My journey with roller skating started very early. Growing up on a council estate in the 70's, we shared what we had - including our roller skates! When one person on was gifted a pair of skates, the whole friendship group got to have a go. In fact, both coach Donna and I grew up in very close proximity to each other, spending many good moments together on our skates. Can you spot us in the image below?
Growing up, I was definitely not the most confident child, nor did I fully appreciate where my strengths lay. However, when I rollerskated, I felt more self empowered, capable and left many of my inhibitions behind. Roller skating gave me a feeling of purpose and achievement. I enjoyed the exhilaration of speed and flow, whilst working towards overcoming the challenges of mastering different skills.
The kids in our neighbourhood would get together and take turns to balance on whoever's skates we could get our hands on, trying to make it from one spot to another! As I got a little older, we would critique, support and laugh with one another as we tried out best to advance our skills.
My local adventure playground [located just behind my block of flats] also had a few pairs of the old vintage style adjustable strap on steel skates. This meant that getting to grips with the roller skating basics was something that most of the kids in our neighborhood learned do to. Me and my family and friends regularly spent time playing out together on our skates. In those days, it wasn't unusual to be left in the care of an older sibling [who was below the age of 13] whilst your parents worked. This meant I got to hang out alongside the older kids on a regular basis.
Roces In The 80's
In the early ‘80s, my mum bought herself a pair of shiney black Roces skates. Roller skating by then had become a popular recreational pass time.
Unbeknown to my mum, it didn't take long for my older sister to 'borrow' them, and that meant I also got my turn [or the secret would most definitely be out]! My sister was already a really good ice skater, so took to roller skating with relative ease. She could skate backwards, transition and some pretty cool power stops.
My First Pair Of Skates
Eventually, I got my very own pair of skates - a limited edition bubblegum blue pair of Roces hockey boots! I remember the feeling of enjoyment I got from skating around the estate with my friends and family in the summer months.
The thrill of attempting to control my speed down the slopes, while navigating to cracks and rough spots on the ground was awesome! I would get totally absorbed in trying to perfect the skill of the moment. When staying at my gran's house, my skates would come with me [so I could get some more slope and stopping practise in!].
Loosing Touch With Skating
I continued to enjoy skating as a young teenager. By this time most teenagers and young adults had quad skates, including my aunts and uncles. The local youth centre took us on trips to a huge roller disco at Pickets Lock, in Edmonton - Enfield. Pickets Lock was heaving with young talented adult rhythm skaters. Their skating skills were on a whole other level! In my late teens, roller skating became less of a priority for me as I shifted my focus to going to university and training to become a osteopath.
I went on to do post graduate training and begining my long career as a cranial osteopath and life coach. Later on, I had a child, and got moved towards activities that my son took an interest in, like BMX racing [where we both raced at national level, as well as competing in the british championships twice!], skateboarding and Shaolin Kung Fu.
I did however make it to the occasional roller disco, however, roller skating was no longer a regular part of my life [if you're a parent, you know how it goes!].
Fast forward to 2021, in the midst of the global pandemic, I found my way back to skating. My cousin and my oldest friends [who I'd spent so much time playing on skates with back in the day] decided to each buy ourselves some roller skates. We made a pact to meet up for weekly skating sessions at the Emirates Stadium, in north london, and I was in!
Interestingly, I had now gone fulll circle - skating with the family and friends that I'd skated with as a young child! We quickly rediscovered our passion for skating, and did what we could to learn the latest rhythm and jam skating moves. We were lucky enough to have met local skaters Derrick and Jackie who showed us a few rhythm moves. I relished the challenge! Skating was fast becaming my primary pass time and source of stress relief! I skated most days on the stadium grounds, or at home, working to improve my spins and footwork. I was now obsessed with roller skating and begun to level up my skating skills fast!
Introduction To Artistic Skating
In 2023, I started taking one-to-one lessons with Roger, an experienced London based artistic skating teacher. Although I initially came to Roger to learn two very specific skills, I ended up continuing my lessons with him over the course of a year and steadily appreciating artistic skating in its broader context.
My connection to Artistic skating led me to travel to Ibiza, and then Poland for a series of artitistic skating retreats [with Alba Ferrera, a former Spanish Artistic skating champion]. It was refreshing to be around other skaters who were passionate about this style of skating [as it wasn’t something that was widely practised within the jam skating communities and parks of London].
I had been rhythm skating conistently for a couple years now, and had regularly found myself in the position of sharing skate moves with other less experienced skaters. I had a knack for breaking down seemingly complex rhythm skating skills and sequences into simple easy to follow steps.
Towards the end of 2023, I began teaching a small class of adult beginners. Teaching brought a whole new level of fulfillment that I honestly nevr anticipated! I enjoyed helping adult skaters to get a handle on the basics. The classes steadily grew in size, and so I decided to bring in my oldest friend Donna to assist with the complete
beginners - which has worked out absolutely great! Working with someone you love and trust is truly a gift. Together we have been able create an amazing environment, full of positive energy and support for our [Core Skills] adult beginners. We have ourselves a lot of fun as we share the fundementals.
The Journey Continues
In 2024, I begun taking part in artistic dance sessions at artistic skating clubs. Learning new skills that were expected to meet a high standard helped to refresh my goals and raise my skating level. Skating just never gets boring! There is [and always will be] new ways to enjoy and explore my passion for skating. I'm pretty excited to see where this skating journey takes me next!
Now, my goal is to build a community that nurtures meanigful connection and builds confidence, whilst advancing the skills of all students that come our way! I enjoy taking people on a journey of discovery, one that uncovers their innate limitlessness. As I see it, big goals are easily envisaged, but it's through a process of implementation where the magic really happens!
Kelly
Cranial Osteopath | Wellbeing Coach | Roller Skate Instructor
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