London Skate Centre

I made my way over to Bayswater for a peek at the LSC rollerskate selection this past weekend. All but one pair of roller skates seemed geared toward teens or adults who act like teens. I like to consider myself a kid at heart, but I’m still probably not going to wear skates with a Fall-​colour motif on them. That said, if the colourful skates hadn’t seemed a bit cheap-​looking, then I certainly might have considered trying on a pair, at least. The two pairs of skates, sort of, ‘theme neutral’ were those that looked to be modeled on a roller-​blade or hockey skate and those that looked like a figure skate sans blade. I opted for the white-​on-​white figure skate-​looking skates, asked to try them on, and wound up buying them. The young fellow who helped me is also a figure skater and had lots to say about how the boot should fit, what happens to a foot when boots are too tight (from his personal experience), and, because I asked, what the difference between a professional and amateur ice-​skater is. Those who are paid to teach or perform are considered ‘professional’, whereas those who compete and aren’t compensated are considered ‘amateur’.
The majority of the store is devoted to the sale of ice-​skates and roller-​blades with skate boards taking up a bit of the display wall, too. I should think that skate enthusiasts of all stripes would do well to visit LSC. Roller-​bladers and quad skaters: Hyde Park is only a few blocks from LSC, so take your newly-​purchased skates for a spin through the greenery!