A Quick Look Into the History of Quad Roller Skates

Are you a big fan of roller skating? Or is there someone in your family who is crazy about roller skates? If so, perhaps you need to know a little more about skating than the common info that it is just footwear with four wheels attached to it. In fact, there are a lot of cool and amusing facts behind this little invention that became one of the integral parts of extreme sportslater. If you have already been practicing it you would know that there are two main types: quad roller skates and inline roller skates. While quad skates have two wheels on the front and two wheels on the back, inline skates, as its name indicates, have four wheels in a single line.

Let's check out more about quad roller skates, as they are more common and ideal for all, especially if you are planning to purchase a set for a beginner or a child. The credit of introducing the quad skates to the world belongs to James Leonard Plimpton in New York City in 1863. Plimpton was trying to improvise on the existing roller skates, and his attempt obviously turned out a success for it stood supreme among skates for almost a century. In fact, quad skates are still popular among youngsters who are beginning to learn roller skating. Even parents of little children prefer quad skates for the ease and manoeuvrability that they provide. They became such a hit that even a new, and the first of its kind, public skating rink was opened in 1866 in Rhode Island.

Once it made its appearance among the youth of the era, quad skates went through several changes to become what it is today. For example, in 1876, in Birmingham, England, there was a new design for the wheels of skates where two bearing surfaces of an axle, moving and fixed, were kept apart. This feat was achieved by William Bown with the support of Joseph Henry Hughes. It is Hughes who drew up the patent for a ball bearing race for carriage and bicycle wheels in 1877. The motorbikes and automobiles that we see around us today evolved from the efforts of these two gentlemen.

The next development was the toe stop that helps the skaters to stop the skate by tipping the skate to the toe. The toe stop, which was introduced in 1876, became one of the inevitable parts of roller skates and despite the various changes that came to skates in the coming years, toe stop remained so for a long time to come. In fact, even now you can find them on quad roller skates of today and even on a few types of inline skates.

It didn't take long time for this cool item of entertainment to become a rage among the youth. In the 1880s, roller skates started getting manufactured in huge numbers to meet the public demand. Besides the fun part of it, these skates were also becoming a convenient and cheap way to commute. It is the name of Micajah C. Henley, who belonged to Richmond in Indiana, that became famous first as the seller of quad skates. Also, his skates were the first to have adjustable tension with the help of a screw that later led to the kingbolt mechanism used on skates of today.

Next came the steel ball bearings in the wheels of roller skates in 1884 in order to reduce friction as well as to increase the speed. This brings us to Richardson Ball Bearing and Skate Company that started providing skates with the steel ball bearing. Richardson's skates have had millions of customers, including professional skaters of the time. Ever since then, the basic design of quad skates has remained the same for a long time.

Today, quad roller skates come in various designs and styles. They cater to all types of skaters, boys and girls of all ages. Not only are they seen on roads in residential areas but also for skate racing, which has become a favourite rage for many youngsters of today.

Skates R Us specialises in the online sale of extreme sports equipments such as quad roller skates, kick scooters, skateboards, ice skates, etc.

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While Choosing Roller Skates for Your Child

Roller skates are the equivalent of fun for people of all ages from kids, teenagers to adults. While it provides ample entertainment and fun it also adds to your fitness as it can strengthen the muscles on your back as well as increase the heart beat rate. It gives exercise for the whole body and thus help you in keeping fit, and that too in an eco friendly way. However, while it is fun, it is also dangerous and thus not free from risk. Without adequate practice and experience you cannot let your children go for roller skating. Similarly, it is important that you buy suitable roller skates for your child that would ensure their safety while practicing.

Roller skating involves proper moves and balance without which grave accidents might happen. And for this same reason you need to pay proper care and attention while purchasing roller skates for your children. Here are a few factors that might help in purchasing the right skates:

Pick out the right type

Today when you go out to purchase roller skates you'll find different varieties of skates for different users. These are categorised according to the moves practiced and age of the users. There are ranged from the ordinary children's skates to the quad speed skates that are used by experienced skaters. When you purchase the skates you need to be sure of the expertise of your child in roller skating.

Choose the right size

Skating, as you are aware, is a sports where balancing is what matters in providing optimum performance. It is necessary therefore to get the skates of right size for better performance as well as the safety of your child. If they are too tight it starts hurting the legs and if they are too loose they might come off the feet, making the skater fall in the process. For this reason, it is better to take the child with you while purchasing or at least you should be certain about the size you need.

Give priority to quality

Just as in the case of size, quality is of utmost importance in the case of roller skating. It is an outdoor sports item and includes rough moves, which therefore require stronger and sturdier skates. There might be hundreds of products that are stylish and colourful and it is easy for children to fall for those stylish ones. However, though it might seem expensive, a branded product is the best when it comes to roller skates. Not only will it be durable but also strong to support the falls and rough use that it might be put through while learning and practicing the sport.

Purchasing roller skates today is not so difficult as there are hundreds of stores out there, both online and offline. While the buying part could be tricky, you can easily browse for them online, visiting different stores without roaming from one store to another. For making your purchase perhaps you could visit the store with your child so that you could get the right size and type. Even if it is an additional effort, considering the safety of your child, it is worth it.

Skates R Us specialises in the online sale of extreme sports equipments such as roller skates, powerisers, skateboards, ice skates, sports protective gear, etc.

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Official Rules of Roller Derby

Game of roller derby has gained a great popularity over the recent decades, particularly among women. It's originally an American sport in which, players lap the opponents for scoring their points. Originally, it did not have any fixed set of rules; however, after being a formalized sport it now has several rules that must be followed. Being an adventure sport, roller derby gear are quite useful for the protection of players.

This article lists few of the important rules of roller derby as formalized by Women's Flat Track Derby Association:

Each player must be equipped with roller derby gear for their protection.

Roller derby games last for duration of an hour. The number of periods may be two or three per game. Each of these periods may range between 20 to 30 minutes depending upon the number of periods in a game.

Number of players in a team is five. Out of these five players, three are blockers, one jammer and the last player is pivot. The pivots are responsible for leading the pack constituted by the pivot and blockers.

The jammer players are required to stand 20 feet behind the pack in the beginning of the game.

Referee signals the beginning of jam by blowing a whistle. Upon this first whistle pack formation takes place which needs to remain as it is for the entire duration of the jam. The second whistle signals the jammers to start.

Each jam last for two minute. In a jam, jammers lap the opponent packs as many times as possible. This enables them to score points. In order to block the jammers from the opposite team, the pack needs to remain maintained, failing which, the pack cannot block the jammer from lapping. In case of an offensive blocking, roller gear proves quite handy to protect you.

The decision of who becomes the lead jammer is made on the basis of who has lapped all the blockers and pivots first. The lead jammer gains authority to stop the jam whenever he/she wishes even before the completion of the two minutes period.

In order to prevent the opponent jammers to lap and score points, the pack can block the opponent jammer. However, the entire pack must be maintained throughout and every blocker can only use the portion of their body above the thigh. They cannot hit or hold the jammer using their elbows. Violation of this rule can cause a penalty on the team. Once again, jammers need to be wearing appropriate roller derby gear to stay protected from unintended or intended attacks.

Penalties may be imposed to the players or the team if the blockers become offensive or illegal, in cases of fights, or violation of any of the rules of the game.

Brayn Edwards is an expert in article writing and writes numerous articles on various topics. Check his website, which gives people advice about the best roller gear as well as more information on roller derby gear.

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What You Need for Roller Derby

Roller Derby is one of the sports that use a lot of physical and mental strength. Not only it is fun to watch, but also is it exciting and thrilling if you participate in it. Well, various people take up this sport for various reasons. Some of them are fascinated by the speed and excitement, while many others think that it's a great way to gain shape and toughness.

Whatever your reasons are, if you are also planning to start playing roller derby, it is really important to understand what it takes to become a roller derby player. Here are things you would need to begin this sport.

The first and foremost quality you need to start roller derby is enthusiasm. Indeed, it is more important than learning to skate itself. You can start practicing to learn skating but getting rid of your inhibitions is something you don't learn in a day. A successful player of this sport always has a sense of adventure and is not afraid of falling down while playing.

Second thing you need is fitness. Of course, you need not worry too much about getting a perfect shape before you begin but it's certainly helpful to be agile and fit. If you have a habit of exercising regularly, it will help you while jamming as well. If you are not fit enough, you can still take up the sport but it will be more challenging for you than the people with great fitness levels.

After you have made your mind, you need a good set of gear to play this sport. These accessories are required for ensuring that you stay safe when you fall. In this contact sport, falls and impacts are inevitable and that is why you need good protection accessories. You can choose helmets, body armor, gloves, and shoes etc that are especially designed for this game. You can visit websites of various retailers of roller derby gear to take a look at the accessories that are available.

Appropriate clothing is also important for this sport. Although you need not be too picky, you still need to ensure that you are not wearing any tight or uncomfortable cloths. For instance, a pair of jeans or woolens is not suitable for this game as it needs an unrestricted movement of your hands, legs, shoulders, hips, and waist. Comfortable and sweat absorbing cloths are best suited for roller derby because you are likely to sweat a lot during this sport.

The Author Brent Davidson is an expert in article writing and has done a lot of research online and offline. Come visit his latest websites on roller derby pads and roller derby gear.

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Outdoor Roller Skating Is Fun!

Roller skating can be fun whether it is inside a rink or outside. But there are some unique benefits if you do it outside. First, you are out in the fresh air. Breathing in the fresh air as you skate can be very healthy! Secondly, you get the opportunity to see new things every time you skate; something that is not possible if you are in a rink.

But in order to have an enjoyable experience, you need to make sure you have the right equipment. I have had customers tell me that they decided to skate inside because it was too uncomfortable skating outdoors. After asking them a few questions, I realized the problem. They are using wheels that are intended for inside use only. They did not know they needed a softer wheel for skating outside. I would not get a wheel harder than a durometer of 85A. If the surface you are skating on is a little bit rough, I would go with a softer wheel. Maybe a 75A hardness would be appropriate.

You can use any kind of skate boot outside. Some like the high tops and others like the low tops. The difference, as mentioned, will be the wheels. So get any kind of boot that you would like, but pay close attention to the wheels.

The best places to roller skate outside would be cement or tar covered walkways. One of the best places to roller skate would be a bike path. But if that is not available, I would suggest sidewalks, parks, or parking lots (after hours or on weekends when they are empty of traffic)

Do not skate at night unless you are in a well lite area. You would have difficulty seeing cracks and other objects that could cause you to fall. And if you do skate at night, please have someone with you especially if you are a female.

Finally, make sure that you have some protective equipment. Even the best skaters can fall. Wearing a good helmet and a pair of knee pads are essential. Some desire elbow and wrist guards as well.

If you skate outside you can't use the excuse that you can't afford to go to the rink. Outside is free! You can skate as often as you want (I would not skate, however, in the rain or snow). With these simple tips I hope you will find roller skating outside to be a fun activity!

You can find some great skate deals at My Roller Skate World. Check out these links:

Roller Skate Wheels

Speed Skates

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What Kind of Roller Skate Wheel Should I Buy?

Every week I get several calls from customers trying to decide what wheels that they want for their skates. Unfortunately, many of them have no idea what they really need. I have been surprised that several are looking only at the color of the wheel and not its function. So I decided to write this article to help any roller skater who is a novice at selecting the right wheels.

One of the first questions I ask a customer, when they tell me that they are looking for a set of wheels, is where will they be skating. The answer to that question will help determine the right kind of wheels for their situation. If they say it is for "indoors" on a rink, then the next question is whether they will be doing speed, recreational or artistic skating.

Artistic wheels are usually narrower than those used for speed skating. They usually have a width of about 30 to 35mm. The smaller width gives the skater more room to maneuver. Also artistic skaters usually want a smaller wheel (55 to 60mm), but not always. It depends upon the skater and use. If you are a dance or figure skater, you probably would want the larger wheel (62-65mm). If you are an artistic skater you will also want a hard wheel. Look for a wheel that has a hardness of 97A or higher.

Indoor skaters that are interested in just general skating or speed skating would look for a wheel that is anywhere from 35mm to 44mm. The narrower the width the faster you will go. So that means that a speed skater might want a narrower wheel than a recreational skater. Also the wheel height for indoor skaters is usually around 62mm. The wheel hardness would depend upon the type of surface. The standard hardness would be a 97A. However if the surface is slippery, I would go with a 92A to a 95a.

If you are going to be skating outdoors, you will need a wheel that is softer. I would look for a wheel that has a hardness of 88A or lower. The softer the wheel the smoother the ride; however the softer wheels will not be as fast as the harder wheels. So you will need to balance that based upon your needs. The wheel height of an outdoor wheel would be from 60mm to 65mm. The width should be somewhere between 34mm to 42mm.

With this information you can now go ahead and be informed about the kind of wheels that you need. Definitely look at the colors but only pick a wheel that meets your needs!

You can find some great skate deals at My Roller Skate World. Check out these links:

Roller Skate Wheels

Speed Skates

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