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The Future of Roller Skating

This past week I was doing a bit of research to prepare for this blog post. What stood out to me was an article by The Atlantic written in 2014 titled “Whatever Happened to Roller Skating?” The title of this article stood out to me because I often get asked that same question. I don't know if it’s just me, but that question sounds condescending. 

The very first paragraph began with words like old fashioned, outdated, not-glitzy, and retro. Retro sounds like a good thing, but in the context of this question all it means is holding on to the past. I almost scrapped this blog post all together because I was so discouraged. I continued reading though, and I am glad I did.

The author of “Whatever Happened to Roller Skating?”, Tonya Basu, took the time to ask her question to some of our own. She highlighted Jim McMahon, the executive director of the RSA, who went into detail about how our industry is not outdated or in decline. Tonya also interviewed James Vannurden from the National Museum of Roller Skating. James shared the history of roller skating and how roller skating has always adapted to the needs of the market. “Whatever Happened to Roller Skating?” ends on a positive note with a quote from McMahon that says, “We are at levels like we were 20 years ago.” 

It seems to me that Tonya was asking not to be disrespectful, but to get an honest answer from those within the roller-skating community.

Thank you for reading! Let me know what you think in the comments bellow.

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