Pros:
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Good aerobic exercise. Inline skating burns more calories than bicycle riding and almost as many as jogging
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Good form of cross-training for other sports.
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Causes less impact on joints. Compared to running, inline skating causes less than 50 percent of the impact shock to joints.
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Offers younger children a way to get around
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Equal opportunity. According to the NGSA, about half of inline skaters are female.
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A lifetime sport for the whole family. In-line skating is a sport you can enjoy along with your child and participation can last a lifetime.
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Low cost: Entry level skates now cost less than $20 per pair, a 10-fold decrease in the past decade (although MomsTeam recommends against buying cheap skates)
Cons:
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Injuries. The good news is that, by getting proper instruction and using safety gear, the injury risk is actually quite low.
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Shortage of safe places to skate. The shortage is especially acute for "aggressive" skaters, although the construction of skate parks has seen explosive growth in recent years.
