A roller skate has a compression spring for each of a plurality of rollers for passing over relatively rough terrain. A compression rod having a cylindrical top portion bears against the compression spring in each cylindrical hole placed vertically in the skate body. A middle part of the compression rod has flat sides that define a width that is more narrow than the diameter of the cylindrical portion. The lower part of the compression rod is u-shaped and contains the roller, roller axle, and roller bearings. The upper rod fits comfortable in the vertical hole and is held in the skate body by lateral plates adjacent the flat sides of the middle portion of the compression rods.