And as an alternative comment on the value of skating and skate-boarding, it works in Afghanistan even better. For young girls in Kabul and Mazar-e-Sharif, they learn balance, independence and having fun.
I suspect there's not a lot of that currently in that country these days. country.https://www.skateistan.org/projects/mazar-e-sharif
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In our small town we don't have much by the way of professional sports teams -- but we have a WFTDA team, the Keweenaw Roller Girls! I volunteer at bouts. The team members are all great fun to hang out with and the events are a cheerful good time for the crowd.
As rough as the hits can get, things are a lot safer with the modern rules; everyone wears solid safety gear. If you're in the audience it's okay to enjoy a good tackle. :^)
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When I watch my daughter skate around the rink and challenge boys to race it is beautiful. She is in her bubble and flying. I just hope her dear old Dad doesn’t kill himself trying (and failing) to keep up.
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In the late 1960s and early 1970s, I strapped on my trusty metal roller skates and cinched them with a metal key each morning before school so I could get there quickly and avoid bullies. I remember my teeth rattling as I skated over pock-marked sidewalks on the way to 6th grade, and in the afternoons skating for fun--forward and backward crossover--until dusk fell and the end of my nose dripped from cold. My roller-skates were part of me from early to late adolescence. They gave me--a shy girl--such power and confidence, as well as a sense that being different from other kids needn't be painful but could instead be a private delight. I roller-skated to music in my head, never in a rink, and it was in those long hours that my imagination was freed and I felt safe in my body. Such a great memory.
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I see women on rollerskates at the skatepark I go to often. Gotta say it’s probably one of the coolest things out there.
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Waverly Place roller disco nights that finished at 1 University! You know who you are!
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Where are their helmets? My dad almost died in a cycling accident, and only survived because of his helmet. This was before I was conceived, so if he hadn't worn his helmet I would not exist. Actually literally. I'm all for rollerblading, just do it with a helmet. All the roller derby bad ass chicks I've seen (and my college town had a roller derby scene) wear them. Helmets are a matter of life or death.
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@Grace, this is roller skating, not roller blading. No helmets please. See also ice skating, no helmets!
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Just great - one more thing to dodge on my morning commute; like bikes, skateboards, scooters, etc. weren't bad enough . . .
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All of my favorite teenage memories occurred around “the Rink”
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Why were there no women's Rollerball teams? I think that's an idea whose time has come.
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There are some tween girls in my suburban neighborhood who ride around on electric and foot-powered scooters. They, like the skaters in this article, indeed "have agency." They're free of adult supervision. They stop and talk to each other sometimes, strengthening relationships. Where are the boys? Probably playing computer games in dimly lit rooms.
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All my boys are on foot-powered scooters daily, as are many of their classmates and neighbors
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The first thing I bought after my getting my first job after graduation form college was a pair of roller skates. I still have and use them 44 years later.
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Ah, Northridge Skateland...I was there in the thick of late 70s roller disco which culminated with “Xanadu”. (Oh no, now I’m going to have Olivia Newton-John’s “Magic” stuck in my head for the rest of the day!)
I was thrilled to discover recently that Skateland is still going strong when my niece wanted to start skating. Lots of history there, personal as well as film and TV going back to the 50s. I thought the venue as well as classic roller skating in general was dead when rollerblading on the Venice Boardwalk became the next big thing in the 80s but, as usual, it’s hard to kill a true classic.
Ohmygod, it really was just like flying to be back on eight wheels again under the mirrored ball. My niece and nephew seemed a bit awed to discover yet another quirk up the sleeve of their unconventional pigeon-owning aunt. And she was elated to be sharing the “magic” with them.
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See "Rollin: A Documentary on the Wheel" (on Youtube) for some extraordinary 1980's vintage footage of lovely prep school girls roller skating their hearts out in Central Park.
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"Skateaway" by Dire Straits comes to mind...
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After all, nothing says female empowerment like a fashion model.
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@Dan
Yup, especially on wheels, with the power moves, and not giving a flying fig what guys in Arkansas think.
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Really? Dead-eyed mannequins represent female empowerment to you? Sounds like a Trumpism.
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