode 18 – Getting Started Roller Skating – Part 1: The Skater’s Mindset
- Episode 19 – Getting Started Roller Skating – Part 2: Tips for Picking Out Your First Roller Skates – Part 1 of 2
- Episode 20 – Getting Started Roller Skating – Part 3: Tips for Picking Out Your First Roller Skates – Part 2 of 2
- Episode 21 – Getting Started Roller Skating – Part 4: Choosing Your First Roller Skates
- Episode 22 – Getting Started Roller Skating – Part 5: Picking Out Your Safety Gear
- Episode 23 – Getting Started Roller Skating – Part 6: Falling Down & Getting Back Up
- Episode 24 – Getting Started Roller Skating – Part 7: Learn How to Stop on Roller Skates
- Episode 25 – Getting Started Roller Skating – Part 8: Skate Forwards Without Falling Down
- Episode 26 – Getting Started Roller Skating – Part 9: Balance, Standing on One Foot & Crossovers
- Episode 27 – Getting Started Roller Skating – Part 10: Roller Skating Backwards
- Episode 28 – Getting Started Roller Skating – Part 11: Doing Backwards Crossovers
- Episode 29 – Getting Started Roller Skating – Part 12: Doing Two Foot Turns
- Episode 30 – Getting Started Roller Skating – Part 13: Doing One Foot Turns
- Episode 31 – Getting Started Roller Skating – Part 14: Doing the Bunny Hop
- Episode 32 – Getting Started Roller Skating – Part 15: Doing a Waltz Jump
- Episode 33 – Getting Started Roller Skating – Part 16: Doing a Two Foot Spin
- Episode 34 – Getting Started Roller Skating – Part 17: Getting into a Roller Sport
Want to Learn More About Skating?
Want more reviews on roller skates? Check out my Best Roller Skates page for a list of all of the quad roller skates I recommend. I also have pages for roller skates for men, roller skates for women and roller skates for kids where I recommend the best skates on the market today. Or, check out my roller skates for beginners if you are completely new to roller skating.
Or, if rollerblades or inline skates are more your style, then check out my rollerblades for men, rollerblades for women or rollerblades for kids pages. Or, if you are completely new, check out my rollerblades for beginners page.