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The Shoes That Cruise
A review of the latest in rollerskating fashion
By Christina Appleberry
So you may have noticed this recent trend towards wheely-shoes.
Kids everywhere are freaking people out with their Heelys, two major
shoe companies are making roller skates, and Soap shoes are more
or less the official shoe of freestyle walking. (Okay, Soap shoes
have no wheels and freestyle walking is totally lame, but the shoe
and the "sport" are surprisingly popular.) And it all
seems to be in keeping with a bigger trend towards "extreme"-ifying
everything. Walking is no longer enough, now you've got to roll
around and jump on stuff at the same time. But as far as the shoes
go, here are the basics facts — and of course my opinions —
on some of the more popular ones to come out of this trend.
 Heelys:
The shoes that cruise
Heelys are regular skate shoes with a detachable wheel (very important
since Heeling is being prohibited at a lot of schools) in the heel,
hence the name. They're actually not bad looking shoes and the idea
behind them is really cool. They allow you to walk or run and transition
to a roll at any given moment. Walk and roll. If I had the balance
and coordination, I might seriously consider purchasing a pair.
Okay, so I agree that Heelys are kind of neat. But the sport of
Heeling? Team Heelys is a group of Heelers that tour cities demonstrating
the shoes and showcasing tricks at malls and sporting events…
Soap shoes: The shoes that grind
These shoes have a removable plastic plate in the sole that allows
you to grind rails, curbs, benches or anything else you can think
of. These are the preferred shoes of freestyle walkers, although
you don't actually need the shoes to freestyle walk. Freestyle walking
is the sport that's also a joke. I've been to a lot of freestyle
walking sites in the last week or so and all it is is jumping off
of stuff. Freestyle walking (or FSW) is not cool, but it's extremely
amusing because the "athletes" are so serious about their
"sport." There is an annual FSW Competition that's been
happening for the last five years. This is not a joke.
 Roller
Skates, 4 Wheelers, Roller Kitty: They're all the same
Sketchers and Puma are both trying to bring roller skates back in
style. Sketchers have opted to call their roller skates 4 Wheelers,
while the folks at Puma are calling theirs Roller Kitty. Both companies
have basically just added wheels and stoppers (front and back for
the 4 Wheelers, just front for the Roller Kitty) to a pair of regular
shoes. I think the Roller Kitties look pretty good. Pumas have a
kind of simple, old school style that works well for roller skates.
The 4 Wheelers, on the other hand, aren't so great looking. And
style names like "Glimmer," "Freerider," and
"Medallion" don't make them any more appealing. I don't
think the roller skate fad will last very long (if it actually starts).
Street Flyers: Why walk when you can fly?
Street Flyers are just variations on a theme. They are shoes that
have two retractable wheels in them that you snap out to turn them
into skates. "Why walk when you can fly?" the company
asks. Well, because even though these sound like they'd be cool,
they are not. They are totally ugly and a lot heavier than regular
sneakers. There are a few different companies making this version
of wheel shoe, but they all look pretty cheap. The shoes don't have
stoppers on them and, unlike the Heely, you can't just put your
toes down and walk if you think you're going to fall. I saw a kid
who was about nine or ten trying to get around on shoes like that
and he had to hang on to someone so he wouldn't fall down. Also,
the huge sole necessary to house the wheels make them look almost
like Spice Girls style platform sneakers — which is just completely
unacceptable.
— Christina Appleberry is a superstar.
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