{"product_id":"chicago-rink-rats-the-roller-capital-in-its-heyday-hardcover","title":"Chicago Rink Rats: The Roller Capital in Its Heyday - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eTom Russo\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBy 1950, roller skating had emerged as the number-one participatory sport in America. Ironically, the war years launched the Golden Age of Roller Skating. Soldiers serving overseas pleaded for skates along with their usual requests for cigarettes and letters from home. Stateside, skating uplifted morale and kept war factory workers exercising. By the end of the decade, five thousand rinks operated across the country. Its epicenter: Chicago  And no one was left behind  The Blink Bats, a group of Braille Center skaters, held their own at the huge Broadway Armory rink. Meanwhile, the Swank drew South Side crowds to its knee-action floor and stocked jukebox. Eighteen celebrated rinks are now gone, but rinks that remain honor the traditions of the sport's glory years. Author Tom Russo scoured newspaper archives and interviewed skaters of the roller capital's heyday to reveal the enduring legacy of Chicago's rink rats.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 242\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.56 x 9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e November 13, 2017\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42715458961471,"sku":"9781540227539","price":42.74,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0105\/8226\/1823\/files\/80f433b5c98b4dec915931e2e9613a11.webp?v=1765071520","url":"https:\/\/dhlswag.com\/products\/chicago-rink-rats-the-roller-capital-in-its-heyday-hardcover","provider":"BBB","version":"1.0","type":"link"}