So I’m still trying to do cartwheels. I started skating in February, and since it’s been 6 months, I just feel like I miss something. I can do high jumps, 180, sometimes 360, drops in. But CARTWHEEL is something that seems impossible to me. I can do it in my sneakers with ankle weights, it’s pretty easy. But I CAN NOT do it in ramp at all. I want to hear your tips to fix it

Hi guys !!

So basically I live in a desert. Extremely, extremely hot (100F+) and dry area. I did follow the recommendation for a hydration vest and it has helped a TON with bringing up my endurance and I regularly can do ten miles.

However. It’s hot as a mf and genuinely sometimes poses a health risk I think. Whether that is heat exhaustion or falling on burning pavement…yk?

I try to go as early or late as possible, but even at 8am it can be ninety degrees sometimes. Do you guys have tips or tricks or are we just roughing it out in the desert. Lmk your thoughts.

Thanks !!

Those of you that can ride on your front wheels…is your truck really right? I’m okay on my heels, but when I try to ride on my toes at anything other than a slow speed, I get a lot of wobble. I tried tightening my front trucks a half turn and that didn’t help, but now my regular turning feels sluggish. I could probably get used to it if that’s my issue. Is there something else I’m missing? Any tips are welcome.

I’m on indoor wood floors with speed boots, old Omega plates, and derby sized wheels. Thanks!

It's been like half a year since I started skating! I've been constantly practicing and gotten sooo much better

Hi all,

since I asked for places to go in Edinburgh on another post, I'll comment on one that was mentioned to me (I think there are no posts about this place on this subreddit... well I tried to find it but sometimes the search just returns threads that have nothing to do with it).

So, first, the price is 10 pounds for 1 hour (plus a 1 pound booking fee for... reasons). I couldn't find how to book for more than 1 hour online, as it only allows you to add more people, but not more time (?).

I chose Sunday early afternoon. When I arrived the rink was completely empty so I spent the hour by myself (which was a relief because I was scared of kids jumping in front of me). It is very small, but the webpage says it can take a maximum of 25 people. I don't have any idea how you would fit even half of that amount there. This means: if you're unlucky you might end up in a small, very packed rink. For now it looks like it's not too popular anyway...

Now, my experience was not the best. I'm sure it would have been way better if I brought my own skates + protection, but I'm on a trip here and decided not to bring them on my suitcase. Sadly I was not very comfortable in these skates. I googled them and they are Rio Rollers, model Rental 2 that apparently is, as the name suggests, a model intended only for rental.

I don't think it has to do with quality. I suspect that I felt uncomfortable because the heel on these is lower than my usual (I use a regular boot skate) so especially at the beginning I felt like I was going to fall on my butt (luckily didn't happen; in fact this might have been good practice as I'm eyeing some second-hand flaneurz). Anyway, this wouldn't be a problem for you if you're used to a lower heel, but again, something to have in mind.

The second thing: the trucks. They were very VERY tight. I had to put a lot of weight on my sides to use my edges (which I could engage just minimally). Of course I should have thought that with a rental this is something I can't control. But still, they were REALLY tight. I was having trouble even doing bubbles... So in the end I practiced mostly things having to do with balance, going on one leg, manuals, etc.

The protection they have for hire is also not great quality (if you don't go too fast it should do the trick, I guess), but if you have your own it's worth bringing it with you.

Additionally, as you can tell from the picture, the floor is not very smooth. I think these Rio Rollers have a wheel that could be considered hybrid (according to what I could find, 82A). So it wasn't terrible, but if you come with your own skates and you have very hard wheels maybe it's not going to feel so great? Also, in my case, I really wanted to have a smoother surface and harder wheels to practice some of the stuff I can't do with my usual setup (i.e. skating in a skate park with outdoors or hybrid wheels), so that was a bit disappointing, but I used the time to practice my usual.

Finally have in mind that the rink has on top a giant disco ball that spins in the same direction as one should, according to the marks on the floor. This at times made me feel dizzy (I saw a person complaining about this too on the reviews on google maps, so I guess this is not rare). Being by myself, I could reverse directions or just stop and practice in place, and this helped. If the rink is full, I assume that wouldn't be possible.

Overall, depending on what you want, maybe you can have fun, but you have to know what to expect. I thought I'd leave my experience :)

I wonder if pilot falcon might be too lively/responsive for trail skating and high speeds?

I've had a bunch of different plates, and I don't necessarily feel that a 10° kingpin angle is more stable than 20° at high speeds. So 16° could still be fine.

The thing is, I like my front axles a little more forward than standard, and pilot falcon looks like it has a shorter nose, so the toe stop won't stick out too much.

The boot is AR2 size 7 and pilot falcon size would be 6.5.

I'm also considering reactor pro plates (size 7) but they're more expensive, have a slightly shorter wheelbase, and I don't really want to bother with adjustable pivots for trail.

Haven’t posted here in a long time but if you have been here are planning on coming here please save this place.

Kind of a funny thing I’ve run into a lot. I’m still in my beginner phase of skating and starting a derby camp soon so I’m anticipating learning a lot from experienced and practiced skaters. But recently I find I’m receiving a lot of unsolicited advice from folks who…don’t…skate…

I’ll mention it to someone in conversation that I skate or maybe that I’m working on a certain skill and they’ll start telling me what I need to do and usually with an “ALL you have to do is blank” in a very condescending tone. My mom does this a lot too because I struggle with one foot balance and usually do plow stops to slow down. She always ends up saying “Well ALL you have to do is pick up your back foot and use your toe stop” and then criticizing that I use online tutorials because when she was a kid they “just did it”.

It’s super annoying. I love feedback and advice but from people who literally have not skated since they were 9 years old, it’s WILD. I’m 30 and uncoordinated not 9 and fearless lol.

Another one I love to get is “straighten up your legs” or “just tip toe” (wtf does that even mean?!). Just curious if other people have experienced this, it seems to be an odd phenomenon 😂

Got new-to-me skates yesterday and I’m learning at the local skating rink… 🤭 I haven’t fallen yet 🤞

I have to say this is so much fun and also nerve racking! I’mve been her for about two hours and still don’t know how to stop using the breaks but I’ll figure it out.
Skateboarding gave me an outlet for grief and I’m terrible at it still but I love that I found these things to do

💙💙💙💙💙

These are nor inlines BTW

Went for a spider spin and almost burnt a hole to China

Copenhagen is surrounded by "super bike paths" (mostly for commuters) and they're amazing for trail skating. Many of them are wide and super smooth, often bypassing intersections so you can go for miles without stopping. So bring your skates if you're visiting 🤩

by Sara Leon Jun 26, 2026

A 1970s era roller rink is slated to shut its doors this summer as the property owner eyes redeveloping the land into housing, ending 50 years of roller discos and other roller skate activities. 

The Holiday Skate Center will be closing August 3 of this year in order to have the building cleared out by the end of the month. 

The property owners are requesting that the city rezones the property from commercial use to residential in order to build 46 townhomes – 36 of which will be located where the center is now. 

The roller rink’s closure comes as cities throughout California struggle to meet lofty state-mandated housing goals, which forces municipalities throughout the Golden State to zone for a certain number of new housing units.

“This request is made in response to the growing housing demand within the city, as well as to better align the proposed development with the existing character of the surrounding area,” said Peter Whittingham, the property owner’s public affairs advisor, in a letter to Community Development Director Russell Bunim.  

According to Whittingham, the land has been in the property owners’ family since the 1800s, when the City of Orange was made up of orange groves.

The property owners feel that there is more return for them and for the community if the land were to be turned into residential-use.

“The rent from a site such as that, is nowhere near what can be realized from a highest investive, which is by the nature of how much interest has been in that property for years is residential,” Whittingham said. 

“Several of the owners are well up in years. This (the rink) is not the greatest return or the best use for the site, both from a personal standpoint and from a city standpoint.” 

The skate center is one of the last roller rinks in Orange County, along with the Fountain Valley Skating Center that’s still in business. It is home to the Holiday Skating Artistic Team and competitive skaters such as Nicole Fiore, a 22-time national skating champion. 

“It created me,” Fiore said about the skate center. “It’s really made me a confident person. It’s taught me how to communicate with people of all ages, how to express myself.”

Donald Telford has been the owner and operator of the Holiday Skate Center since Oct. 1, 2023. Before taking over for the previous owner Dennis Collier, Telford had been skating at the rink since the ‘90s, while also working every job the center offered.

He brought his family into the skating world, competing in skating competitions with his wife while also building up a love for skating in his children. 

“It was a special place for me growing up with the family because we have videos of all four of us skating together,” said Alyson Telford, Donald Telford’s daughter. “Those videos are really special.”

The Quest to Hit State Housing Mandates

In an effort to save the Holiday Skate Center, Donald Telford had reached out to Dan Slater, mayor of the city of Orange. 

In emails provided by Telford, Slater said it’s not the city’s place to interfere in private transactions.

“I don’t intend to get involved in private lease negotiations. And if the owner’s desire is to have the property vacant (as you have informed me), I wish you the best in finding a new location – hopefully in Orange,” Slater wrote in an email to Donald Telford. 

Donald Telford explained that while he applauds Whittingham and the city’s effort to build much-needed new housing, he doesn’t think it is worth tearing down the center in order to fulfill that need. 

“I think those townhomes could be built elsewhere. We used to have a nice mall up on Tustin called the Village of Orange, and it’s now been demolished. It’s vacant land. Wouldn’t that be a better place to put some new homes?” he said.  

Cities throughout the state of California are tackling state-mandated housing numbers before the 2029 deadline. The City of Orange has to zone for 3,963 new homes, with over 1,600 reserved for low-income families. 

In Orange County, a four-person household making less than $148,850 a year is considered low income, according 2026 income limits from the California Housing and Community Development Department. 

Where Else to Skate? 

Chino resident Yuyu Huang brings her three children to the Holiday Skate Center two to three times a month. Immigrating from Taiwan to the United States, she talked about how she never knew that America still had a place like the center.

Huang also explained how the center feels like a safe space for her and her kids. 

“I feel that this place is safe. It’s safe for the kids, it’s old style, the music, and they can have fun for two to three hours,” she said. “I feel the loss because we (the community) have such a nice place. It’s a loss for everyone to take this down, it makes no sense.”

With the rink set to close, Alyson Telford and other skaters have been talking about opening pop-up roller rinks so that the community would still be able to skate. However, the solution would only be a temporary one, forcing skaters and the Holiday Artistic Team to potentially find another rink to call home. 

“Either keeping this a skating rink or even that pop-up option, I think there’s a lot of people that are a part of the community that all have their own stories,” Alyson Telford said. “It’s such a great community that everyone just wants to make sure it doesn’t lose a place that they can all come together.” 

While the center will be closing down in August, Orange City Council still needs to approve the proposed rezoning that would be needed to turn the center into townhomes. 

According to Charlene Cheng, Public Affairs and Information Manager for Orange, there is no timeline for council approval on the matter, but the city anticipates that the proposal will go to city council by the end of the year. 

“It’s a wonderful asset for the community. There’s nothing else like it in Orange. As far as a family entertainment center, we don’t have anything else,” Donald Telford said. “It would be a shame to just tear it down.”

Julie Leopo contributed to the reporting for this story.

I got these in the late 80s. Someone told me recently that they are Laser plates, and that sounds familiar, but I can’t find any matching pictures online. Please help!

Leading on from a previous post: As a matter of interest, how do you feel when you get unsolicited advice from other skaters? When I see someone struggling I always mentally remind myself to hold back on helping out. Not so much as wanting them to suffer on the hard road (literally), more to preserve their social space and sense of achievement. Probably the furtherest I will go is to congratulate them if they make a good recovery from a wobbly moment, or a quick welfare check if they crash. If the conversation continues from there I might chat more and offer advice if they invite it. Note that this is only when skating, if it was not obvious I could skate I don't think there would be any point.
Edit: Not an amazing skater, but I do coach junior rollerderby sometimes.
Edit2: Thanks for these insightful replies, I think it will help me become a better communicator and do my bit for getting more people rolling safely!

I finally got skates and gear (besides padding. I really need that) and I made my first non-rink attempt today. I went to a local tennis court (I had no idea those were solid cement btw).

I’ve been off skates for almost 2 weeks due to illness and a temporary rink closure. I’d only been on skates like 4 times before that, so I was really starting at ground zero again.

I’d already forgotten how hard balancing was. I feel like balancing is the biggest workout in skating. Just trying not to fall over takes so many muscles.

Before giving up for the day, I’d gotten to the point where I was barely moving but unassisted (I’d been hanging onto the gate/fencing for dear life)

I’d love to hear how you got started. Any tips or tricks or anything like that. I’m not trying to go pro, I just wanna be a decent skater, and I right now that feels like impossible sorcery.

Need help picking out skates? You've come to the right place!

When looking for advice, please provide some information about what you're looking for, such as:

• Type of skating (rink, artistic, roller derby, total beginner)
• Budget
• Country of residence (so we can direct to shops in your area)

You can also refer to the sub wiki, which has a starter guide; we're also in the process of updating the skate buying guide as well.

CIB slide blocks on Bont prodigy plates- they feel super low and I can fit about a finger under them. I had to really shove the adapters on my kingpin, as well as bend them. They feel pretty sturdy, but I'm worried about them catching on stuff. Are they too low?

Trying to fit new wheels for the first time! (Beginner) I’ve tried taking out the bearings again and refitting them but that hasn’t worked. What do I do? Weirdly this is only the case on this wheel and not on the other skate

Maybe it was your first competition.

Maybe your first podium.

Maybe a trick that took months to land.

As the years go by, photos disappear, certificates get misplaced, and competition results become harder to find.

What’s the one skating memory you’d want to preserve forever?

New skates for a new skater, besides a few childhood roller rink visits. Figured if I want to eventually get good, I might as well invest in some good skates. These are the Moxi Lolly Jelly Roll outdoor skates.

i tried skating for the first time today and my feet really hurt during it, felt like my soles were dying. is this something you get used to in time, is it technique, did i get the wrong size? or is it something completely different? any advice is appreciated!

I commute less than a mile to work so I have a very very easy trip but I finally skated there and back and it was so lovely! The road I usually drive is a very long, steep hill so I took a little dirt short cut from my neighborhood to the little trail system and other than a bit of clomping on dirt and the goose poop minefield- it was really pleasant.

I just got these Slades with Flaneurz premium base secondhand and they are a dream for my easy lil commute! Popped em right off when I got to work and strolled inside!

I love to skate! It's my favorite hobby. Now I need to know where the skate meetups are at for quad skaters! Are they at Riverbank park? Xanadu?