Roller-Skating in the Groovy Era Roller Skating Was Crazy Awesome! by Rebeka Knott
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
archived as www.stealthskater.com/Documents/RollerSkater_Retro.doc (also …RollerDerby_Retro.pdf) => doc pdf URL-doc URL-pdf other articles are on the /Sports.htm page at doc pdf URL note: because important websites are frequently "here today but gone tomorrow", the following was archived from http://groovyhistory.com/roller-skating-was-crazy-awesome/ on 01/20/2017. This is NOT an attempt to divert readers from the aforementioned websites. Indeed, the reader should only read this back-up copy if the updated original cannot be found at the original author's site. Roller-Skating in the Groovy Era Roller Skating Was Crazy Awesome! by Rebeka Knott Roller skating has been around for decades. Its popularity may wax and wane like the moon. But it’s always around. The 1970s and 1980s are widely recognized as roller skating’s heyday. Everyone skated everywhere they went. From morning into the wee hours of the night at the roller discos. 1 Roller skates were literally as common as shoes or more like an appendage for some people. The fad had a funky yet provocative effect on people and a huge cultural impact overall. Everything was affected from the far-out clothing, rad roller-movies, and television shows to roller-related marketing strategies. Literally, everything went roller disco. It was like a very sparkly plague that made everyone wanna strap on some "blazin" pop wheels and get down on it. Pop-Wheels were wildly popular. There were many versions of pop wheels that were easier on the eyes. They were just like sneakers. But the roller sandals were pretty rough. They were basically like clogs but with retractable wheels built-in. Cringe-worthy nowadays. But pure gold in the 1970s. 2 Sidewalk Skates were basically just sneakers with wheels. According to O.J. Simpson, skating is “The greatest thing in outdoor recreation since jogging.” While pop wheel skates were among the more popular, even more so were the sidewalk skates. Which is baffling since they were essentially ankle-snappers which most rinks wouldn’t let past the front door. There were skating festivals full of shiny happy people. Skating was a huge deal. Entire streets would be blocked off in major cities for skate festivals and races. Even the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco was once overrun with the happiest looking skaters ever photographed. They even managed to earn a world record at a Golden Gate event – “World’s longest skating serpentine.” 3 Roller Disco emerged and made history In the 1970s when roller skating began to catch on, the disco craze was already at its height in popularity and people were not ready to let it go. Instead on one fad replacing the other, they were combined and roller discos were born. The lights, the music, the disco ball, and all the dance moves with wheels thrown into the mix. The 70s may have corrupted roller skating Leave it to the 1970s to take a perfectly good family- friendly activity and make it as pornographic as possible. The 70s was like that bad influence friend that roller skating shouldn't have been allowed to play with. But they just had so much fun together! The influence of the 80s (oddly enough) is what calmed things down a bit and skating rinks became kid-friendly again. 4 Roller girl trends suddenly took on a "less is more" attitude The resurgence of the roller skating craze launched its own brand of fashion which consistently morphed all throughout the decade and well into the 1980s. The 1970s skate fashion was more of an unholy alliance between disco and uninhibited sexuality (with wheels strapped to it). Even the men were often scantily dressed. Even fully covered, they still let it all hang out in the Groovy era It was a time of sexual revolution. And even when covered from head to toe, women found ways to exude sex appeal while boogieing on down. Stars like Cher were infamous for embracing the sheer and “barely there” look of clothing in the 70s. So much glitter, such little left to the imagination. It was childlike fun and indulgence for Adults Many participants in the roller skating resurgence in the 1970s remembered loving it when they were just kids. Roller discos allowed the fun from childhood to merge with the benefits of adulthood like drinking, smoking, and flirting. It was as if many took a favorite pastime and threw in a little glam and some debauchery and just indulged. 5 "Playboy" threw a Roller Disco & Pajama Party In 1979, ABC’s Primetime Special “Playboy’s Roller Disco & Pajama Party” made both playmate and roller-skating history. Hugh Hefner knew a good fad when he saw one. So he put some of his bunnies on wheels and threw the ultimate party at his California mansion. There was even a live performance by the "Village People" because if you can’t skate to Y.M.C.A., why bother? Skate fashion evolved in the 1980s The 1980s skating attire involved much more fabric. And hair. Colorful socks, tights, giant earrings, and crop- tops filled the skate rinks. Nothing topped the lovely ladies on the floor dressed in leotards and leg warmers like they were getting ready to like totally go aerobicise with Jane Fonda. 6 It was a time when everyone had Skating Fever Celebrities were lacing up and rolling out off screen as well. Everybody had skating fever. Cher, Brooke Shields, Farrah Fawcett, and even Patrick Swayze could be found on roller skates. This really reinforced the craze and is probably the reason it lasted so long. All the fancy footwork kept Skating interesting Skating was popular in pretty much every city in America and it seemed everybody had skills. Most places even developed their own skate-style. For example, Chicago’s distinctive style was known as "JB Skating". This involved pulling off sweet James Brown dance moves while skating. Of course, all these different methods brought out the competitive side in people. The people of Chicago and New York each became convinced they were the roller skating mecca. Best skating, best pizza… They’ll compete with each other over anything! 7 The Skating craze got people out of the house Even the biggest “disco queens would roll out of bed before sundown to “go bootin” down the strip. The boardwalks of Venice Beach, California were filled with the legendary roller babes throughout the 1970s. The mayor of Los Angeles declared Venice Beach “the Rolling Skating capital of the World” in 1979. Skating provided environment-friendly travel Two good things that can be said about the 1970s was the extent with which people were concerned with the environment and personal fitness. Roller skating is certainly provided calorie burning cardio and fuel-less travel. It’s no wonder that roller skates became such a huge sensation. 8 Roller skating rinks were the hangout spots for teens Even if you didn’t want to skate, the Roller Rink was where you wanted to be. It was a "be there or be square" situation. Sure, roller rinks were popular in the 1970s. But they became the social hubs of the 1980s for most teens. All the popular music of the time was blared over loudspeakers. They flashed colorful lights, had video game arcades, and snack bars. “Couple’s Skate” was a staple in young love Who could forget the Couple’s Skate? For one song every hour, only couples had the floor. This meant you got to slow skate hand-in-hand with the “love of your life” to Debbie Gibson’s “Lost in Your Eyes.” Or it meant you could skate up next to your crush as the lights dimmed and “forced” to grab their hand under the guise of not wanting to be booted off the rink with the rest of the singles. 9 Roller movies flooded theaters As could be expected, the massive fad caught the interest of Hollywood filmmakers. Soon scripts with storylines centered around skating were being shot faster than they could be written. There are more roller skating films in existence than there ever should be. But "Skatetown U.S.A." (Patrick Swayze's first movie role), Linda Blair’s "Roller Boogie", and of course Olivia Newton- John’s "Xanadu" are the only ones that matter. Roller skating-themed television episodes of the 70s are classics Many television shows incorporated the fad into an episode. But the most memorable was the Chips episode “Roller Disco” in 1979. The story was about robbers on pop wheel skates. Obviously not the best getaway plan. ut hey, it was 1979. Everyone wanted to make a cameo in this episode and they did. Ed McMahon, Antonio Fargas, Todd Bridges, Tina Louise, Dick Van Patten, Leif Garrett, Larry Linville, Nancy Culp of the Beverly Hillbillies, and even Laverne & Shirley’s Cindy Williams to name a few. 10 The hilariously random ads that dragged roller skating into everything “When he offers you a low tar cigarette, tell him you’ve got one of your own.” What exactly, this has to do with roller skating is anyone’s guess. As is, why anyone would think smoking while engaging in cardio is going to work out well for anyone. Oh, you silly 70s! Skates got their own groovy magazines It was of no surprise that major magazines of the time such as People and Tiger Beat often featured celebrities with roller skates strapped to their feet on the cover. But soon there were also magazines specifically devoted to the social sport and even some that focused solely on Roller Derby.