Friday, June 22, 2018

Skates through the years--



My first pair of skates were hand-me-downs. Wheeled metal grips that clamped to the sides of my sneakers. They were tightened with a skate key.  They were difficult to skate in. I don't know if it was because I was in kindergarten when I had them or if they were just a bad design. I'm thinking the latter...



My second pair of skates were a variation on these sort of patriotic-looking things. There were two color motifs put out by this company, from what I recall. The white boot with red and blue accents and a blue boot with red and white accents. I had the blue boot skates for a time. I don't know what happened to them.






At Valle Vista, Hayward, CA. 1981


That's me in the above photo skating with a lolly-pop in my mouth. My buddy, Danny, is there in the foreground. I'm rolling on my third pair of skates. A white leather boot with bright orange wheels and a really fat stopper. I skated around on those bad boys for the my entire adolescence.


I just recently picked up these teal beauties at a local skate shop--





The suede boot still needs to be broken in a bit. My ankle bone is none too happy after a long session around the park.

The wheels are a bit wider then what I'm used to, so I switched them out for a narrower pair lifted from my old skates. So far, so good.

14 comments:

  1. I remember those skates. I'm not sure if I had a pair (I was a paranoid skater; I never did much of it) or if I borrowed from someone else.

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    1. Right?! Those skates were ubiquitous for a time.

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  2. The skates I had (decades ago) fitted onto normal shoes. I never had built in wheels, and can't remember seeing them here.

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  3. Those are some pretty rad skates. Love the color. Hope they treat you well, Bea. Happy skatin'.

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  4. I skated around the neighborhood on ill fitting clamp on skates. I had to go several streets away to find sidewalks; there were none on my street and adjacent streets. By high school I moved up to boot skates. My girlfriend was am amateur skater dancer. So long ago. Have fun with your find!

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    1. Thanks, Joanne.

      Oooh, I'd love to roller boogie. There are tons of people in the park who dance on skates. It's a real treat to watch.

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  5. My mother always told me never to skate with a lollipop in my mouth. Actually her precise words were 'Never run with a sword', so I learned a trick from an old Samurai and now run with the sword held behind me.

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  6. I'm so old that we had skate that you put on your shoes and tightened with a key. They always came loose.

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  7. When I was a child I had skates that attached to my shoes. I broke my front theeth and jaw skating with those. However, it didn’t stop me from loving to skate. Then one Christmas I got skate boots and was ecstatic. It was the best present ever.

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    Replies
    1. Skating is such a joy. I haven't chipped a tooth, knock wood, yet. I do have wrist guards that I wear in order to prevent a break should I fall with my arms outstretched.

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