Philly Landskaters
RecRoll
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It's legendary. It's Monthly.
Overview
The RecRoll is short for Recreational Roll. It’s held the last Sunday of each month. It’s ideal as a first time out with us skate — or a stress free casual skate for any type of skater.
It’s always approximately 8 to 10 miles of inline street skating through the streets of Philadelphia. That may seem far, but for anyone in a standard mid to high-cuff inline skate, it is actually a comfortable distance that even a first timer should enjoy.
Like all Landskater group skates, the RecRoll is a non-competitive skate. Where it is different than many other skates, is the pace. It avoids hills but doesn’t promise you won’t encounter one or two. It also features more breaks along the way.
Consider it more of a healthy exercise, not a workout. Inline skaters who enjoy a faster pace will skate in the front, with casual skaters to the middle or back. All of our RecRoll skates are at a comfortable speed in which you can easily talk to a fellow skater without running out of breath or laboring like a workout. The halfway point is almost always the very south point of South Street with a 15 minute break.
When
The RecRoll is held the last Sunday of each month during skate season. Skate Season is between April and October. The standard meetup time is 10:00 AM. See our calendar for details such as departure time, etc…
Where
All Landskater group skates meet up and begin at the foot of the Philadelphia Art Museum steps.
Sometimes other events take place on the Ben Franklin Parkway or at the Art Museum steps. Most of the time we make no changes, we work our way through the crowd, we respectfully share the public space.
Then there are times we have no means of accessing our group up area, or are denied access altogether. When this happens, it’s a good idea to know other member and text them for details or best of all, be a member of our email list-serv. It’s not a mailing list. It’s used like a group chat that most members respond to passively when key members or skate leaders need to announce last minute changes such as an alternate meeting place due to events like a charity run or even a parade. You can of course email the list to request an update such as “Are the streets dry yet?” after a storm has passed.
Parking
Most skaters traveling by car will find a parking spot on Pennsylvania Avenue adjacent to the Art Museum. They lace up at their car and skate to the Art Museum. You may need to park on a side street, but it won’t take but a minute or so to reach the group from nearby parking. Street parking is generally free on Sundays, but don’t assume it is, always check the local postings or know the local parking ordinances. We are not responsible for your parking.
Who
No Landskater group skate is for the novice skater. If you are not capable of traversing mild terrain such as up or down from a curb, or rolling over a recessed track then this concerns are good indicators you should improve before attempting to join a group city skate. It’s best to consider yourself an intermediate skater before joining us. If that term still doesn’t help, then test yourself to be able to stop suddenly at speeds from as slow as 4 mph to as fast as 14 mph. You must not be intimidated by traffic and willing to observe traffic laws while respecting everything on the road including pedestrians.
What
You can skate in just about anything developed for street skating. Any type of inline skate is welcome. Freestyle, Hockey, Aggressive, Recreational (of course), Speed, to Quads. Those are roller skates. Bikes may join us but are expected to stay to the rear and to also be very careful to mind how skaters stride (kick out) and should you pass a skater, stay far wide of them for safety.
Helmets and pads are expected. You’ll find our members wear no less than a helmet and wrist guards. Elbow and knee pads are a advised.
We stop for water at the halfway point and sometimes find a fountain along some routes. It is a good idea to bring your own hydration otherwise there’s a Wholefoods within a few blocks if you forget to bring hydration.
How Long
The RecRoll’s are usually just over an hour of skating. If you are really planning carefully, we always start 20 minutes after a posted time. That’s generally a 10:20 AM departure and with our stop at South Street, we finish our skate up the Ben Franklin Parkway to the Art Museum around noon.
Post Skate
Sometimes members meet up after skates for a drink or lunch somewhere within a few blocks of the Art Museum. Some include: Bishop’s Collar, Kite and Key, or other local skater friendly bar/restaurant.
Final Notes
Our skates feature a lead and sweep. You do not pass the lead skater as matter of respect. The sweep is a skater who assists in keeping trailing skaters or struggling skaters from losing the group. If the skate group is stretched out or broken into parts temporarily for example by a stoplight, simply skate forward and expect to find the group ahead. When we turn corners we mark them with a skater who remains there to signal the turn to trailing skaters.
A standard expectation of all skaters is to bring payment to any rideshare or public transportation in case you are unable to finish. We stop for injured skaters, but we don’t halt skates entirely due to injury. We don’t leave skaters to fend for themselves but as adults you should be prepared for the unexpected.