Does anyone rollerskate in the spring/summer?

[masterblaster]

Most of the ice rinks here will close down in the spring, and I'm already mourning the loss. However, the reason I started ice skating this winter is because I loved rollerskating as a kid. I think my childhood years of rollerskating even helped me pick up ice skating a bit quicker.

I'm really intrigued by outdoor ramp skating, like this - https://www.chicksinbowls.com/2016/11/21/rampskating101/ When the weather is nice, there are some skate parks with ramps and bowls near me, and I'm planning to try them out once I feel comfortable on quads again.

Does anyone else here rollerskate in the off-season? How do you find it affects your ice skating, if at all?

[Bill_S]

I used to use inline skates during the off season, however it's been several years since I last used them. I used PIC skates - rockered wheel inlines - to more closely resemble ice skates. While they were close in many respects, there were some differences that took getting used to.

Turns were harder than on ice, but I could do all the three turns on them. Spinning required a different approach, but I could do a few revs on them.

For me, the turn practice and stroking most closely resembled what I could do on ice, and probably benefited my ice skating the most. Because there's more friction, you'll learn to get deeper in your knees. That also transfers nicely to ice.

When I was on inlines in the 90s, I'd skate one day on ice, the next day on blades, then switch back. After a while, I got used to the skate differences and could adapt quickly.

I realize that inlines aren't quads, but I thought that I'd share this information anyway in case you can use it.

[masterblaster]

That's really interesting, thanks! I could definitely use the deeper knee bend practice.

[Query]

Too bad your link is off-line.

But based on the pictures at http://web.archive.org/web/20190130200119/https://www.chicksinbowls.com, they try dangerous things. Maybe you want more padding and protection than on ice, like a hockey player?

I'm thinking about roller skating again on sidewalks because the roads where I live are so dangerous to drive on, and it's faster than walking. Too many crazy people doing crazy things on the road. (Of course, skate parks have people doing crazy things too.)

Quad skates, even more than ice hockey skates, require better forwards/backwards balance than ice figure skates.

The inlines I tried were easier - but, like Bill_S said, turning is harder.

On quads or roller, stopping fast is a LOT harder than on ice - you jump into the stop. On sidewalks or roads, you should learn to stop fast, for safety. On roads, even if they aren't very busy, you may want to learn to stop against an oncoming car without killing yourself - though I was taught that by a crazy racer, who went places he shouldn't have, faster than he should have. Curbs can be a problem you want to learn to deal with too. And you really, really want to learn to fall gently.

"Artistic roller skating", also called "roller figure skating", or just "figure skating", somewhat resembles ice figure skating, but I never got good enough to really do it.

Are there roller rinks where you live? Some even teach dance patterns similar to ice dance, and the staff lead various games. The ones nearest me seem like they are run by a fun-loving crowd, and are cheaper than ice rinks. Roller coaches were cheaper than ice coaches, too, though they are trying really hard to get the sport into the Olympics, partly so they can charge more.

Maybe I should start again. Thanks for the idea. But personally I'll stay away from skate parks.

[masterblaster]

I think there's one roller rink in the next town over. I might go there for a lesson once or twice, but really the parks are most available to me.

Good thing I like dangerous things! (As long as they don't involve cars...I will not be skating anywhere near a road.) You should see the ridiculous amount of protective gear I've assembled. I'll end up looking like a hockey player.

I did quad skate for a bit as a kid, but after ice skating all winter, it did feel very different the first time I tried it again. The stopping will definitely be a bit of a challenge.