Use this check list to give yourself a picture of your interests and abilities. Remember that the more specialty items and upgrades that you are interested in, the more you can expect to pay. Bring this list to your skate retailer. The sales clerk can tell you if the features you want are obtainable within the budget you have set. If not, he or she can work with you to reach the optimum choice.
- Check the type of skating that best reflects your interests.
- Hockey
- Speed
- Freestyle
- Recreational
- Fitness
- Aggressive
- What is your budget?
- Under $100
- $100 to $150
- $150 to $200
- $200 to $250
- Over $250
- What kind of wheels?
- More speed, less control
- More control, less speed
- Soft, for use on irregular surfaces
- Hard, for use on smooth surfaces
- Specialty (hockey, speed, figure, aggressive)
- Bearings, ABEC rated
- What kind of brakes?
- Standard in-line skate brake
- Special braking system
- What kind of boot?
- Plastic composition
- Soft boot composition
- Buckle closure system
- Lace closure system
- Lace/buckle combo
- High tech material in liner
- Orthotic footbed
- Specialty boot (hockey, speed, figure, aggressive)
- What kind of frame?
- Movable frame
- Rockerable frame
- Standard fixed frame
- Accepts different sizes of wheels
- Specialty frame (hockey, speed, figure, aggressive)
- Assess your future needs.
- Buy skates that you can modify as you improve
- Plan to replace skates if you improve
- The gear you will buy.
- Properly fitted helmet
- Wrist guards, knee and elbow pads
- Skate lessons you will take.
- Beginner; moving and stopping
- Lesson program or skill building series
Anson
My name is Anson Nakamura and I have been inline skating for fun for 18 years. My friends and I skate at our local skate park and we just love to skate. I have been a big fan of the sport since I was a little kid. I started with a pair of Rollerblades that I got from a garage sale. I was terrible at first, but I kept at it and eventually I got pretty good. Now, I can do all sorts of tricks and I love skating more than ever. There's nothing quite like the feeling of cruising around on your skates, wind in your hair. f you've never tried skating, I urge you to give it a go. It's an incredible feeling and you might just get hooked like I did.