Skater Buds

My daughter recently informed me about her interest to try ice skating. She had been watching the pairs skating on TV and wanted to dress up in an extravagant costume and hear the peals of applause from a capacity crowd. Unfortunately, it’s August, and none of the local indoor rinks are affordable. I suggested that she try a pair of youth skate shoes instead.

Before turning her loose on her new wheels, I made sure that every safety concern was covered. The helmet came first, of course, and then a pair of kneepads and wrist guards. I broke out my old pair of rollerblades and skated alongside my daughter as she learned to maintain her balance. It’s become an activity that we can share as a bonding experience, and I’ve set aside many Saturday afternoons for the express purpose of skating through the park.

It practically goes without saying that advanced technology has made our lives better in an infinite number of ways. The Internet allows us to look up just about any piece of relevant information in a matter of seconds, and cable channels are specialized to our exact tastes and preferences. But sometimes an overabundance of convenience can translate to other problems.

Many of today’s children are overweight or even obese, and lack of physical activity is the primary cause. With that in mind, any means to facilitate some exercise would be a significant help. Kids skate shoes are flashy and aesthetically pleasing, but they also serve a truly altruistic purpose: saving our children from the burden of serious health problems in the future.

It’s in most children’s nature to follow trends. Before we figure out what we want to be, we imitate the actions of others. This doesn’t entirely explain the popularity of extreme sports – they do provide an exhilarating thrill, after all – but it comes close. There will always be a huge mass of followers, but only a select few kids actually set the trends and lead the pack.

Skate shoes are a cutting-edge alternative to skateboards and traditional roller blades. When not in use, they take up much less room in a kid’s backpack and they light up for nighttime demonstrations. It’s no surprise that skate shoes have begun to catch on at middle schools across the country. After all, the cool kids have given these extreme skates their stamp of approval.