Walking and Rolling

Last night I was over at the school, standing in the hallway, and the first of many little girls slid by.  Yes I did write slid.  They wore what looked like regular shoes but they moved along as if they had skates on.  I'm sure you've seen them but I haven't.

I remember my first pair of skates.  I don't remember who I inherited them from but they were the ones you adjusted,  clamped on the bottom of your shoes and had a couple straps to help keep them on.  I wanted one of the types that professional's wore.  The ones that were black or white and looked like ice skates but with wheels.  They laced up to the calf and looked so beautiful but cost too much to afford.

In high school, I liked going over to the roller rink when I could.  It was a great way to spend an evening and meet boys.  I actually was accidentally tripped by a guy and had a nice evening chatting with him. 

Skates have been evolving.   At one point, skates went from four wheels arranged much like the base of a car to being arranged in a line which lead to inline skating.  If I remember, that lead to a lot of accidents and the recommendation of wearing a helmet and both knee pads and elbow pads to protect oneself.  Most of my friends ignored the advice.  The knee pads were great for protecting your knees during volleyball games.

Now they've apparently evolved into regular shoes with a couple of wheels so that the kid can roll along the floor.  They don't actually skate but they do roll.  Honestly, I don't know how they work so I did a quick search.  The wheel is in the heel and all the wearer has to do is shift their weight from the ball of the foot to the heel and voila!  Most of the shoes I've seen have a single wheel.

What I didn't know is that the original version has a removable wheel that can be popped in an out of the heel.  The shoes that have retractable wheels are cheaper knockoffs of the original ones and can have up two to four wheels. 

Now I know why the kids slide the way they do across the floor.  I did read that there is the possibility that the wheels can mark the floor and are prohibited Would I try them?  I doubt it because I am such a klutz when it comes to things like that.  Furthermore, the school is the only place with a smooth enough surface to use them.  The rest of the town has dirt roads and wooden boardwalks and right now, everything is covered with snow.  You can't use them.  Don't even suggest they use the local store because the stores are no bigger than a 7-11 and resemble the old fashioned general store which are stuffed to the gills with goods.