I’ve got a brand new pair of roller skates, You’ve got a brand new key…

June 8, 2010 I’ve got a brand new pair of roller skates, You’ve got a brand new key…

I’ve heard some people say they were born with a tail or gills because they lived at the neighborhood pool growing up. Well, I was born with roller skates on my feet. In my middle school hay days, I spent at least a couple nights a week at Skate City. The rest of the time, I just buzzed through my neighborhood on my 8 wheels.

When we first came to this country and were very, very poor, my mom bought me a pair of these from the thrift store:

metal strap-on skates

Those things were terrible! I didn’t have to be a good skater to know that they were no good.

In the second grade, at my day care, I sat on Santa’s lap and whispered to him that all I wanted for Christmas was “a pair of Strawberry Shortcake roller skates.” I don’t remember a lot from my early years, but I distinctly remembered being completely amazed when they appeared under the tree that xmas. I don’t remember believing in Santa. Even at age 7, I remember trying to rationalize if the day care told my parents and they bought them and wrapped them and, well, who cared? I got my skates!!!

Strawberry Shortcake Roller Skates

Strawberry Shortcake Roller Skates

These are not the actual photos of mine. I don’t even know where mine are. I wore those things until they didn’t fit anymore, then I wore them some more with the velcro open. I wore the toe stops down to the bolt and they had to be rotated and then when the stoppers were complete nubbed, I wore the sides of the wheels down to nothing.

I guess I went through the natural progression of Quad Roller Skates. My next pair was just a basic white artistic style with red wheels and stopper. Again, there was nothing left of those puppies either when I was finished with them.

At age 14, with $114 of my Chinese New Years money, I bought my very first pair of Rollerblades. They had JUST come out and I HAD to have them! They were huge, bulky, uncomfortable, and I never really fell in love with them. I wore them only a few times. They never really fit right or felt right. In hindsight, I would’ve been better off spending the money on a pair of speed skates and becoming a roller derby girl.

Sadly, I haven’t really been on wheels since then.

Fast forward 20 years and I’ve just asked for a brand new (to me) vintage pair of skates that are almost as old as I am. Check these bad boys out:

Vans ACS 500 Roller Skates circa early 80's

Vans ACS 500 Roller Skates circa early 80's

Vans ACS 500 Roller Skates circa early 80's

They are SO HOT! I can’t wait until they get here!!!

Maybe then I’ll be doin’ stuff like this:

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