In another shining example of Peter Pan Syndrome… *cough*cough* I mean… someone who is young at heart, I have purchased a pair of Heelys for myself, and am practicing “heeling” in them as the opportunity arises. I am doing this in preparation for AFTER Christmas, because both the boys will be getting a pair under the tree this year.
I got my own for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, they look like a lot of fun! Come on, now, you know the feeling. Seeing a kid, anywhere from 5 to 15, cruising along the sidewalk, aisle of the grocery store, or concourse in the airport or local shopping mall, effortlessly gliding on the heels of his shoes. They can stop and walk as needed, or push off and glide along smoothly. That feeling is jealousy. Some adults delude themselves into thinking that it’s just for kids, and scoff at themselves for even a second of fantasy. But really they’re jealous that they can’t do it, or are too scared of what other people might thing even to give it a try. Well, screw that. I’m not jealous any more, I don’t care what people think, and I plan to have fun too!
The second reason I got my own Heelys is so that I CAN learn how to heel before the boys do. It will be really nice to be able to show them how it’s done, and help them learn how to do it. I want to be able to show them that if *I* can do it, so can they. I want them to know that if they see something they want to do, even if they can’t do it perfectly the first time, they can work at it and get it, and they’ll know it because I can be their example. I don’t have aspirations of heeling circles around them as they stumble along. I want to walk with them and be their crutch as they find their balance. I want to pick them up when they fall down. And I want to walk along side them as they roll for the first time.
The third reason is that after they learn, one of the best places to heel casually (i.e. not tricking) around here will be the Supermall, with it’s large oval shape. I’ll be the one taking them there after school or on weekends to heel around. I have no desire to hoof it while they roll along. I have no desire to give them walkie-talkies or cell phones just do I know where they are in the mall when I’m sitting down somewhere getting fatter for my lack of exercise. No, I want to be heeling right there along side them. I’ll be there when they fall, and I won’t be out of breath for getting there.
There’s also the small possibility that I’ll heel while playing lazer tag! 🙂 The park we play at has a winding paved trail that is quite smooth for the most part. I’ve imagined myself heeling along with a tagger in my hand, taking on the other team(s) hiding in the brush as I pass by. Of course, to get to that point, I’ll need to be pretty good at heeling over bumps and stopping without using my face for traction. 😉
So, now you know why I got Heelys. Want to know what they’re like?
I have worn them once so far, just to see how they feel. I wore them during the second half of my weekly shopping trip. I put them on without the wheels in before I went into Fred Meyer. Once I got into the store and got a cart, I stopped at the furniture department, sat on a couch, and popped in the wheels. I then used the cart as my crutch to get a feel for having wheels on my heels. It was nice to be able to put my toes down and walk whenever I needed to, and if it wasn’t for the shopping cart, I’d probably have a fracture or two somewhere on my body already. For that short stint in the Heelys, though, I do know one thing. Heelys are HARD! WAY harder than roller skates or blades. Anyone that says they’re easy hasn’t actually tried it out, assuming that seeing a 8 year old girl heeling in the mall means they are easy. They’re not. I foresee a challenging road ahead of me, finding my balance as well as my threshold for speed and agility. Hopefully it won’t involve too much pain, or a trip to the hospital. I plan to take it slow and easy. I won’t be taking on any hills… ever.
Stay tuned for my escapades learning how not to kill myself in shoes with wheels in the heels. 😉
so are they ALLOWED to skate around the malls? Heeleis are banned at our school due to the safety issue of rolling down kids in the hall… I always wondered if they made them in adult sizes!
It really depends on the location. The SuperMall appears to allow them. I’ve been around it by myself as well as with the boys several times now, and I heard stories from the people at Finish Line, where I got mine, about how he sees kids heeling around there all the time. The wheels must be removed for school, and the gym teacher at Nikolas’ school won’t even allow the wheel-less shoes to be worn. I was told at the Tacoma mall by a rent-a-cop that they weren’t allowed. One surprise was that the local skating rink does not allow them. I spoke to the owner, and his reasoning was ignorant at best, but it’s his place, and business is great, so he has no incentive to allow them there. But yes, finding places to heel around that are indoors is a small challenge.