Quote:
Originally Posted by tnc0712
So, with this many derby girls in one place, which skates should I buy? I've been thinking about trying derby for sometime now, but I don't want to show up completely unable to balance on my skates, KWIM?
I went to a rink and rented their skates the first couple of times to make sure I wanted to do it. Then, I found a good shop that was just for roller derby. They had some great advice and let me try on (and skate around the store) in their skates. A good shop will let you skate in them and will tell you what to look for in the fit. Everyone's feet are different, but I'd recommend getting a complete package to start with. Buying the wheels, boots, plates and bearings individually is way more expensive, and when you're just starting out, you don't need very fancy skates anyways. You'll want to get wrist guards too! That's the most common injury when you're just starting out and learning to fall down.
Also make sure that they tighten the wheels so they're not so loose at first. For example, if you hold the skate and spin the wheel with your hand and it keeps spinning for a long time, it's pretty loose. If you ask them to tighten it, the wheel won't spin for more than 4-5 seconds. That makes it easier to learn how to skate at first, without falling on your butt every minute.
Anyways, here's a link to the skates I bought:
Sure-grip skates
Good luck, let us know how you're doing!