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Whether dodging them around the park or

scrolling

through TikTok or Instagram,

sinuous skaters gliding free

this summer will be hard to ignore .

Their assault becomes as unstoppable as they are.

And the pandemic, with the rise of outdoor sports, has caused its

definitive

boom .

The

skateparks

proliferate like mushrooms in the cities while the sales of skates soar and even the American newspaper

The New York Times

calls them the

"new uniform of female empowerment".

Women have made the definitive leap onto asphalt tracks and the machinery of the industry seems unstoppable.

"Since confinement we have been noticing a

large increase in the incidence and girls and young people

not only want their skates but they are also beginning to dare with

skateboards

to surf the city," confirms Mariano Rascón, from the specialized store In-Gravity Retreat from Madrid.

THE TREND ROLLS LONG

A

boom

that has been rolling since the summer of 2020, when the influencer Oumi Janta, a Senegalese based in Berlin who caresses a million followers,

went viral dancing to the electronic tune

of

In Deep We Trust

, triggering searches on Google.

For the fall, the Gucci firm had hired skater Sara Lancerio to star in its

#GucciGrip

watch campaign .

On the runway, designers embraced

streetstyle

by turning the marginal into the mainstream.

And even in the final season of

The Crown

,

a young Princess Diana was seen skating through the halls of Buckingham Palace

circa 1981. The decade of the revival, though it was always popular.

But perhaps the girls did not have the time, the confidence or, more importantly, the space to participate in this activity that social networks now make so accessible and

cool

.

THE BENEFITS OF SKATING

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They are not only fashionable and an "eco" method of transportation.

Roller skating is the

most fun

calorie burning activity.

" It

improves cardiovascular capacity, coordination and balance

. It also helps in the loss of body fat, tones the legs and strengthens the

core

. And it especially works the legs and the gluteus, as they are kept in continuous tension", explains Álex García, Sports technical director of Fit Club Madrid, who recommends skating for all audiences and ages, except elderly people who are at risk of falling.

"If the user's intention is to start skating, I recommend

consulting a professional in this sector

, both to choose the right material and to obtain a good skating technique," he advises.

Margot Robbie in the role of Barbie is quite a skater. Gtres

As for caloric burn, there are always many factors that influence this data, such as age, sex, physical condition, intensity with which it is executed, unevenness of the surface... García gives a graphic example: "Taking as an average a person about 70 kilos at a medium intensity and on a flat surface you could burn

about 500 calories per hour of skating

".

In short, it is a very complete aerobic workout, since it involves all the muscles of the body, in addition to having a low impact compared to other outdoor activities such as running.

RISE AT ALL LEVELS

Video games like

Sky Roller

and

Dance on Wheels

, schools and stores like El Patín de Oro or Roller Monkey Shop,

skate

-inspired clothing and thousands of accounts with

reels

of girls swaying to the rhythm of music.

They all want to be Oumi Janta and cause a sensation with their attractive way of skating.

"It seemed that someone had suppressed happiness and put it in one person

; joy radiated from her like a warm light, "commented one of the girls obsessed with her viral dance.

Sara Álvarez, creator of the Reto 48 methodology, designed for women, talks about three possible effects of hatching: "The first, when we live in cities with long or harsh winters, good weather always invites us to do sports outdoors, being skating one of them. The second, specifically in this atypical year due to confinement and restrictions,

being able to be outdoors has become a luxury to experience

. Therefore, all outdoor sports take on greater strength. The third, the skating is an exercise that you can do in a group, either with family or friends, so fun is always hand in hand with this activity".

Although he adds that this sport requires

protective equipment

(helmet, elbow pads and knee pads): "A bad fall can affect various parts of our body. It is also important to consider the surface and the place where we practice it, since this can increase difficulty and risk.

Except for these precautions, skating always

"helps to live a freer and more creative life",

in the words of Oumi Janta herself.

"It calms me down when I'm stressed and cheers me up when I'm down. I wish I could put all the love back into those messages that make me smile so much by saying I inspire them."

If you have also felt it, get yourself some "comfortable and beautiful" skates, put on your helmets and press

play

.

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