Mission Statement: To get more blades on people’s feet! -and enable people to see rollerblading and have the chance to try it out. Preserve blading for another 20 years and beyond. We want to inspire you to give back to blading as it has given to you (whether it is confidence, excitement, joy or friends you will know for the rest of your life). Let the good times roll! We want to give you some ideas to help others share in this great thing called rollerblading.
Pick a goal from the GSTB (Get Someone to Blade) Fundamentals. Choose one or more of these ideas and start executing them. Every time you try and attempt one of these ideas you will learn what works for you -or doesn’t work. Remember successes and failures are all learning experiences. These are all ideas that have worked for me, but if something else pops up in your brainstorming sessions try it out. Whether big or small the key is to set a goal and execute it. Here are some goals you might be interested in.
Keep it grassroots and local! The best way to get this thing rolling is to build it up where you live and keep it local for you and your community.
GSTB Fundamentals
1. Collect old skates (and parts to build new skates) and teach friends and kids how to blade. Make it easy and accessible for people to try out blading. Getting actual blades on feet is the most effective way for people to become rollerbladers.
Sounds simple but it works! Don’t throw away anything that could be used again. Recycle bolts, wheel spacers, frame spacers, buckles, liners, frames and boots.
Check out thrift shops and garage sales for skates. Recreational skates will work for kids at first and you can get parts off them too. Collect from friends you might not be actively interested in the GSTB thing. They will definitely be down to donate for the cause if they don’t want to put in work themselves.
Get your arsenal or quiver of blades ready to go (4-10 pairs of blades will work). This is really not that hard. Put your blades in an old bag or a box in the trunk of your car. There is nothing worse to someone who is interested in trying out blading than you tell them to go watch you tube. Catch them at that moment and give them a chance to blade and to form their own opinion on blading.
2. Teach kids or your friends how to blade. This is the easiest but by far the simplest but most important of the GSTB fundamentals. Take an interest in your little brother’s, sister’s cousin who might want to learn how to blade. Take them to the streets or to the skatepark and teach them how to blade. Simply watching and giving an encouraging word will do wonders in creating more bladers.
Take your friends with you and let them use your blade arsenal or quiver from GSTB Fundamental 1.
This is important make sure not to give your blades away to someone who is really psyched at first. Make them earn it, see if the are dedicated and will use the skates for more than a month or two. Better yet help them get their own skates from a local shop or online shop. This will help put money back into the industry. Remember you need your blade quiver to keep you teaching going.
3. Set up a weekly, monthly or bi-monthly session. Meet up at a park or street spot same time same spot as scheduled. It is most important that you or one of your crew shows up religiously to keep the session going.
Spread the word about the session through MySpace, Face Book, Twitter or even old school flyers or phone calls.
