So whats a Heelys

So what’s a Heelys?

I’m sure you were asking yourself that very question, just before you clicked over on my blog. A couple of days ago I was asking myself that very question because my grandson Sam said, “will you buy me a pair of Heely’s grandpa?” I said, “ask your grandma and what is a Heely’s?” Then I said “and why aren’t your mom and dad buying you a Heelys and just what is a Heelys? And how much does it cost?”

Well it seems that those tennis shoe looking shoes are really Heelys in disguise. When you look under them you will notice that the heel has a wheel cleverly inserted making them about as dangerous as a skate board. Well Sam said, to his grandma aka Neena, “Gee Neena they are only $65 a pair and I have saved some of the money myself.” Neena was impressed and caved only later to learn that the money he had purportedly saved was really quarters that his mom saves in a glass jar and were not available to him. So Neena said, “so what” and her and grandson Sam went shopping. Apparently they were $65 per pair until they became in short supply and now they are $85 a pair, going up and down like gasoline. Obviously they bought a pair and Sam has spent two solid days practicing. His 1st crash was in the office, on carpet and he landed flat on his back. He then went and put on his bike helmet and continued practicing constantly saying “come here Pops, I want to show you something” and he shows me his latest gain with staying aloft.

What Sam holds in his hands are the wheels [round things], two inserts [black things] for when he is not using the wheels and a tool [red thing] for removing the wheels or the inserts. To me it looks like a roller skate key and will probably disappear as often. Harking back, please remember the roller skates that you slipped over your shoes and tightened with a roller skate key. Without the key you could not tighten the skates unless you had a pair of pliers. I can see having to supply him with an endless chain of screwdrivers as he and his buddies lose their Heelys tool.

Sam informs me that these are not just Heelys but Fast Style Heelys. He can now do two tricks, Switch which is spinning and going the opposite way and go straight ahead. Going straight appears to be the toughest thing but he is almost there. He says you can’t wear them in school with the wheels and in certain stores. He wants to warn everyone not to use them in Taco Belle restaurants because the floors are really slippery. You will notice, in the photo below, that these shoes are not without risk. That is Sam’s knee. I would like to take this opportunity to warn those of the older generation, who might be so inclined, to avoid trying them out at all costs unless you have a job where casts and head injuries are not important and if that is the case then you probably can’t read this anyway. Remember the skateboard!
I think it was simplier raising children when we raised his Mom!