The only thought I had was that if they were like ice skates, you would just turn to the side, but with roller skates if you did that you’d turn an ankle – or worse. So I asked.
“You use this thing,” my cousin said, pointing to this knob-looking thing at the front of the boot. Then she put on the roller skates and showed me.
I was thinking about that last night when I went to a “Roller disco” party at the arena in Claresholm.
It brought back memories of roller skating parties, my cousin Fred, roller derby, and a weird commercial for Easter candy.
Roller derby
Back in the 1980s, and more aptly the 1970s, roller derby was a sport that had attracted quite a following. I heard about it on an episode of the television news magazine “Real People”. Correspondent Sarah Purcell did a story on the Los Angeles Thunderbirds, shortened to the T-Birds, a women’s team. She even donned roller skates, helmet, elbow pads and knee pads then played in a game with the T-Birds.
Back in the 1980s, and more aptly the 1970s, roller derby was a sport that had attracted quite a following. I heard about it on an episode of the television news magazine “Real People”. Correspondent Sarah Purcell did a story on the Los Angeles Thunderbirds, shortened to the T-Birds, a women’s team. She even donned roller skates, helmet, elbow pads and knee pads then played in a game with the T-Birds.
It was a rough game, where people skate around a circular track. Points are earned, if memory serves, when a designated player passes opposing players. It looked like organized chaos to me, as players jostled and elbowed each other, some going into and even over the rail.
After that, I was doing a little project. I found this box of old TV Guides and started reading through them, cutting out items of interest, mostly sports stories. I came upon some listings for roller derby broadcast on Saturday nights. Every game featured a team called the Canadian All Stars. In one listing, they played the L.A. T-Birds, while in another it was the Chicago Hawks.
It’s too bad, because I would have liked to check that out.
The roller party
When I was in junior high, our school’s student’s union planned activities such as theme days, dances, and movie parties.
When I was in junior high, our school’s student’s union planned activities such as theme days, dances, and movie parties.
Then, one Friday night in Grade 7, they planned a trip to the roller rink in Lethbridge. The lead up to it was classic junior high drama. Guys in my class were finding girls to go with. I liked certain girls too, but did not have the courage to talk to them. So I went to the roller party alone.
We piled into a school bus and headed to north Lethbridge. The roller skate rental had been taken care of, so all we had to do was give them our size, and lace them up if we wanted to skate.
Part of the area where we sat to put on roller skates was an arcade. That was what really captured my interest. I was just discovering video games, and going to McLennan’s, the arcade in Coaldale, was a little intimidating.
Still, I remember playing this one helicopter-based video game with my classmate Mike Kozbial. He even lent me a couple extra quarters, as I didn’t have many because I did not anticipate the arcade. In fact, Mike put down a quarter for me on the corner of the screen while I played. Then a Grade 9, whose name I still remember but won’t say, took the quarter. Mike called him out on it, but of course got nowhere.
I did skate a little bit, but the sight of my classmates paired off skating, kind of made me sad.
When we were going home, I sat in the front seat with my friend David Perlich, who I had lamented to about every school dance I went to without a date.
I told him, “Once more Rob Vogt goes home alone.”
To which David replied with classic wisdom.
“You’re not getting married,” he said. “You’re not an old man.”
What could have been
Another memory is what could have been. Every summer I went to Brooks for a couple weeks to stay with my cousins. I idolized my cousin Fred, who always seemed to be doing cool things. The same was true in the summer of 1986.
Another memory is what could have been. Every summer I went to Brooks for a couple weeks to stay with my cousins. I idolized my cousin Fred, who always seemed to be doing cool things. The same was true in the summer of 1986.
This time, on a Friday night, Fred was the deejay at a roller rink, and asked me to come along.
I was still young, and self conscious, and decided to stay home. I had been working on a play and wanted to include a bunch of music. Fred had all these music magazines, and some listed lyrics. So, instead of going with Fred, I stayed in his bedroom and read magazines and copied out the lyrics I found for my play.
The reality was, I was just too chicken and scared to do something different.
Whenever I think about that time, I do wonder what could have been.
Commercial time
One of my most vivid memories of roller skating comes from a TV commercial, that aired leading up to Easter time. It was for Cadbury’s Easter cream eggs, and was set in a roller rink, with a bunch of young people dressed up in the cool clothes of 1984. They were skating, laughing, having a good time and, of course, eating Cadbury’s Easter cream eggs.
One of my most vivid memories of roller skating comes from a TV commercial, that aired leading up to Easter time. It was for Cadbury’s Easter cream eggs, and was set in a roller rink, with a bunch of young people dressed up in the cool clothes of 1984. They were skating, laughing, having a good time and, of course, eating Cadbury’s Easter cream eggs.
Even now, I can hear that song in my head.
The years after
I am not sure when it happened, but roller skates were supplanted by roller blades, which is actually a trademark. The generic term is inline skates.
I am not sure when it happened, but roller skates were supplanted by roller blades, which is actually a trademark. The generic term is inline skates.
My first exposure to them was in the early 1990s when my friend Nelson Cuff had a friend named Pat Murray who sold inline skates. He was going to set up on the University of Alberta campus with a booth during the first week of classes.
In advance of that, Nelson arranged for a group of us to meet Pat on some of the bike trails in the river valley. He outfitted us with inline skates, then he and Nelson took us for a skate.
It was crazy.
My first thought was, how do I stop? Where is that knob on the front of the boot?
So I asked.
Pat said they had made some changes. The stopper was now in the back, and you pressed your foot back to stop. That made way more sense.
Knowing that, we went on some paths. Most were pretty level, but some were downhill. That got scarier and scarier as I picked up speed. Everything I heard went out the window. Instead of using the stopper, I bailed out and jumped onto some grass.
Meanwhile, daredevils Pat and Nelson were accelerating down the hill, past me, and yelling “Yee haw”. Ultimately, the speed was too much for them too, and I saw Pat first use his stopper. I could see the plastic wearing away as he tried to stop. He did slow down, but both he and Nelson had to dive onto some grass too.
It was amazing to watch.
Parting thoughts
I never did do a lot of roller skating when I was growing up. It was kind of like skateboarding. I lived on a farm with a lot of gravel and dirt, but not many smooth surfaces to skate or skateboard on.
I never did do a lot of roller skating when I was growing up. It was kind of like skateboarding. I lived on a farm with a lot of gravel and dirt, but not many smooth surfaces to skate or skateboard on.
Although I did get a skateboard, I never did get roller skates. I just never had the access.
When I did though, it was fun, but usually came with something else, be it junior high drama or teenage insecurity.
Oh well, time just rolled on.
No comments:
Post a Comment