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i started my adult skating journey in july of 2024. i originally bought my skates back in 2020, but i didn't have room to skate indoors at my house, and i could never get up the courage to do it outside. the thought of not having a rail to hold on to at first just freaked me out too much! i was obsessed with skating as a kid, but it had been so long! and falling is so much scarier when you're closer to 30 than 20!

i finally tried skating again for the first time since i was a kid while visiting my girlfriend's family in her hometown. we went to the local roller rink with her mom and brother. it was the best! it was packed, and i was still scared, but my love for skating was reignited that day!

i'm still learning a lot, but i've become really comfortable on my skates! my balance has improved so much. i can glide around the rink with ease, and i've started to get pretty good at going backward, too!

my current skates are candi grl carlins that i dyed burgundy from their original light purple color. i use sure-grip zoom wheels which have a hardness of 96a.

my (modest) dream set up is a pair of sure-grip boardwalk plus skates in the color black, with avanti aluminum plates. i would get rollerbones team logo wheels in green, 98a hardness and 57mm in size. oh, and my size in the boardwalks is a 6. just in case anyone is feeling generous and has $300 laying around :)

skate facts!

• skates with the wheels all in a single row are called inlines. not to be confused with skates that two wheels in front and two in the back. those are called quads.
• i'm a quad skater, btw!
• the term rollerblades refers to a brand name of inline skates.
• a lot of us quad skaters have a bit of a pet peeve regarding these two facts, haha.
• "you rollerblade, right?" i do not! but i know what you mean and thank you for being interested in my interests regardless :D
• the main parts of a skate are the boot, the plate, the trucks, and the wheels.
• the plate is what attaches the trucks and wheels to the boot!
• the trucks are the mechanism responsible for turning the wheels when you use your edges
• trucks should always be made out of NYLON or METAL. never plastic!
• the trucks can be adjusted using the kingpin's action nut.
• adjusting the action nut will allow you to control how much pressure it takes to turn on your skates
• bonus fun fact: action nut was my nickname in college.
• jk
• edges are how you turn on your skates! you lean your weight toward the inside or outside of your skate, and your wheels will rotate!
• you also gain momentum by using your inside edge.
• cushions are part of your kingpin. they help to support you on your edges!
• soft cushions, similar to a loose truck, will make it easy to use your edges.
• alternatively, hard cushions will mean you'll need to push a harder on your edges.