Would you like to skate around with friends during gym class? How about watch others utterly fail and fall backwards on to the hard gym floor? Or maybe not have to dress out but get class credit for just rolling around? Then you’re in luck. This semester’s P.E. and Health classes were given the opportunity to pay ten dollars in exchange for getting to roller skate around North Atlanta’s own gymnasium.

As one would expect, most of the skaters are novices who have never been skating before, or it has been several years and they’ve lost their technique. Many were hindered by simple tasks such as standing and even stopping themselves from crashing into walls or people. But have no fear inexperienced skaters: There is hope for you after all. One side of the gym was set aside with you in mind where mats were rolled out for you to get the hang of the basic techniques. “My favorite part was watching people fall,” freshman Leslie Goosby said jokingly.

One of these non-experienced students was sophomore Regan Nesbit. He had a difficult time getting the hang of skating at first. Like most, she feared falling in front of her peers, but once she got comfortable she picked up a few tricks. “It was really interesting. We learned how to stop and skate backwards,” she said

But, not all skaters at North Atlanta were new to the skating scene. Sophomore Jada Bowden was well experienced in skating. “It brought back memories. The last time I went skating was probably in 2010 or 2011,” he said.

Bowden, like most teenage girls in a P.E class, was grateful for the break from dressing out the skating unit provided.

With North Atlanta’s investment in this unit, many students in the future will get the opportunity to glide across the floor or fall utterly, with the company of their classmates.