Rediscovering the Joy of Roller Skating

22 May 2023 by
Daisy Wong

With the advancement of technology, people have more ways to entertain themselves, but they have also lost many of the pleasures they used to enjoy. Roller skating was one of the most beautiful childhood memories for many people. In recent years, Hong Kong has once again sparked a roller skating craze, becoming a retro and leisurely activity. Many people have rediscovered the joy of roller skating and shared their photos and videos on social media, which has made more people understand and love this activity.

roller skates

The Origin and Evolution of Roller Skating

Roller skating has a long history and the first four-wheeled roller skates with wheels arranged in parallel were invented in the late 19th century in the United States. At that time, people began to use metal wheels and shoes to simulate the feeling of ice skating. With continuous improvement of technology, roller skating gradually became a popular sport and leisure activity. Nowadays, roller skating has become a global sport and recreational activity.

Roller Skating in the 70s and 80s

Roller skating was one of the most popular activities among Hong Kong youth in the 70s and 80s, along with playing soccer, hanging out at Link, riding bicycles, and of course, roller skating. Roller skating was a cherished memory of many people's youth during that era. In those days, you could always find a group of kids wearing roller skates chatting and watching each other at street corners, parking lots, and parks. Occasionally, some skilled skaters would even show off their impressive moves, leaving everyone in awe. Roller skating was a popular leisure activity back then, and many people spent quality time enjoying it.

“Buns” was a popular indoor roller skating rink in the 1980s, located in the basement of Sha Tin New Town Plaza, open 24 hours and well-loved by young people. This demonstrates the enthusiasm for roller skating at the time.

ROLLER SKATING - BUN's BUN's

Reasons why Roller Skating is Popular

In addition to providing speed and freedom, roller skating in the past brought us the joy of playing and enhancing interpersonal relationships with friends. During the skating process, we can help and encourage each other, and enjoy this fun together, which is also one of the beautiful memories brought by roller skating.

Enjoying the Sense of Speed

The charm of roller skating lies not only in its fun, but also in its challenges. For beginners, simply standing on roller skates is a huge challenge, let alone mastering the techniques and achieving high-speed skating. However, these challenges are also what make roller skating enjoyable. When we overcome these challenges and successfully complete various techniques and movements, the sense of achievement and confidence is indescribable.

Satisfying Different Needs

You can glide on smooth surfaces in parks, streets, bike paths, or other locations and enjoy the beauty of nature, as well as the challenge of various different terrains in outdoors. While for indoor roller skating, the rinks usually have specialised facilities and equipment, such as rails to help beginners maintain balance. Indoor roller skating rinks also provide a comfortable environment, allowing you to enjoy roller skating regardless of the weather conditions.

Improving Interpersonal Relationships

Playing with friends can enhance interpersonal relationships, helping each other, encouraging each other. When someone falls, friends will immediately run over to help and encourage them to keep trying. This friendship and support can be very warm and touching. Recalling the good times of the past, you can go roller skating together, enjoy this fun activity, find a pure and simple happiness in this busy city, and reminisce about that era full of good memories, enjoying the fun of roller skating.

Top 3 Roller Skating Rinks in Hong Kong Recommendation

If you want to experience the fun of roller skating, here are the top three roller skating rinks in Hong Kong:

1. HK Roller Skating School

It is located on the 8th floor of MegaBox in Kowloon Bay, covering an area of over 25,000 square feet. It is currently the largest indoor roller skating school in Hong Kong. The school provides professional roller skating training, including courses for beginners and advanced skaters. The facilities are well-equipped and the venue is spacious, suitable for students of different levels.

HK ROLLER SKATING SCHOOL

2. Bun’s 2020

It is located in North Point and it is the largest indoor roller skating rink in Hong Kong, covering an area of over 20,000 square feet. The venue is divided into a main area and a training area, suitable for skaters of all levels. Its decoration presents a retro style of the 80s, with many retro photo spots, including neon lights and antique street lamps. Inside the rink, a DJ plays old-school disco music, creating a passionate atmosphere throughout the venue.

ROLLER SKATING - BUN's - 02

3. WeSkate

It is located in Tuen Mun, combines an indoor roller skating rink with a roller skating equipment store, covering an area of about 6,000 square feet. They offer small group lessons for 1 to 4 to 8 people, as well as one-on-one coaching sessions. Fees include rental of roller skates and protective gear, making it affordable for beginners to try out. They also have a roller skating equipment store that offers a variety of roller skates and equipment for purchase.

ROLLER SKATING - WeSkate

Tips for Beginners

Here are a few tips for beginners to keep in mind when roller skating:

  1. Wear suitable roller skates: Comfort and stability are very important when it comes to roller skates. If you are a beginner, it is recommended that you choose a more stable shoe with the appropriate size. In addition, the roller skates should fit snugly around your foot to fully protect your ankles.
  2. Maintain body balance: Beginners tend to lose their balance easily, so it is important to pay attention to your centre of gravity. Keep your body upright, tighten your stomach muscles, and focus on maintaining balance. It is also recommended for beginners to wear a full set of protective gear, in case of accidents, to minimise injuries.
  3. Practice body coordination: Roller skating requires good body coordination, which can be challenging for those who lack coordination skills, especially turning, which is a difficult technique to master. To practice turning, one can start by practising slow turns on a suitable roller skating rink and gradually increasing speed.

In the days without smartphones and the internet, roller skating brought precious memories to people back then. In recent years, roller skating has made a comeback after thirty years and has become a retro activity. Many people share their photos and videos on social media, allowing more people to learn and love this sport.

In the past, roller skating photos and videos may have turned yellow and it could be difficult to view them again. However, Capture.HK offers digitisation services that can digitise yellowed photographs and videotapes into digital format, allowing the images to be restored to their original colours.


*This article is brought to you by Capture HK.

Capture HK is the premier analogue media digitisation company in Hong Kong.

Capture HK's business covers photographs, photo album digitisation, videotapes digitisation, including VHS, S-VHS, VHS-C, S-VHS-C Hi-8, Video8, Digital8, DV, DVCAM, MiniDV, DVC and digital media digitisation, including Secure Digital (SD), Smart Media (SM), MultiMediaCard (MMC) Compact Flash (CF), xD-Picture Card, Memory Stick, USB Drive, CDROM, DVD.

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