How much do you know about your favorite pastime? Wow your friends and family with these fun facts about roller-skating.
5 Fun Facts about Roller-Skating
It started with a bang. The first pair of roller-skates was unveiled in 1760 by inventor John Joseph Merlin . . . at a party. One problem with this parlor trick: he forgot to practice, and quickly became the first skater to wipe out in front of his friends.- It’s fitness (that doesn’t feel like fitness). Just an hour of moderate skating can burn 350-600 calories. No sweat!
- Beyonce loves roller-skating. Not only does one of her music videos feature a skating rink, she threw an 80’s throwback skating bash for her 21st birthday, complete with a roller-skate cake and plenty of celebs on the guest list.
- So did Prince. The late great artist Prince was also an avid skater. Questlove shared the story of the time he went skating with Prince: “Prince had the briefcase out on the floor. He clicked the lock and opened it, and took out the strangest, most singular pair of roller skates I had ever seen. They were clear skates that lit up, and the wheels sent a multicolored spark trail into your path. He took them out and did a big lap around the rink. Man. He could skate like he could sing.”
- Even the Amish skate. The Amish live a simple lifestyle, forbidding cars and even bikes, but roller-skates are A-OK. In the 1990’s, the Amish youth hopped on the inline skating craze. Only a third of Amish leaders approved, disliking that inline skates let kids reach higher speeds than the traditional quad skate.
Test your skating knowledge (and your skills) at Funcity Sk8 in Webster, TX.