Heelychat, the forum for heelys, the shoes with wheels - View topic

*Last edited by XxHeelyZxX on Sat Dec 08, 2007 11:50 pm; edited 1 time in total*

im doin science project on Heelys so i had to do a report so here it is tell me if yah like it..

Arlon 12-08-07
Heelys
Heelys
Heelys are the only shoe with a removable wheel in the heel. A short yet catchy phrase. Many people have made biased statements about them such as “ Heelys are for kids” or “Oh wow, you’re rolling! Big deal…” Little did they know, they have major potential to become a new sport.
Invented in 1998, Heelys have been around for nearly a decade. It’s inventor, Roger Adams, always had a passion for wheeled motion. Roger learned to roller skate at the young age of nine months. That’s before most kids even learn to walk. His parents owned a skating rink, the Adams-Tacoma Roller Bowl. He was bound to learn to roller skate.
Roger was going through a mid life crisis when he was 49. Roger says that’s what started it. He was going through a divorce after a 21-year marriage. Roger was a tinkered and mental-health supervisor in Oregon.
How Heelys were first made is an interesting fact. Roger took a pair of Nike running shoes. He cut the heels off using a hot butter knife. He then ran a rod through the wheel and used on of the wheeled bearings that come on skateboards. Another interesting fact is that they actually have teams for Heelys such as Team Heelys Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, New England, and National Pro. I’m currently trying out for Northeast.
Another interesting fact about Heelys is that some shoes are able to grind! Some shoes have a nylon grind plate on the bottom. I currently own one pair of Heelys that grind. One fact that you might not believe is that even celebrities use Heelys. Usher has been seen in one of his music videos using Heelys. Dane Cook and Shaquille O’Neal own Heelys too! One last surprising fact is that Heelys is all over the world! You can find them in a lot of countries such as Japan, Austria, Germany, Philippines, and Brazil. There are many more countries that currently sell Heelys. Next time you’re on vacation, be on the look out, you might see a pair of Heelys there.
Heelys are made up of several things such as an average shoe, some with mesh and synthetic upper material and some have leather upper material, a PU wheel , Polyurethane which is the scientific word for rubber, metal axles, and bearings. There are different kinds of bearings, each with different levels such as ABEC 1, 3, 5, and 7. The higher the rating, the better the wheel. I currently own a pair of every bearing except ABEC 3. Heelys also has a wheel well to hold the wheel in place. The wheel well is made up of hard rubber.
As you can see the history of Heelys is a unique one! Heelys have been around for a while and I can tell they will be around for a long time. They will grow as a fashion and as a new sport!