Whether you sell skates at your roller rink pro shop or are just trying to figure out what kind of skates to buy, welcome! We’re sharing a quick guide to the main types of quad roller skates to give you an overview of the options and the differences between types of skates.

Speed Skates 

While inline speed skating is slightly more common, quad speed skates are quite popular as well. Just like a running shoe, speed skates are designed to make them ideal for speed, with a close-to-the-foot fit that more closely resembles a shoe than many other skate boots. The main goal of a speed skate is, well, speed! In order to make the skate lighter weight (and thus faster), a speed skate will have less padding and a lightweight plate, making it great for long distances and intense training sessions. The boot will usually be low-cut under the ankle bone to allow for a wider range of movement; flexibility and agility are key when maneuvering at top speed! 

Jam Skates

Like speed skates (which have also become popular with some jam skaters), jam skates are designed to be lightweight and are cut low around the ankle for maximum range of movement. This allows the skater to perform the fancy footwork that sets jam skating apart! The only real difference between skates marketed as “jam skates” vs. “speed skates” is the toe. Speed skates have a toe stop, which can get in the way if you’re trying to pull off certain jam skating moves. Instead, jam skates will have a toe plug, which can be replaced in many different colors to fit your style. 

Roller Derby Skates

Roller derby is a pretty intense contact sport (on wheels!) so not only is it action-packed and fun to watch, but it’s also a bit rough on skates and skaters. Derby skates may look a lot like speed skates or jam skates, but they typically have much more padding to protect the foot from impact with other skaters and the track. Roller derby skates often have a velcro strap in addition to the traditional laces to ensure a locked-down, secure fit. 

Artistic Skates

If you’ve ever seen roller skating that looks more like ice skating or figure skating, you’ve seen artistic skating in action. Artistic skates have the “old fashioned” silhouette that you probably think of when you think of a classic roller skate. The higher cut of the boot provides more ankle support than low-cut skate styles, which is important when performing spins and jumps. 

Artistic skates generally have a higher heel than other types of skates, distributing more weight to the front of the plate and thereby increasing both control and agility – important factors when attempting the intricate moves of artistic skating. 

Rhythm Skates

Rhythm skates are generally more like artistic skates than jam skates, even though both of these types of skates are used for dancing. However, unlike jam skating which is much more break-dancing-inspired, rhythm skates are used for old school styles of dancing on roller skates, namely shuffle skating or rhythm (short for rhythm and blues or R&B) skating. This style generally keeps all 8 wheels on the ground most of the time, and the focus is on rolling and bouncing to the beat of the music. 

Outdoor Skates

The only difference between an outdoor skate and an indoor skate is the type of wheel you use. Indoor skating on hard, even, clean surfaces requires a harder wheel for a smooth roll. However, if you were to take your skates outside with the same wheels on, you’d quickly find that the rough, uneven, and unpredictable surfaces are not conducive to roller skating. The simple solution to make your skates ready for the great outdoors is to trade the wheels for a softer version. Outdoor skate wheels have more “give,” allowing them to absorb the shock of hitting cracks, bumps, twigs, etc. as you roll along. 

Take a look at our skate catalogs, and get in touch to place an order for your skating rink! 

Our annual tradeshow is coming up on Oct 7 and 8, here at our Roanoke warehouse.  This is a great chance to see other rink operators, preview the new skates, and learn more about our business.  We’ll have presentations from the local RSA Chapter (more details soon, but they’re working on more seminars than in the past) and we’ll have a presentation from Sure-Grip Skate about rental skate maintenance.  Invites are going out in the mail soon, so be sure to save the date.

We will also be mailing out a “customer update form” to help us make sure the contact info we have for everyone is up to date.  Area codes change, land lines get cancelled, email addresses switch, so we’d like to make sure everything we have on file is still correct.  When you see this form, we would appreciate it if you could please take a minute to fill it out and send it back to us.  Thank you.

Roller skating is a fantastic summer activity for kids, but surprisingly, some skating rinks are not making the most of this perfect pairing. Check out these marketing tips for skating rink owners to help you get more customers through the door this summer, from our team at Southeastern Skate Supply. 

Summer Marketing Ideas for Skating Rinks

Start early

Plant the seeds for summer attendance while school is still in session. Roller skating is a healthy activity for kids that improves strength, endurance, and balance, making it a great field trip option. Make sure the schools in your community know that you offer skating field trips, and consider teaming up with local schools to reward students for good report cards. This will raise awareness with kids and parents so your rink will be top of mind when they’re thinking about things to do once school’s out. 

Get the word out 

There are lots of ways to market your skating rink, including: 

• Submit your events to the local community calendar websites or print media in your town or county. Depending on your area, there may be several newspapers, local interest or parenting magazines, tourism/chamber of commerce publications, parenting blogs, etc. that would be willing to add you to their event calendars for free. 
• See if you can get the local news station or radio station to do a remote broadcast from your skating rink during an event. 
• Cross promote with another business. Consider teaming up with a local business like an ice cream parlor or car wash; when someone brings in their receipt from your partner business they get 10% off admission and vice-versa. 

Give them an extra incentive 

Obviously roller skating is a draw all on its own, but when competing for summer crowds, it doesn’t hurt to up the ante. Consider running limited time summer specials that families will want to take advantage of before school starts back. Offer package deals that make your rink an attractive place to spend the day, like an admission, lunch, and arcade token combo. 

When marketing your skating rink for summer, remember to focus on the benefits of roller skating for kids – it’s active, it’s social, and best of all, it’s INDOORS! No sunscreen or bug spray required. 

Make sure you’re stocked up for summer crowds with rink equipment and signage, food items for the snack bar, and prize counter novelties. You can find it all at Southeastern Skate Supply! 

“What to wear roller skating” and “How to dress for the skating rink?” are common questions not only asked to Alexa, Google, or Siri, but also to skating rink staff. Do you know how to answer? The best way to help your customers know what to wear (and what not to wear) is to create your own rink rules for proper attire and post them clearly at the entrance, as well as other locations if you have available space. Check out some pro tips for creating your skating rink dress code. 

• Socks, socks, socks! Requiring socks should be rule number 1 for hygiene purposes. Plus, the person working the skate rental counter will thank you. This also allows you to provide more value to your customers by selling socks at your pro shop. Customers who forgot to wear or bring socks will be grateful, and you can even use this as a way to upsell customers by offering colorful novelty socks. 
• Decide what you definitely will not allow. Shirts and shoes required is a good place to start, but you’ll also want to create a rule banning clothing that features profanity, obscenity, and/or offensive subject matter. 
• Encourage safe and comfortable dress. Skaters should wear comfortable clothing that allows them to move freely and doesn’t endanger themselves or others. For example, tight jeans or dresses can be restrictive and make it hard to move on skates, while excessively long or loose clothing can get caught in your wheels or trip another skater. It’s also better to avoid wearing anything that has a lot of metal on it, like a belt with a large buckle or pants with lots of zippers. Falling down while wearing hard metal elements can take a fall from “no big deal” to “OUCH!”
• Reserve your right to make a judgement call. It’s not good for business to get too nitpicky with your dress code – after all, you want people to come have fun, not feel like they’re back in school – but unfortunately some customers will push the limits from time to time. Make sure that your clearly posted skating rink rules include a mention of “proper attire” or “appropriate attire,” as well as your right to refuse service or remove without refund anyone who is in violation of the rules. 

The occasional clueless or rude customer aside, owning a skating rink is an incredibly fun and fulfilling investment, creating a space where the community can come together to celebrate birthdays, fundraise for local organizations, or just have a good time. If you’re looking for skating rink equipment or information to help you start or improve your skating rink business, Southeastern Skate Supply is here to be a resource for you. 

Our annual tradeshow will be October 7 and 8 (Mon and Tues) here at our Roanoke warehouse.  This is a great chance to see new products, meet with vendors in person, and talk to other rink operators.  Best of all, there is no cost to attend.  More details are coming soon but please mark your calendars now.

This is always a slow time of the year for new product info.  So here are some products that aren’t new, but that you might have forgotten about:

Bionic Swiss Bearings – Similar to the other Swiss bearings out there, but a lot cheaper.

Socks – If the customer comes in without socks, you need something cheap and easy to sell them.

Shoe Deodorizer – Our deodorizer spray is specially designed to go on drier than a lot of the other brands, which is great for rental skates.

Gear Bombs – Small discs designed to sell to individuals.  They drop them in their skates or their hockey bags and this helps soak up the odors.

Freespin Bearings – A great bearing for a reasonable price.  An excellent value for someone looking to upgrade their bearings.

Reflex Tools – These multi purpose tools had been out of stock for a long time, but we’ve got them again.

Roller Derby Rolling Bag – A deluxe rolling carry-on style bag with a removable backpack built right into it.

Shoe Goo – Goes onto the toes of the skates, dries fast and hard, and helps protect skates from wear and tear.

Light Up Laces – Available in several colors with lights built in.

Roller Derby’s Flux and Carver inline skates are great values for younger skaters.  The Flux has a removable base, so you can switch between inline skates and quad skates.  The Carver is an inline skate with protective pads included in the kit.

As most skating rink owners can tell you, there’s a lot more than fun and games to operating a successful family entertainment business. From maintaining a facility and marketing events to running a staff and stocking the snack bar, you’ve got a lot on your plate! But no matter how busy it gets, always make skating rink safety your top priority. Check out a few tips from your friends at Southeastern Skate Supply to get you started. 

Skate Maintenance is Key

Carefully maintaining rental skates isn’t just a matter of customer service, it’s also a matter of safety. You should make sure these inspections and repairs are happening on schedule, and also keep detailed written records of all maintenance and repairs carried out on your skates.

• Prior to handing the rental skates over to a customer, employees should inspect (and if necessary, adjust) the adjustment of toe stops and trucks, as well as the wheel locknuts and the mounting of the plate to the boot. 
• Monthly, or every 150 hours, the toe stops should be inspected, rotated, and/or replaced. The same goes for the rubber inserts and cushions. King pins should also be inspected. 
• Every 6 months or 1,000 hours, the cushion cups and action nuts should be inspected for wear and tear. 
• Annually or every 2,000 hours, the toe stops, rubber inserts and cushions should be replaced. Inspect the toe stop threads for wear and tear. 
• Every other year or 4,000 hours, replace the cushion cups, action nuts, and king pins. 

Make the Rules of the Rink Known

Aside from skate maintenance and rink policies for staff, it’s also important to let your customers know the rules. The easiest way to do so is by posting skating rink safety signs. Check out our wholesale skating rink equipment section to find the right signs. 

Install a Security Camera System 

Unfortunately, despite the best safety protocols and precautions, sometimes incidents happen. Having a skating rink surveillance system may deter some criminals from trying any funny business in the first place, but if not – well at least you have video evidence on your side should a problem arise. From bogus accident claims to fights to theft, installing cameras is a smart move to protect yourself and your guests.

If you’ve paid attention to the news lately you know that tariffs on items from China are increasing.  This has NOT impacted us yet on any of the skates that we carry, but it has impacted the paper goods that are used for party supplies.  Our supplier has just notified us of a new price increase that is effective on their newest shipment.

 

These prices are for all styles of the party supplies, including the classic “mirror ball” design as well as the newer “party time” design.  All of these are packs of 1000 pieces and they remain a great value.

We just received a new shipment of the Vanilla Junior skates.  We don’t have as many as we’d like, but it’s a lot better than it was last week.  Here is a breakdown of what we’ve got as of today (June 4 2019). . .

 

Royalty – Sizes 3 through 8 are good.  A few pair of size 9.  No 10 or 11.  ONE pair of 12.

Tuxedo – All sizes in stock.

Zona Rosa – Everything in stock, EXCEPT for sz 6.

Mint – Sizes 3 through 6 in stock.  A few pair of 8, 10, and 12 in stock.  Nothing in 7, 9, or 11.

Code Red – Size 3 through 8 in stock, nothing bigger than the 8.

Stealth – Every size in stock, but not many of the sz 6 or 9.

Code Blue – Every size in good shape.

 

They’re in the process of calling customers that have these on backorder to see if they still want them shipped.  Feel free to call us to speed it up a bit if you need something quickly.  THANKS

The Lucy skates are finally back in stock.  This is a popular adjustable quad skate with a fun pineapple design on the boots.  We had been out of them but a big shipment came in and we now have both sizes in stock again for the first time in several months.

We are expecting a good shipment from Vanilla that should fill in most of the holes in our Junior inventory.  The shipment should arrive June 5 or 6 and then we should have almost all sizes of the current Junior skates back in stock.  We will get the backorders shipped out as fast as we can contact you to make sure you still need them.

Our annual tradeshow will be on October 7 and 8 (Mon and Tues).  This is a great opportunity to meet with other rink owners and to see new products that are coming out.  We will have more details soon but please mark your calendar now to reserve those dates.