Flashing Heels? Shoe Skates?
It was not very long ago that I documented my son’s introduction to and adventure with the wave board. I remember both of us having lots of fun with it as we learned how to use and maneouver it. This time around, and on the same store in the mall where we bought the wave board, we came by the street glider. It was my son who pulled my hand and pointed out the contraption that caught his interest. The street glider.
It comes by different names. Flashing heels, street glider, flashing roller skate, flash roller, shoe skates. If I were to choose, I’d probably call it ‘heel wheels’. Again, this skate innovation showed up in the US about a couple of years back. Again I wondered why these cool kid stuff did not get to reach the status of the good old skate board and the roller blades. What I mean is that, in movies and on tv, kids are most often shown still using the skate board or roller blades. Rarely, if ever do we get a glimpse of the wave board or the street glider. Or, perhaps I don’t watch tv and movies more often.
The Street Glider Learning Curve
The kid did not wait for me to get to the cashier to pay for it. He had the store clerk adjust it and put it on his shoes. The excitement on his face more than immediately justified the purchase. He immediately began climbing the learning curve and seems to be getting on with it quite nicely. When we got home, I tried it and after 5 minutes immediately realized that the learning curve is a bit steeper compared to that of the wave board. This, and my son’s request to not use it too long because he was afraid I’d deform it, especially after he saw the weight limit at 70 kilograms (although I’m way less than 70 kgs.), I decided to forego anymore practice for next time. Actually, I also would not want anymore spills butt first, like those when I first practiced with the wave board.
So, I opted to use the wave board instead. We had earlier bought new replacement wheels for the waveboard. We were thus a threesome that evening on the street fronting our house. Me on the wave board, my son on his street glider, and my 5 year-old daughter on her scooter.
Like I said in an ealier post, my son has a thing for wheels (or, don’t they all?). At 5th grade, he’d already had 6 kinds of wheels (trike, roller skates, bike, roller blades, skate board, wave board, in that order). I suppose it wouldn’t be long before he’d pull my hand and ask for real wheels that moves by itself.
Heel Skates with Flashing Wheels
Flashing Heels of Various Colors
