Advice for parents and those supervising children

Roller skating is a fun activity that can be enjoyed by all ages but there are some considerations we can all make so that children can skate safely (and to keep those around them safe aswell! :D).

Generally children are less able to perceive risks on a skating rink – this is brilliant in some respects as it frees them to challenge themselves and learn more rapidly. However it does also mean they are more likely to be involved in collisions and accidents – quite often with adults who might be older and less robust or quite probably bigger and heavier and who are not always able to avoid landing on top of them. You can and should consider investing in protective pads and a helmet but helping them understand how to behave and stay safe on the rink will be at least as important.

Please try and make sure the children in your care understand the best way to skate at a rink and the things they should and should not be doing in order to keep themselves and others safe.

Direction of skating: do skate the same way as everyone else

Helping children on the rink understand that everyone should skate in the same direction is really important. For the same reasons you wouldn’t drive the wrong way down a one way street, you absolutely don’t want anyone skating the opposite direction to everyone else around a skating rink 😀 If you are not accompanying your children on the rink, but are spectating, you will want to be confident they understand this. Sometimes we do change the direction of skating so probably best to emphasize its about skating the same direction as everyone else.

Lateral movement: don’t cut directly across the rink into the path of other skaters

We also see quite a lot of new (young) skaters cutting directly across the rink and this can lead to accidents if people can’t maneuver around them. The best way to move laterally across the rink is to move across, gradually (diagonally) and to try and stay aware of what skaters are nearby. 

Speed: slower skaters tend to stay near the inside of the rink, faster skaters on the outside

If your children are skating on their own while you supervise from the seating area, its probably a good idea to suggest they do not skate too close to the outside of the rink unless they are joining or leaving the skating area (see above about moving diagonally 😀 ). Accidents do happen, and falling is an unavoidable part of skating but at the outside the rink there will generally be larger and faster skaters, so any accidental impact will be significantly greater.

If you have any questions or are not sure about some aspect during the evening please find one of our marshals or ask at the till. The marshals will always try and ensure everyone is following good skating etiquette but ultimately anyone under 15 is the responsibility of their supervising adult.