All summer I have wanted to try Friday Night Skate, and last Friday, I finally got the opportunity to go! Mads and I had just got back from the summer house, and one of our friends asked us if we wanted to go with her. I’ve been wanting to go for so long, so I borrowed some roller skates and wrist pads from Mads’ sister, Caroline, and we were set!
For those who don’t know, Friday Night Skate is a roller skating event where traffic is stopped in order for people to skate through the roads of Copenhagen every other Friday of the summer months. Hundreds of people show up and skate a half marathon or 21 km. There is a different route every time, so you can skate through different parts of Copenhagen. This was our route:
Halfway through Friday Night Skate, there is a designated spot to take a break. Our meeting place to begin was at Copenhagen Business School, and our break spot was near the Little Mermaid statue. And every Friday Night Skate has a theme. Our theme was Christmas in July, which I loved! I was so ready to put on a Christmas sweater and listen to Christmas music!
When Mads and I were riding our bikes to CBS, I began to get really nervous about roller skating. Growing up in the US, the only place I roller skated was the rollerskating rink which was inside, or in my driveway. Mads had told me that it can get a little fast, so I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to keep up. When we got to CBS, we met our friend, Anna, and put on our skates.
When I had my skates and pads on, Mads practiced with me a little before we started so I could get comfortable. I had no problem skating, but I realized that I never really learned how to brake. At a roller skating rink, I had always just rolled off the rink and used a wall or chair to stop me. I had never actually used the brakes on the skates before. We practiced braking for a few minutes, but it wasn’t long before we had to start lining up.
We stood towards the front, because you didn’t have to skate as fast in the front, and since I was kind of a beginner, that’s where I was most comfortable. All of the skaters in the neon vests were there to guide the group and stop traffic when we went through an intersection. It’s really incredible that so many people show up every time to help with the event, because they don’t get paid to do it. They’re doing it for fun!
While we were standing in line, we saw some crazy christmas outfits.
People even brought their kids in strollers! (That would have been so much fun if I was little)
There was a loud countdown from ten, and then, we were off! When we first started, I was pretty comfortable. I needed a little help when we had to brake, but other than that, I was cruisin’!
I was having so much fun! People even brought huge speakers that they rolled with them, so we could all jam while we were skating through the streets.
Sometimes if the group gets spread out, everyone stops so people can catch up. We stopped right before this highway, and we moved back up to the front to get a better spot. You can really see just how many people showed up!
Another countdown from ten, and we are skating again! But this time, a highway had been closed down for us, and they started yelling for everyone to skate as fast as they could. I got a little nervous, because I can’t skate that fast, but I tried to keep up. Soon, the highway started going uphill, and I’m falling further behind, because I have never roller skated uphill before.
When we hit the top of the hill, I was not prepared for going down. As I said before, I was not the best at braking. When I started downhill, I really tried to brake, but it just wasn’t working. I started pick up a lot of speed, way too much for me to handle, and Mads and Anna couldn’t catch me. I ended up skating all the way to the right and crashing, so that I was out of everyone’s way. The fall was really scary, but it looked a lot worse than it actually was. At first, I didn’t want to keep going, because the fall had scared me so much, but after I thought about it, I decided that I was going to finish this! Ripped tights and all!
Fortunately, we were very close to the half-way point, so we didn’t have to skate long before it was break time.
We brought cookies and water, and just relaxed until the break was over. Anna had brought knee pads that she wasn’t using, and we all decided it was best that I wore them for the last half of the route.
The last half of the skate route was so beautiful, because the sun was setting. Also, we skated next to a really good speaker, so we got to listen to great dancing music. The DJ played YMCA at least 3 times!
The last half turned out much faster than the first, but that was probably because I knew the way back to Copenhagen Business School. When we finally reached where we began, the volunteers all lined up to give everyone high-fives. It felt so rewarding to know that I had finished and not given up!
The night was so fun! I may have ended up a little scraped up and bruised, but it was definitely worth it! I definitely will try this again in the future (maybe a route that doesn’t involve a hill haha).
For more info, here’s there website:
5 Happy Things
- It had been raining all morning at the summer house, but it stopped right before we had to leave which was really lucky!
- I was happy that I got to borrow roller skates from Caroline, but I was even more happy that she had lent me wrist pads, or my accident could have been much worse.
- I am so happy that I finally got to try Friday Night Skate, and even more so when I found out that it was Christmas themed.
- I was happy that I decided to keep going and not give up after I had fallen.
- It was very rewarding to finish the route, and high-five everyone at the end.
Where Sue Wanders 