Roller skating has been a beloved pastime enjoyed by generations of kids and adults alike. It’s hard to believe that the first use of roller skates was in a London stage performance way back in 1743!
John Joseph Merlin, a London resident in 1760, deserves the credit for inventing the first skates. Roller skates have certainly come a long way since then!
In the United States, roller skating gained popularity as a pastime in 1935. But it wasn’t until the introduction of skating rinks playing disco music in the 1970s that roller skating became a huge trend. It seemed like everyone wanted to hit the rinks and groove to the music!
Speaking of roller skating, let’s take a trip down memory lane. Do you remember those heavy metal skates that you could attach to your shoes? They were quite the fashion statement back in the day. But there’s something else that you might remember if you were a skater before the 1970s – the iconic skate key.
This copper-colored object was an essential accessory for anyone with roller skates. At first glance, it may look like a bottle opener or some kind of tool, but it is actually a skate key. With the skate key, you could adjust the size of your skates by fitting it into the back of the pair. And to make sure they didn’t get lost while skating, most people wore the key around their necks. It was a small but significant part of the roller skating experience.
Skate keys were such an integral part of roller skating that there have even been songs written about them! They symbolize a time when roller skating was a cherished activity, filled with fun and memories.
So, do you remember skate keys? We’d love to hear your skating stories on our Facebook page. Let’s share this delightful blast from the past with others who may have fond memories of roller skating and skate keys too!
The team recentIy honored the Packer legend for his commitment…
It was yet another forgettable year for fans of the NFL’s New York Jets. The franchise has exempIified mediocrity in the decades since Joe Namath famously predicted the stunning upset the team pulled in the first Super Bowl against the highly favored Kansas City Chiefs.
Since the bombast of Broadway Joe, it has been nothing but misery for Jet fans.
This was supposed to be the season it all changed for the New York Jets. The team aIready had a talented, young roster full of play makers and an up-and-coming head coach in Robert Saleh, but they lacked what every team needs to make a deep postseason run: a quarterback. Enter Aaron Rodgers.
The Jets signed the future Hall of Famer after the Packers decided to move on, and with the pieces already in place, the Jets were a se xy favorite to make their first Super Bowl appearance since 1967
Unfortunately for Jet fans, Aaron Rodger’s achilles tendon had other ideas, and four plays into the season, it tore, and the team was essentially done. First-round bust Zach Wilson failed to deliver competent play once again, and the season subsequently unraveled as it had so many years prior.
Rodgers, for his part, made nothing short of a miraculous recovery from the injury and even lobbied to play Iate in the season, but with the playoffs out of the realm of possibility, the team decided to shut him down in hopes of having him back next season.
The team recently honored the Packer legend for his commitment and perseverance as he recovered from a disastrous injury by voting him “most inspirationaI player” for the 2023 season.
It is a telling honor, considering Rodgers played so very little
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