Rolling to class

In 1999, skateboarders and rollerbladers inspired Roger R. Adams with the idea to insert a wheel into basic everyday tennis shoes; this unique shoe is now known as the Heely. Today, Heelys are beginning to serve as both a fashion statement and a tool to get around campus quickly and easily.

“I feel like everything about Heelys make them better than any of type of shoe,” senior Greg Watson said. “Having wheels on the bottom make travel more fun and helps me get places faster. I can make it down a hallway two times faster than someone with regular shoes on, and I have twice as much fun at the same time.”

There are several different styles to the shoe that can be purchased online.

“The ones I have are the Arkansas Razorback edition which is where I’m going to school next year, so I love them that much more,” Watson said. “I bought mine online, and they can be pretty pricey, but they’re totally worth it. The ladies definitely stare at me when I roll by because my shoes are so hot that they’re on fire.”

Heelys have removable wheel heels and heel plugs that are interchangeable so that your shoes can match the occasion.

“Heelys are fun because it’s a fast way to get around school, and it keeps me entertained during the day,” senior Carl Loop said. “The removable heel is definitely a perk of the shoes because I can also use them as normal shoes if I want. I guess mine aren’t the most stylish shoes, but the main reason I got them was because I wanted to skate around in them.”

Heely owners take pride in their shoes and don’t pay attention to the ‘haters.’

“Wearing Heelys has become almost like a movement,” Watson said. “Some people think that Heelys aren’t cool, but I bet the first person that wore a hat got made fun of, but then people realized how useful it was. We are building a Heely cult. We are hoping that more people decide to get some too because they are so awesome.”

Heelys were popular a couple of years ago but had been left behind as students moved from elementary to middle to high school. Some students are hoping that they come back in style.

“I used to have an all black pair of Heelys back in middle school, and I thought that I was super cool,” senior Claire Becker said. “I felt like a super cool skater chick rolling through the halls. I wish I still had them, and I’m kind of thinking about getting another pair but more girly to fit my personality. I think its awesome how people have started wearing them again, and it would be awesome if they started a trend.”

Whether or not Heelys become trendy will be the decision of students not the school.

“We currently don’t have any kind of policy prohibiting students from wearing Heelys at school,” principal Chris Mayfield said. “It’s just one of those that the administration has never really thought about or been brought up as an issue. I have always wanted a pair personally. I always thought that would be cool to see your principal rolling through the hallways with some Heelys on.”