Which is harder, Rollerskating or Rollerblading?

Summary

Who Smarted? - Episode Summary: "Which is Harder, Rollerskating or Rollerblading?"

Podcast Information:

• Title: Who Smarted? - Educational Podcast for Kids
• Host/Author: Atomic Entertainment / Starglow Media
• Release Date: April 11, 2025
• Description: A humorous and educational podcast designed for kids, parents, and teachers, blending trivia and fascinating facts with engaging storytelling.

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1. Introduction to the Wheel and Its Influence

The episode kicks off with the host prompting young listeners to identify the common thread between various modes of transportation and amusement rides, leading to the revelation of the wheel as the pivotal invention. The host playfully credits Grog, a recurring character, with the invention, setting a humorous and engaging tone for the episode.

Notable Quote:
Host [00:27]: "That's right, Grog. After all, it was your invention, smarty pants."

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2. The Birth of Roller Skating

The discussion transitions to the advent of roller skating, highlighting its evolution from a novel idea to a beloved sport enjoyed by millions worldwide. The host emphasizes the resurgence of roller skating's popularity, partially fueled by social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, and underscores its benefits as excellent exercise despite inherent risks.

Notable Quote:
Host [00:54]: "It's actually great exercise, despite, you know, the hazards."

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3. Understanding Roller Skates: Functionality and Speed

Delving deeper, the host explores the mechanics of roller skates, questioning their speed, safety, and historical origins. This segment sets the stage for an exploration of roller skating's evolution over time.

Notable Quote:
Host [01:22]: "So how exactly do roller skates work? How fast can a person go? Are they safe? And how did it all start off?"

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4. Joseph Merlin and the Early Inline Skates

A historical narrative unfolds with the introduction of Joseph Merlin, a Belgian inventor and musician, who is credited with creating the first inline skates in London during the 1760s. The host recounts Merlin's infamous demonstration at a masquerade party, where his lack of braking mechanisms led to a disastrous crash into an expensive mirror, marking the inline skates as initially impractical.

Notable Quotes:
Joseph Merlin [04:05]: "My dear sir, I can answer that question."
Host [04:35]: "Belgian inventor and musician Joseph Merlin is said to have created the inline skate, which indeed came first in London during the 1760s."

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5. James Plimpton and the Quad Skate Revolution

A century later, James Plimpton from Massachusetts revolutionizes roller skating by redesigning skates with a four-wheel (quad) configuration, allowing better control and maneuverability. Plimpton's innovations, including the introduction of brakes and the establishment of roller rinks, significantly boosted the popularity of roller skating across the United States and Europe.

Notable Quote:
James Plimpton [07:33]: "I fixed it."
Host [08:00]: "James Plimpton changed the design of the skate, placing two wheels beneath the front of the foot and two wheels at the heel."

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6. The Roller Skating Boom of the 1970s and the Rollerblade Revival

The host nostalgically reminisces about the 1970s roller skating boom, intertwined with the rise of disco culture. This era saw roller skating become a mainstream entertainment activity, with roller rinks becoming social hubs. Fast forward to the 1990s, the episode highlights the resurgence of inline skating, popularized by the Olsen brothers through their company, Rollerblade. This revival brought enhanced designs with modern wheels, lightweight materials, and improved braking systems.

Notable Quote:
Host [09:09]: "Climton became the roller skating king and inline skates were long forgotten."
Host [09:51]: "If you guessed the 1970s, you're right."

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7. Health Benefits and Safety of Roller Skating

Transitioning to the present, the episode discusses the health benefits of roller skating, including muscle strengthening, calorie burning, and cardiovascular improvements. It also addresses safety concerns, comparing the injury rates of roller skating to other popular sports. The host advises the use of protective gear—such as wrist guards, elbow pads, knee pads, and helmets—and recommends skating in safe, flat areas to minimize risks.

Notable Quote:
Host [14:45]: "When the pandemic hit, stores sold out of skates as people looked for activities to do outside."
Host [15:16]: "Roller skating gives the muscles in your hips and legs a great workout, as well as your abs, arms and buttocks."

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8. Roller Skating Records and Fun Facts

The episode culminates with intriguing facts about roller skating speeds, mentioning the record set in Brazil in 2016 at 60.77 mph, surpassing typical speed limits. The host humorously cautions listeners about the dangers of extreme speeds while assuring that most skaters will enjoy their activity safely.

Notable Quote:
Host [16:29]: "Guess what the record is for inline skating downhill? ... 55 miles per hour? ... the record set in Brazil in 2016 is a whopping 60.77.47 miles per hour."

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9. Interactive Engagement and Community Shout-Outs

Throughout the episode, the host engages listeners with interactive questions, encouraging them to participate in guessing games about historical facts and modern developments in roller skating. The episode also includes shout-outs to listeners who actively engage with the podcast, fostering a sense of community.

Notable Quote:
Host [14:07]: "Get ready to fly."
Host [17:50]: "Super smarty shout out to Carver in Denver who loves listening to who Smarted before bed and then sharing the fun facts the next day at breakfast."

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10. Credits and Acknowledgments

The episode concludes with acknowledgments of the creative team behind "Who Smarted?", including writers, voice actors, sound designers, and producers, giving listeners insight into the production process.

Notable Quote:
Host [17:50]: "This episode, Roller Skating was written by Dave Roller Boogie Beaudry and voiced by Tea Get Down Garland, Max Coolmoves Kamasky, Adam Blades Davis and Jerry Colbert."

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Conclusion: This episode of "Who Smarted?" masterfully intertwines humor, history, and science to explore the evolution of roller skating and rollerblading. By blending interactive elements with informative content, the podcast not only educates young minds but also keeps them entertained. Whether learning about Joseph Merlin's early inventions or understanding the safety measures necessary for roller skating, listeners are taken on an engaging journey through the fascinating world of wheels on feet.

Transcript

[Host]

Hey, smarty pants. Have you ever ridden on a train or a bike? I'm sure you've been in a car before. You might even be listening in one right now. And some of you absolutely love the thrill of riding roller coasters. Now see if you can think of something all these things have in common. Do you know?

[Grog]

Ooh, ooh. Me?

[Host]

No, me.

[Joseph Merlin]

No.

[Host]

That's right, Grog. After all, it was your invention, smarty pants. Have you figured it out? The wheel. That's right. For thousands of years, people have used wheels to move faster from one place to another. On rails, on roads, at amusement parks. And somewhere along the line, somebody thought to themselves, hey, let's put wheels on our feet.

[Grog]

Woo hoo. Everyone look at me go.

[Host]

Woohoo. Yeah. Maybe it wasn't the most brilliant idea. Well, not at first, but roller skating has since become a very popular sport. Millions of people around the world roller skate. And it's become even more popular recently, thanks in part to social media like TikTok and Instagram. It's actually great exercise, despite, you know, the hazards.

[Grog]

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

[Host]

So how exactly do roller skates work? How fast can a person go? Are they safe? And how did it all start off? With a truly big bang. It's time for another whiff of science and history on who smarted?

[Grog]

Who's smarted? Who's smart?

[Host]

Is it you?

[Grog]

Is it me? Is it science?

[Host]

Or history? Listen up, everyone. We make smarting lots of fun.

[Grog]

But who's smarted?

[Host]

Hey, smartypants trusty here with a special mission for all the smartypants listening. But unlike a top secret mission, this mission requires you to tell everyone. That's right. Your job is to spread the word about who's smarted so we can keep growing and bringing you awesome new episodes. To qualify for this mission, let's play a little game. Who do you know that would love who smarted but doesn't listen to the show? Is it A, a friend, B, a teacher, C, a relative, like your favorite cousin? Or D, a neighbor who loves fun facts? Got someone in mind? Great. Question 2. Where and when will you tell this person about who's smarted? Is it A, on a playdate, B, at school, C, in the car, or D on the phone? Pick one, make a plan, stick to it, and best of all, complete this not so top secret mission. I'm counting on you, smarty pants. The more people you tell, the bigger we grow. Which means a lot more smarting for you. All this roller skating talk got me pretty excited to go Roller skating. As you can hear, I'm at a roller rink. Of course, I now have to decide which kind of roller skates I want to wear. Smarty pants, if you've ever gone roller skating, what kind of skates do you use? Do you like the inline skate made popular by rollerblade? Those skates have their wheels in a straight line under the center of your foot. Or do you prefer the quad roller skate which has two wheels under the front of your foot and then two wheels at the heel? Uh huh. Uh huh. Oh. Seems both types have fans. But here's another question for you. Which type do you suppose was invented first? Mmm. Me. No, no. That one.

[Joseph Merlin]

Ooh.

[Host]

Ooh.

[Joseph Merlin]

My dear sir, I can answer that question. My name is Joseph Merlin and I'm the inventor of the skates that came first. Ah.

[Host]

Which means you invented. Hmm, Smarty pants. Which kind of skates came first? Inline rollerblade style or the four wheeled quad style? If you said the four wheeled quad skate, you're wrong. Wait. Inline skates came first?

[Joseph Merlin]

Why yes. Yes they did.

[Host]

Belgian inventor and musician Joseph Merlin is said to have created the inline skate, which indeed came first in London during the 1760s. Of course, there were others who claimed to have put wheels on shoes before Merlin did.

[Joseph Merlin]

Even if they did, nobody put on a show like me. In fact, I made it to a farthe masquerade party right now to introduce my wondrous new invention to London's Eye Society. I'll be wearing my newly invented skates myself.

[Host]

You sure that's a good idea? They might not be ready to use.

[Joseph Merlin]

Just watch in amazement as I skate and play the violin.

[Host]

I don't think that's a good.

[Joseph Merlin]

Quiet. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you my marvelous creation. Watch as I glide around the room on wheels while I play enchanting music.

[Host]

So, smarty pants, because we live in the future, we know what happened. Merlin did show off his skates at a costume party by rolling around and playing the violin. But while the music was splendid, his skates were not. Can you guess what was wrong with them? Is it A, they had no brakes? B, they couldn't turn? Or C, both? If you said C, you're right. With no way to slow down or turn, an out of control Merlin whizzed past all the spectators and crashed into a massive mirror which was worth over $100,000. The mirror was destroyed and so was the violin. Merlin was also badly hurt.

[Joseph Merlin]

Is there a doctor in the house?

[Host]

Merlin would recover, but his skates would not. It would Take another hundred years for any kind of roller skating to become popular. And the man who made it happen was a Yankee. Now batting, right fielder, Aaron Judge. No, no, no, no, no, no. Not the Yankees baseball team. I mean Yankee as in American. Or more specifically, from the northern United States.

[Grog]

That's right. The name's Plimpton. James Plimpton. I'm from Massachusetts, but I ran a furniture during the 1860s. At the time, my doctor recommended I take up ice skating to stay in shape. Unfortunately, you can't ice skate in the summer. So I thought I could try roller skating. But the inline skates of my day couldn't turn. And you know what happens with those. So I fixed it.

[Host]

Indeed he did. Plimpton changed the design of the skate, placing two wheels beneath the front of the foot and two wheels at the heel. These wheel pairings were attached separately to the skate using devices known as trucks. No, a different kind of truck. These trucks are springy carriages that allow skaters to turn by simply leaning in a different direction. People who owned these quad skates could easily control their movement.

[Grog]

Wait, what do you mean own?

[Host]

I mean people who bought these skates could.

[Grog]

Are you serious, man? No, no. We don't want any of that.

[Host]

Oh, right. Smarty pants, can you guess what Plimpton did with his skates? Did he A, only give them to his friends and family to use, B, rent them out, or C, keep his skates only to himself? The correct answer is B, he rented them out.

[Grog]

Not to toot my own horn, but it was a brilliant move. People kept paying me over and over to use my skates. I made a ton of money on them. And my other invention, A special place for using my skates.

[Host]

Smarty pants, can you guess what that special place James Plimpton created is? Did you say a roller skating rink?

[Grog]

My roller rinks made roller skating popular all over the United States and Europe too. Around that time, the toe stop was invented, which made braking on roller skates even easier. Roller skating became safer and more fun for the whole family.

[Host]

Climton became the roller skating king and inline skates were long forgotten. Roller skating's popularity came and went over the years with the sport hitting another peak decades later. Smarty pants, do you know when this so called roller revolution happened? Is it A, the 1950s, B, the 1970s or C, the 1990s? Here's a hint. If you guessed the 1970s, you're right. With the rise of disco music, millions of young people wore their bell bottom pants, polyester party clothes and tie dye shirts to roller rinks where they could roller boogie to disco music all night long.

[Grog]

Oh, yeah, I'm grooving now.

[Host]

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

[Grog]

I'm okay.

[Host]

But by the end of the seventies, something funny happened. What was very old became new again. Two hockey playing brothers named Scott and Brennan Olsen found an old pair of inline skates. Like the kind invented by Joseph Merlin. Yeah, that guy. The Olsen brothers redesigned these old skates, adding modern wheels, lightweight materials and brakes that made them easier to control and much faster than regular skates. They were sold through a new company the brothers created Smarty Pants. Can you guess its name? Is it A Nike, B Speedy or C Rollerblade? If you guessed Rollerblade, you're right. By the 1990s, inline skating, now often called rollerblading, had finally become the huge hit Joseph Merlin dreamed it would be in the 1700s.

[Joseph Merlin]

Told ya. But do people still crash?

[Host]

Sure, from time to time. But now there's protective gear. And these better designed skates allow skaters to better control their speed.

[Joseph Merlin]

Yes, well, I still wouldn't advise skating in front of a hundred thousand dollar mirror. Speaking of speed, just how fast do these new inline skates go?

[Host]

Smarty pants? Do you know? I'll tell you the record speed right after this quick break. Have you ever had that moment where your kiddo looks up at you from the kitchen table, frustrated, stunning, stuck on their homework and you want so badly to help them, but you just can't. Not because you don't care, but because school is different now. Math looks like a foreign language, the grammar rules have changed. Not to mention you're juggling five other things and dinner is burning. Every parent I know has been here. That's why I want to tell you about something that can make your life easier. Ixl. It's an online learning program that helps your child with math, English, science and social studies from Pre K to 12th grade. But while that would be enough, what makes it extra special is how it adapts to your child. It figures out what they need and guides them gently toward mastery. And just like Whosmarted IXL makes learning fun. Your kids get instant feedback and even earn rewards. So if you're trying to set your child up for success, then set them up with ixl. It works and it's fun. And now who smarted? Listeners get 20% off when you sign up [e-mail] smarted that's ixl.com smarted 20% off. So you can get the most effective learning program out there at the best price. And be the helpful parent that you were meant to be. Okay, let's be honest. Life is a lot right now. Between school drop offs, back to back meetings, half folded laundry, and texts you forgot to reply to, who has time to launch that business idea that's been living in your Notes app since 2021? Especially with that one thing standing between you and finally getting your business out into the world. A website. That part always feels like a brick wall. You want it to look professional. You want it to work. And you don't want to spend a lot of money on it. That's why I'm telling you, use Squarespace. With Squarespace, it's as easy as tell it what your idea is. Pick a style you love. Boom. Website. They've got tools for sale. Selling, scheduling, newsletters, online stores, all of it. And it looks beautiful and it works perfectly. And the whole thing happens in minutes in the middle of your real, messy, overloaded life three months from now. Don't let the reason you still haven't launched your business be. But the website. I built my first Squarespace site in less than a half hour. This is the sign for you. To build yours. Go to squarespace.com smarted and use code smarted for a free trial and 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. You don't need more time. You just need the right tool. That's Squarespace. Prepare for launch. Ready? Everybody ready?

[Joseph Merlin]

Okay.

[Host]

Get ready to fly.

[Grog]

So that's how my family started our Christmas vacation in the South Pacific. Pacific. Not exactly the way mom and dad planned it.

[Host]

GZM Shows presents Hidden Island. An original audio adventure for the whole family. Search for imagination amplified. Hidden island to hear more. Mom, dad, this island, it's not on the map. Now back to who smarted Smarty pants. If you go roller skating these days, chances are you're not at a roller skating rink. And you might even own your own skates.

[Grog]

What? That's crazy.

[Host]

When the pandemic hit, stores sold out of skates as people looked for activities to do outside in their neighborhood, schoolyard or local park. Social media like Instagram and TikTok have also fueled the latest skating craze. And skating is not just fun, it's healthy. Roller skating gives the muscles in your hips and legs a great workout, as well as your abs, arms and buttocks. Skating burns calories, improves flexibility, and is good for your heart.

[Joseph Merlin]

Yes, but is it safe? I spent a week in the hospital last time I went skating.

[Host]

Smarty pants, which of these sports do you think sends more people to the emergency room than roller skating, football, basketball, soccer, or cycling? The answer is all of them. And some reports say you're more likely to be injured playing at a playground than on a pair of skates. So the benefits seem to outweigh the risks.

[Joseph Merlin]

But didn't you say crashes happen? Perhaps into a very expensive mirror?

[Host]

Yes, crashes do happen, which is why you need to be prepared. Wrist guards, elbow pads, knee pads, and most importantly, a helmet are a must. Also, you need to be careful where you skate. Stick to nice, flat, even pavement. And just know if you go downhill, you're gonna move faster and you could lose control.

[Grog]

Whoa.

[Host]

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

[Grog]

I'm okay.

[Host]

Yikes.

[Joseph Merlin]

I was just racing across a crowded ballroom. How fast can you go downhill?

[Host]

Well, on level ground, the average person can skate about 8-16 mph, which puts you around the speed of a running squirrel. If you go downhill, though, things change. Smartypants. Guess what the record is for inline skating downhill? Is it A, 30 miles per hour, B, 40 miles per hour, or C 55 miles per hour? Well, the record set in Brazil in 2016 is a whopping 60.77.47 miles per hour. That's nearly 125 kilometers per hour. That's faster than most highway speed limits. Pull over. Ooh.

[Joseph Merlin]

Crashing at that speed wouldn't feel good.

[Host]

No doubt. But chances are you'll never go that fast. Just remember to stay safe and have fun.

[Joseph Merlin]

Well, I'm ready to give these new rollerblades a try.

[Host]

Here I go.

[Joseph Merlin]

Hey, this is fun. I can turn and slow down and wah. I'm okay. But my violin.

[Host]

Oh, yeah. Smarty pants. When you roller skateboard, leave your violin at home. Take a minute now and leave us. A five star Apple review. You might hear it on the show. And don't forget, you can listen to who Smarted anywhere, including Apple podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music, including Hands Free Listening, powered by Alexa on all Apple, Android and Echo devices. A super smarty shout out to Carver in Denver who loves listening to who Smarted before bed and then sharing the fun facts the next day at breakfast. How cool is that? This episode, Roller Skating was written by Dave Roller Boogie Beaudry and voiced by Tea Get Down Garland, Max Coolmoves Kamasky, Adam Blades Davis and Jerry Colbert. Technical direction and sound design by Josh Helmut Hahn. Who Smarted is recorded and mixed at the Relic Room studios. Our associate producer is Max Kamasky. The theme song is by Brian Toast Ben Suarez with lyrics written and performed by Adam Tex Davis. Who Smarted was created and produced by Adam Tex Davis and Jerry Colbert. This has been an Atomic Entertainment production.