Mmmm roller skating... There are few challenges here.
Firstly the equipment is paralleling the ice skating equipment trouble somehow. I was telling you that I was lucky to find a used set. The boots are SP Teri and they fit quite well. The plate I am not experienced enough to know if I would want something different, I think is fine. The cushions are some soft plastic that go in between the plate axis and the wheels and their softness gives the degree of maneuverability. I was advice to change those, and unfortunately the technician choose without consulting with me, the hardest set, that means you have to press harder, or be heavier to get edged. Then is the wheels, and this choice is related to the surface you plan to skate on. The roller skating wheels have different diameters: the bigger it is the faster it goes, but it is also less maneuverable, so I chose a small diameter. The wheels also have different levels of hardness and in the surface quality. The outdoor surface that I use is not ideal, it has some debris, it is not perfectly straight so a softer wheel is recommended to go over the debris. But a soft wheel is slow, it feels "sticky".
The equipment should match the style of roller skating you intend to do, and my purpose for this summer was to figure out what I would enjoy best. Here is what I see:
1. Trails. I went once with a friend that was walking and I was always ahead, it was not fun. I am afraid to go by myself and I don't have anybody to go with... Also I feel for trails, inline skates would work better. The quads give edges that are tiring to control on trails. I think a group could have fun strolling and stopping, I saw groups like that, though they feel half my age so I don't feel connected with them.
2. Outdoor courts, like the one I use. The skaters do "tricks". They dance JB style. What? That is James Brown... It is cool looking but it is completely different than the ice skating, it is mostly on 2 feet. My age also be a factor in not finding the desire to learn this style. I was trying to do stroking with extension, crossovers, Mohawks, edges, chasses. But long one foot gliding doesn't go well on debris and on sticky wheels.
3. Indoor courts. You can do Freestyle, Dance and Figures. That's nice... But... I would need lots of practice time, coaching, exactly like like ice skating, in order to learn. they are far away from me, so more difficult to plan than figure skating. And... I still love ice skating more.
For now, I'm doing the outdoor roller skating with focus on enjoying the fresh air and maintaining the muscles for future ice skating.
