Temperatures are dropping, leaves are changing and clothing is becoming thicker. There is no doubt fall is upon us, with even our tires shivering out air from the cold. Here at Skate Moore we love everything about fall from Halloween to Thanksgiving and all of the fun in between.

However, today we are here to talk about a different kind of fall: the one you try to prevent while on roller skates. Falling on roller skates is what most people try to prevent. We are here to tell you that there is no way to prevent it completely. We are also here to teach out how to prepare for a fall, which will help prevent injury.

Did you know there are certain ways to fall to help prevent injury?

Falling backwards can cause injury to your head, tailbone, neck and/or back. Whereas, falling forward can cause injury to your face and everything on/around it.

The Art of Falling

Here is the BEST way to take a tumble while roller skating:

• Keep the body slightly forward
• Sit down using one side of your buttocks and a thigh
• Do not sit back too far and put your tailbone in jeopardy
• It is almost the same technique as a safety stop in ice skating

It is important to remember that there is no way to prevent a fall, so make sure to wear all proper safety equipment. Because of the simple fact we just mentioned, it is important to practice and prepare. We know it may sound crazy to practice falling on roller skates, but intentionally falling will help a ton when it actually happens.

Perfecting the Fall

So, how do you practice falling? We are here to give you some tips to master the art of the roller skate fall:

• Go through the steps mentioned above in your backyard without skates on. This will help your body get used to the motion.
• Now, practice the fall in your backyard with your skates on.
• Now, practice your fall while skating slowly.
• Increase speed as you practice.
• Once you feel comfortable, incorporate your fall practice into your skating.

We hope your fears of falling on the skating rink will fall away with our tips and tricks above. If you want to come practice with us, check out our open skate times and pricing. We will be closed on October 31st to celebrate our spooky staff and give the ghosts and ghouls a chance to roller skate. Also, make sure to stay up to date with our special events page for theme nights and events to show off your new skating (and falling) skills. Our next special event is Fall Late Skate from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. on November 1st.

October is known for a lot of our favorite things: Halloween, the changing of the leaves, and baseball playoffs, just to name a few. Did you know that October is also National Roller Skating Month? Instead of watching the same old horror movies, switch it up with roller skating classics, like Xanadu, Boogie Nights, Roll Bounce, Brink, or Skateland.

We are celebrating all month long at Skate Moore Skate Center, but today we’re going to share some of our favorite things about roller skating, including fitness facts , some cool history, and some fun facts you may not know about skating. Hold on to your roller skates and get ready to learn something new!

Why the Skating Rink Is the Best Gym in Town

Did you know that skating is a great aerobic and cardiovascular workout? It’s also a lot safer than many of kids’ and families’ favorite healthy hobbies. Check out this helpful infographic about the health benefits of roller skating from the Roller Skating Association International. For example, did you know that one hour of roller skating burns an average of 600 calories? Check our our times and upcoming events to come in and get some exercise while having a blast!

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Here are some other fitness facts you should know about roller skating:

• Roller Skating is proven to be a complete aerobic workout, incorporating all of the body’s muscles—including the heart.
• Skating strengthens the heart and improves blood circulation.
• Using your lower back and abdominal muscles while roller skating will help improve balance, agility, and coordination.
• Strength training and aerobic exercise are two types of suggested physical activity to prevent diabetes. Roller skating is considered both.
• It’s also an endurance-building sport.
• Skating is a low impact sport, which means it reduces the chances of injuring joints and muscles while exercising.
• It’s fun! And that’s not an opinion, it’s science. Cue the endorphins and let your stress roll away.

Roller Skating Is a Time-Honored Tradition

Skating may be our favorite way to stay in shape today, but we’re not the only era that was all about the roller skating lifestyle. Above is a picture of the first person to create and use roller skates, John Joseph Merlin. Along with his picture is an image of the kind of roller skate he created. Looks tough to balance on, right? That’s where James Leonard Plimpton came in. He designed the first four-wheeled, turning roller skates in 1863. Obviously, roller skating became increasingly popular during the 1970’s and the disco era. However, long before disco fever hit America, England hosted the first roller skating competition in 1875. Over the decades, there have been many improvements and innovations that keep propelling roller skates forward, from toe stops to multi-wheel to completely new kinds of roller skates.

Think roller skating is a thing of the past? Here are some current statistics about roller skating in America:

• Skating centers belonging to the Roller Skating Association host about 47,000 parties each month or 564,000 parties each year nationwide.
• Roller skating centers host 23 million visits per year from kids in grades fifth through seventh plus 18 million visits annually by kindergartners through fourth graders.
• An American Sports Data survey revealed 10.8 million people roller skate. Another 29 million inline skate.

It’s plain to see that National Roller Skating month is more than worth celebrating. What’s your favorite thing about roller skating? Roll by the rink this month and let us know.

Happy National Roller Skating Month!!

If you’re a “rink rat” or habitual skater, roller skating is just a part of who you are. You’d rather be skating than doing almost anything, and you’re the first to hit the rink and bust out some fancy footwork when “your song” comes on. But does your roller skating show off your personal style? Read on for some tips on expressing yourself as a skater at Skate Moore Skate Center. 

How to Show Off Your Skate-sona (Skater + Persona = Skate-sona!)

• Develop a signature move – or several. If you’ve got the basics of roller skating down, kick up your style with a cool new move like the Moonwalk or Crazy Legs. Once you’re super confident on skates, you can even master some of these impressive roller skating tricks!
  
• Customize your roller skates. Aside from the type of roller skates you buy (quad or inline, low or high top boot, color, brand, etc.) there are a ton of ways to customize your roller skates. Change the colors of your laces, toe stops or plugs, and wheels; add accessories like pom poms, skate lights, light-up wheels, custom toe guards, or side blocks. You can even deck out your skate bag with enamel pins, buttons, stickers, vinyl decals.
  Visit our pro shop to buy quad or inline skates, plus wheels, bearings, and many other skating accessories to express yourself, and keep an eye out for cool accessories to add to your gear.
  
• Achieve your skate squad goals. If you love to skate with friends, a roller skating party is a great way to combine your love of skating with your social life! You can even make group t-shirts to show that your skating squad are your BFFs on and off the rink.

No matter how you show off your unique personality, be yourself and have fun! We’re here whenever you want to hit the rink and let loose. 

Most people are familiar with indoor skating at a skating rink, but might not be as familiar with other types of skating. If you’re wondering what the differences are between indoor, outdoor, and ramp skating, you’ve come to the right place. Read on to learn how these types of roller skating differ, but remember that they’re all great ways to have fun while exercising!

Indoor Skating

Most indoor skating is done at a skating rink (or roller rink), a hard, smooth surface designed for skating. Because it is indoors in a controlled environment where it can be maintained and cleaned, the skating rink floor offers a much smoother ride than if you were to go outside. Indoor skating uses harder wheels, allowing you to roll faster. 

Outdoor Skating

Outdoor roller skating is a great way to enjoy nature while getting some exercise, but don’t just take your indoor skates outside! You’ll need to change to different wheels for outdoor skating. These wheels are softer, providing grip and shock absorption on the less even surfaces you’ll find outside. Outdoor skate wheels will allow you to roll over small cracks in the sidewalk or leaves on a paved path without too much trouble. However, there are a lot more hazards to roller skating outside, so be sure to wear protective skating gear including wrist, elbow, and knee guards, as well as a helmet. All it takes is one stick or patch of gravel to cause a fall, so wear your pads and be as safe as possible. 

Ramp Skating

While ramp skating can be done inside or out, most skate parks are outdoors. Ramp skating is kind of like the daredevil version of roller skating, using the ramps, bowls, pipes, and other features of the skate park to push your skating skills to the limit. If you’re interested in learning how to ramp skate, check out this great ramp skating for beginners lesson on YouTube. And of course, don’t try any of these moves without the proper safety gear! It’s best to start small and work your way up.
Whether you just want to have fun with friends or train for a sport like roller derby or ramp skating, practice is a must. Check out our schedule for open skating sessions in Moore, OK!

New classroom assignments and shiny new school supplies means another school year is about to begin. Meeting new teachers, parents, and students can be exciting yet nerve-wracking. We all remember the excitement of picking out your backpack, school supplies and first-day-of-school outfit. While back to school shopping can be fun, Skate Moore is here to keep the summer vibe alive.

Just because summer is over, it doesn’t mean the fun has to be over too!

Here are some fun ways to keep the summer rolling into the school year:

• Scheduling a PTA Skate night at Skate Moore is a great way to get to know the teachers, parents and students at you or your child’s school.
• Plan an after school classroom outing with the new class and parents. Check out our hours for open skate.
• You could also schedule a private party for the classroom. We have awesome rates and availability.
• Grab your best girlfriends and have a Mom’s Night Out at Skate Moore once school is back in session.
• Have everyone grab their favorite Hawaiian shirt and come enjoy one of our late skate nights.
• Plan a scout troop, Sunday school or other team bonding activity with your child’s new teammates

Whether you are going back to school or sending your kids off for another year, the summer fun does not have to end. So grab your kids, friends or new classmates and come down to Skate Moore and keep your summer fun going!

**Please note that we will be closed from August 31st until September 4th for Labor Day Weekend**

There’s no feeling quite like the joy of gliding around on roller skates – but what happens when your skates aren’t rolling like they should? Don’t worry, you just need to learn some basic roller skate maintenance! Read on for some roller skate maintenance tips from the pros at Skate Moore Skate Center in Moore, Oklahoma. 

Skate Maintenance Basics

• Dry your skate boots – The boot is the upper part of your roller skate, and it can become wet if you perspire while skating. When you’re done with skating for the day, it’s important to let the boots dry! Wipe down the inside and outside with a soft cloth to remove as much moisture as possible, then loosen the laces and open the boot as much as possible to facilitate faster drying. DO NOT try to speed up the process by using a heat source, as this can warp the boot and ruin the fit!
• Check your toe stops and trucks– Sometimes your toe stops can loosen up or change position while skating. Just take a quick look to see if they need to be tightened or repositioned. You should also check the trucks to make sure they are still fitted snugly against the skate boot. Both skates should be equally tight for a smooth ride. 
• Make sure your wheels and bearings are rolling smoothly – First, check for wear and tear on your wheels. If they’re worn out or damaged, you should replace your wheels. Give your wheels a spin and notice if they’re spinning easily or seem to be slowed down with dirt and debris. You may need to take them off for cleaning, which will also give you a chance to clean your skate bearings. These need to occasionally be removed, cleaned, and lubricated for optimal performance. Learn how to clean your skate bearings. 

If you’re an experienced skater, you already know that roller skating is a great summer activity for all ages, and that there are plenty of opportunities to get your roll on at Skate Moore, including our expanded summer hours. But what about the newbies? If you want to share the fun of roller skating with your child, friend, or spouse who has little experience on wheels, it’s a good idea to start them off with skating safety gear.

Safety Equipment for Roller Skating

• One of the most important pieces of safety gear for any activity on wheels, from bikes to scooters to roller skates, is a helmet! While there is no “concussion-proof” helmet, this item of safety gear can prevent serious head injuries and brain trauma according to the CDC.
• When learning to skate, most people are likely to take a few tumbles. Another important piece of roller skating safety equipment is the wrist guard. Since most of us will instinctively put our hands out to break our fall, wrists are one of the most commonly injured body parts when skating. Wearing protective wrist gear minimizes the likelihood of sustaining a break or fracture.
• Our indoor skating rink has a clean, smooth skate floor, but even so, beginners may want to wear knee and elbow guards when starting out to minimize injuries from falling. However, when it comes to skating outside, even experienced skaters should wear elbow and knee pads! The hazards of outdoor skating – cracks, twigs, gravel, etc. – can cause you to take a spill on rough asphalt or cement. If that happens, you’ll be very glad you protected your knees and elbows to avoid nasty scrapes and lacerations.

We hope to see you and your family this summer for some indoor skating fun at Skate Moore! Give us a call with any questions about your visit at 405-794-4644.

Are you tired of rolling around in rentals every time you want to skate? Do you wish you could adjust the rentals to fit your skating style? How you do you know when it is time to give in and finally buy a pair of roller skates of your own?

Here are some clues to help you determine when you need to buy your own roller skates.

• When you have your favorite pair of rentals at Skate Moore
• When the Skate Moore employee immediately grabs said rentals upon your arrival
• When you are on a first name basis with all Skate Moore employees
• When you have spent more on skate rentals than paper towels.

In all seriousness, there are a few different things we need to take into consideration when thinking about buying your own roller skates.

1. The first thing to consider is age. Skates are an investment and if you think your feet could grow any more, you should hold out until your feet are done growing.
2. How often you skate is another big indicator. If you are a weekly skater, then we would definitely suggest investing in roller skates. If you come every couple of months, then maybe stick to rentals.
3. The only exception to #2 is if you are a fashionista and the rentals are just aren’t doing it for you or your outfit. Roller skates come in every shape, style, boot color, wheel color, lace color, etc. If you think having your own pair of stylish skates will get you in the rink more often, then we say get them!

Buying roller skates is an investment, especially if you want good quality skates that will last. What we want you to take away from this is only you can decide whether or not buying roller skates is a worthy investment.