What goes around comes around: Roller skating’s retro appeal

At a nondescript, basketball court in Waltham, Massachusetts, the leaves take on an autumnal glow and the air is crisp. But there are no pickup basketball players. This is now a spot for people who roller skate.

“I had my eye on skates for a while — I saw they were making a comeback,” said Tammy Donroe Inman, 48, of Waltham, Massachusetts, who recently bought a pair of sparkly Impalas. She comes here every few days, turns on music, and skates.

“As an older skater, I thought I was going to be self-conscious, but I’m not,” she said, wearing a helmet and knee pads. “I fall all the time but it’s pure joy.”

With its retro flair, roller skating has been enjoying a 2020s revival and shows no signs of receding.

That may be partly due to the pandemic, which drew more people to an accessible, social and physical activity that