Quick Q and A

From Canada Bladers
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The following Q and A aims to answer common questions. Not all answers will apply to you but hopefully these will give you some clarification and if the answer is still not here, do not hesitate contacting us.

Why all these rules

  • It is impossible to please everyone at the same time all the time
  • Organizing over the years has proven to be a challenge
  • Based on experience, skaters feedback, quizzes, forms, voting polls
  • Massive research online which included many skating groups has contributed to the need to create rules to maintain a healthy group with actual active inline skaters
  • As a group grows, the need to keep it functional requires work and dedication
  • Technical organization, discipline and good order are good principles to build anything on
  • All this, is the work of one person who spends free time and personal money to keep it going
  • Consultation with lawyer that was part of a inline skating organization in Quebec for 25 years
  • Documentation consultation with other well known and popular world skating groups such as but not limited to:
London (UK) Friday night skate
Cityskate London (UK)
Paris (France) PariRoller group Images
Group skates in Germany
Toronto inline speed skating group
London (Canada) skating club

How do I join the Toronto bladers

  • Check joining toronto bladers
  • We reserve the absolute right to accept or decline anyone, without explanation
  • Take the skater registration form which is required without exception
  • The Toronto bladers have several subgroups. Your registration form answers will determine the most adequate for your skills, equipment and preferences to welcome you in and in time as you progress you will be able to skate with everyone from every group
  • You skated with the main organizer and or were invited (registration form still required)

Can I join the Toronto bladers to learn how to skate

  • If you are around us, no one will give you the cold shoulder for asking questions but we are not qualified skaters to act as competent instructors.
  • We are not a beginner inline skating group.
  • Due to liability reasons we do not instruct
  • Article 7 of the waiver

Where to meet and skate

  • Meeting locations are announced in the events descriptions
  • Unless exceptional circumstances, we rarely meet in the same location for all events.

Will the group help in learning and giving advice

  • If you are already part of the group as a skilled skater, we all talk about our experiences with skating and equipment.
  • We all learn from each other in our events but we found that the most efficient way to improve our skills and enjoy the events was to use youtube videos from a variety of highly competent skaters. Check the youtube skating channels list. That is what we all use as a base foundation.
  • We have no consultants and or instructors but any one of us will gladly give you feedback about your questions and share knowledge and or experience.

Why no guests allowed

  • Group organization and good functionality
  • Liability and age requirements for the events. (waiver, code of conduct) & whats up with this
  • In the past guests have shown up for events they had no adequate equipment for the activity and got disappointed
  • Guests have shown up for events for which they had no skill for the activity of the event which caused injury, disappoint and event to stop
  • Guests with intentions of using the event for activism, politics, hookups, change event routes/activity and or recruitment for their activities

Where to start which skates to buy

  • If you are completely new to the sport, make the decision based on your budget.
  • You have to decide what type of skating you want to do. Go on youtube and see what appeals to you. No one can tell you this.
  • If you have cash to spend, buy a skate that allows upgrades and or modifications such as the possibility of changing the frame. Anything between $450 cad and less than $700 will get you a solid skate. Anything from $700 and above should only be considered later as you develop your style.
  • Do not buy a skate that looks like it is fashion over function or is very popular on youtube due to some popular skater.
  • Since the toronto bladers platforms are not sponsored by any brands, the platforms do not advertise any brands or stores unless this changes in the future
  • Best source of equipment comparisons done by very competent skaters can be found on youtube skating channels which is something that we all look for and research
  • In order to be able to understand provided information, it is highly advised to have some basic knowledge about inline skating as it becomes very hard to answer questions for which the person asking does not have some basic knowledge in order to comprehend the information that is being provided.

I want to learn how to skate

  • We recommend a certified skating instructor.
  • If you are serious, leave us your email contact and we may lead you in the right direction to a competent skating instructor
  • Check this youtube skating channels list or click here to learn to skate.

Can I be in the chat

  • No. Check why
  • The general chat been phased out in 2022
  • The chat closed on December 2022 and there are no plans to bring it back to the general members
  • Group chats do not work as intended. We have tried it for a couple years.

Why was I not invited to that event

  • Your age did not fit the group and or event requirements
  • Your skills or equipment were not adequate for the event requirements
  • You have not registered with the group and the event was not for guests

Why was I not accepted in the group

  • The organizers, owners and or paying members of the groups, reserve the right to accept, decline, invite and or remove as they please without explanation. Being part of the group is not a right but a privilege.
  • You forgot, refused, skipped, did not fill, etc the skater registration form first. However if you did, see bellow.
  • Your quiz answers determined that you overestimated your knowledge and or experience and or skill levels and or equipment
  • Your quiz answers are not in line with what the group activity is or can do
  • Your skill, experience and or equipment do not match the group's requirements and or activities.
  • Your personal conduct out there was found to be in contravention with the waiver and or code of conduct
  • You are under the allowed legal age or under the age requirements of the group
  • You do not have and or use inline skates
  • You forgot to read the group requirements stated in the group pages and do not meet the group's minimum requirements
  • You come with identity politics and how to tell the people that pay to support the group, how to run things

Why was I removed from the group

  • Disrespectful behavior
  • Fake account (bot, spam, etc)
  • You have more than one account for yourself for non standard use
  • Underlying non skating intentions with the group
  • Life happens, you became inactive. Check group and account maintenance and you are welcome to return
  • Fail to respect the waiver and or code of conduct and you may or may not be back
  • You have associated the Toronto bladers with off topic subjects, hastags, social media, related to politics, activism, etc, in contravention with a article #3 of the waiver.
  • You are a popular Z gen young Toronto and social media inline skater who squats on many skating groups to promote a business, who was invited to join the Toronto bladers but had more interest to bring business to a skating store, than to skate with the group and was several times disrespectful to the person that invited him and who is twice his senior. In addition, causing additional problems in the background as well as other underlying intentions. Permanent ban.
  • You went with identity politics and how to tell the people that pay to support the group, how to run things

What is the problem with my skates

  • No problem if your skates are adequate to practice the inline skating activity of the group and event.
  • We do not do certain types of skating. Check the group's activities description
  • The name is Toronto bladers. Bladers... Blade... something inline like a blade. Not quad skates. (Check Inline vs quad)
  • Does the group wait for slower skaters? See skating equipment.

Whats up with the age requirements

  • Depending on he toronto bladers subgroup, the age requirements change.
  • Responsibility, maturity, integrity, stable life, generational differences, etc
  • The majority of the inline skaters in the advanced group are between 30 and 50 years of age
  • Some older skaters find it inappropriate to "hang out" with people a lot younger or half their age
  • In the past, some young skaters joined the group in hopes to skate with people their age and found out they were the younger ones
  • Generational and experience differences due to age gap make it awkward during social moments
  • Younger adults (in the teens and 20s) have more stamina, endurance and recover physically faster than older adults
  • Young skaters like to do stunts and take risks and have fun that way. However, all that fun stuff we do in our teens and 20's, becomes exhausting after late 30's and on
  • We have an unofficial sub group, with unofficial skaters unofficially refereed as the "old fogies". No one knows exactly who is who, but we silently suspect who might be.

Where can I see the video and pictures

Why several organizing platforms

  • To reach more audience that may prefer to use other platform
  • Depending on skill, equipment, group of skaters and type of event, a different platform is used
  • Once a while, all groups will get together for events that match everyone age, sex, skill and equipment
  • Upon skater registration form completion, you may be invited to a platform that is more adequate to your feedback, skill and or equipment
Meetup I/A: Intermediate and advanced screened approved skaters. (To be terminated on to inactivity 31/12/2022)
Meetup General]: General and beginner skaters. (To be terminated on 31/12/2022)
Meetup Rollerbabes: Female only skaters (To be terminated on 31/12/2022)
Eventbrite: Some general and or annual events for everyone who is not on the other platforms 

In 2023 there will be a reduction of organizing platforms

See also: Toronto bladers groups

Lost access to the account

  • If you lost access to your account, do not contact group organizers because they do not manage the platforms
  • Look for login recovery options of the platform that you are using and follow through their process
  • Contact the platform technical support and or check the platform knowledge base to find out about the recover methods
  • Group event organizers and or hosts are unable to help you with login credentials recovery

Dating and hook ups

  • Casually meeting the love of your life on inline skating is poetic and marvelous but using the group and events for such intended planned goals is not welcome
  • In the past there have been occurrences and advances which were not welcome. See code of conduct
  • Please respect that this is all about skating and other groups and services exist that you can use for other topics
  • The majority of the skaters are already in long term stable relationships (marriage, common law, together, etc)

How do I join the old fogies

  • If you are an old fogey, membership is automatic
  • You don't even know but you will be hand picked

If there a way I can help the group

Unwelcome skaters

  • Istvan: Persona non grata. Politics, disrespect to an organizer. Activism. Was banned from the rollerblading meetup group by meetup.com admins. (2020)
  • Benji: Disrespec. Argumentative chat behavior. Using the group to bring business to a local store. (2021)
  • Elena Baptiste: Trolling organizers with profile records and no shows to events. (2022)