Dumb newbie question

tomdavismcd

Hi guys, recently started skating again for the first time since childhood really - I have a dumb question. I often see skaters who have what looks like a massive round bit of padding covered by some sort of puffy sock around the top of their boots around on the ankle. What is this, what is it called, and does it serve any purpose other than looking good?!? :)

Asj

I don't know, because I'm a dumb newbie, too, but I wonder if it's to keep the skate from rubbing their ankle raw. It's the only thing I can think of.

sevenspirals

I think what you are seeing is folks who are wearing the OG 172 boot or the VLNA Godfather boot as well as a few other historical boots that aren't made any more, AFAIK. These have a large "shearling" (some call it "fish fur") tongue. These were originally designed to help keep the tongue in place and secure the skater's boot. Since somewhere in the 60's or 70's people have started buying those as a fashion statement and just leaving them folded down, or getting 120" or 140" laces and wrapping around the tongue as a fashion statement. The statement is "I care more about how a skate will look than the performance."

• The Riedell OG 172 boot is one of the worst skate boots I've ever owned, starting with the lack of a liner that causes all the nearly 1/4" leather seams to shred your foot very very quickly. I'd get blisters within 10 minutes of skating on them. 10 minutes! The seams just kill your foot and absolutely ruin your agility. Yes, I was in a properly sized boot before anyone asks. I'm not new to this by a damn sight. It's definitely a style thing, not performance. I wouldn't even give them away. I threw mine straight into the trash after having them a couple of years then removing the plate. They belong in the landfill.
• The rear of the boot limits your ankle mobility greatly compared with other boots like a high end Edea Classica, a low end Crazy Skate Evoke, or even a better Riedell boot like the 3200 boot. The mobility in them is frankly terrible compared with just about everything because it's exactly opposite of what you need for your upper ankle (no support, but no cutout either - just leather in your way). I'd rather skate in rentals, being 100% honest.
• The VLNA Godfather is similar but has a bright white shearing tongue and a much better design than the OG 172. It's got much smarter lace placement and you can actually stress the boot without shredding your foot. It still has no liner, but the seams are not even half the size of the primitive ones you find in the OG172. It's certainly not a great boot for performance skating, jumps, or dance, but better than the OG 172 boot.

I would say it's something that only "kids" do to look like the other conformist teens, but alas, you see plenty of old school skaters going around with this "style" and thinking they are super cool. They will even waste nice plates on these horrors. They just don't know any better. They seem to even think they look cool and like it makes them an "advanced" skater. I've skated long enough to know that you don't want to underestimate someone's skills just because they aren't a skate geek in nice skates. People can skate a freakin' brick and make it work, but why fight your gear just to fit in? Leave the shearling tongue skates on the shelf and buy something with a liner that you can skate in for hours without blisters and will conform to your feet without any pain. Skating is highly physical as a sport. You don't learn it by watching or looking cool, you learn it by spending a metric shitton of hours on the rink. Messing up that practice with a PoS like the OG 172 seems criminal to me, but to each their own I guess.

Winston

 start securing your rides by using the knee pads. I was rolling down a hill and unable to stop. I fell from about 6ft high, and while the fall was shocking and scary, I didn't feel any pain to my wrists, knees, or elbows. My pads are pretty scratched up, but I can't imagine what would have happened without them.

BboyHeathen

I agree with severnspirals on the tongue thing. If it's not adding to your ability to skate, there's no real need for it. I haven't used a 172 boot but their lack of stiffness certainly doesn't attract me knowing that I need some support to slide on the edge of my wheels and/or to throw jumps with more rotations. The real appeal of the 172 from what it look like is the freedom of ankle motion and the presence of a heel. There aren't many boots that are effectively lowtop and have a heel. All of the extra leather does seem to make the boot unnecessarily expensive. It must have some decent profit margins.

With respect to the harder/stiffer boots, I think they have a purpose in the artistic roller skating (ARS) or for a skater that will be producing lots of force on the boot as they are designed to withstand more impact without bending. I see value for sliders that want to transition into multiple slides without controlling ankle positions etc. Throwing axles, doubles and beyond is not as easy on a softer boot and the additional force has to go somewhere.

Winston

I also thought it was just for decoration like a style 😂

Winston

Since studying skateboarding up to now, it has been about 5 months. I find myself not mature when doing difficult skills. My friend said that when you are familiar with rolling, you can start performing tips for beginners can take several months. But maybe I'm a bit lazy, but the tricks are difficult...

TonyCarillo

I want to start skating but I live in a very small town so we dont have a skate park.So my question is can I skate just so I can get around the town faster and I guess its a hundred times more fun than walking.

iristhomas1299

We will go through a list of the best places to practice roller skating near you. Roller skate rinks, Roller skate parks, Parking garages, Church parking lots, Basketball courts, School tracks, Tennis courts, Subway stations, Picnic shelters, Backyards.