The Russian word for roller blades is ролики. A few months ago, my friend became very interested in learning how to rollerblade. She was determined to become good at rollerblading by the end of the month so that she could impress her boyfriend who was coming into town. She called me and said «Я хочу научиться кататься на роликах. Ты можешь помочь мне научиться?» “I want to learn to rollerblade. Can you help me learn?” I wanted to support my friend so I agreed and we went to Kiwanis Park that afternoon. I told her to be careful but she insured me that it was not a big deal and that rollerblading was “easy.”

I watched nervously as she began rollerblading on the sidewalk. She was doing very well and my nervousness finally began to ease. Unexpectedly, she turned towards me and said «Я хочу съехать с этой горы» “I want to ride down this hill.” Before I had time to answer, she was off, and I again watched nervously as she began her ride down the hill. I noticed that she was rollerblading down the hill very fast and with a terrified look on her face she yelled «Я не могу остановиться! Как мне остановиться?» “I can’t stop! How can I stop?” I watched in horror as she fell on the concrete. Luckily for my friend, she was wearing protective gear so her injuries were very minor. Now, she pays more attention when I tell her to be more careful.

Don's additional comments: A slightly more formal way to say the same thing is «роликовые коньки» “roller skates” as opposed to «ледовые коньки» “ice skates.” Ролики and роликовые коньки can mean both in-line skates and the old fashion skates with a "four corners" wheel arrangement.