My journey with roller skating started very early. Growing up as a second generation Jamaican on a London 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 right from the beginning, spending many good moments together catching vibes on our skates. Can you spot us in the image below?
Growing up, I was certainly not the most confident of children, nor was I even close to appreciating where my strengths lay. However, when I roller skated, I felt empowered and was able leave many of my inhibitions behind. I would happily skate for a couple of hours. Roller skating instantly gave me a sense strength and achievement. I enjoyed the exhilaration of speed and flow, whilst overcoming the challenges of mastering different skills.
The kids in our neighbourhood would get together and take turns to balance and generate a steady flow on whoever's skates we could get our hands on, trying to make it from one spot to another. We would critique, support and laugh with [and sometimes at] one another as we tried out best to advance our skills. They were fun times.
My local adventure playground [located just behind our block of flats] in islington also had a few pairs of the old school 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 neighbourhood had a go at learning. Me, my family and friends regularly spent time playing out together in groups 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 and learn from them 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 among her peers, so us kids were simply reflecting that at the time. All of my uncles and their friends were avid street skaters.
Unbeknown to my mum, it didn't take long for my older sister to 'borrow' them, and that meant I also got to have 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 perform 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 excitement I got from skating around the estate with my friends and family in the summer months. I would even take my skates with me to my grandmothers in the school holidays to practise on the long slope outside her flat. The thrill of attempting to control my speed down the slopes, while navigating to cracks and rough spots on the ground was pretty thrilling! I would get totally absorbed in trying to perfect the skill of the moment.
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. I was completely in awe of the skating skills of the more established skating communities. That early exposure to what you could do on quad skates was a real inspiration to me. Their skating skills were on a whole other level! However, 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 an osteopath.
I later went on to complete my post graduate training and beginning a long career as a cranial osteopath and life coach. I had a child, and was moved towards activities that my son took an interest in, like BMX racing [where we both competed at national level, as well as competing in the british championships twice!], skateboarding and Shaolin Kung Fu.
Over the years, I did 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 these things go!].
The Lockdown
Fast forward to 2021, in the midst of the global pandemic, I found my way back to roller skating. My cousin and my oldest friends [who I'd spent so much time hanging out with on skates with back in the day] decided to each buy some roller skates. We made a pact to meet up for weekly skating sessions at the Emirates Stadium, in north london, and I was 100% in. By this time, we were all in our 40's.
I had come 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 rhythm and jam skating moves. We were lucky enough to have met local skaters [Derrick and Jackie] who showed us a few basic rhythm skating moves. It took me right back to my childhood and I loved throwing myself into the challenge. Skating was quickly becaming my primary pass time and source of escapism! I skated most days on the stadium grounds, or at home in my living room, working to improve my spins and footwork. I was once again obsessed with roller skating and begun to level up my skating skills fast! I spent hours upon hours polishing my skills.
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 that I was a part of].
Teaching With My Oldest Friend
By this time, 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 seemed to have a knack for breaking down seemingly complex rhythm skating skills and sequences into simple easy to follow steps. This was mostly likely supported by my training and experience as an osteopath where you develop an eye for details [how things work as a whole, and quickly spotting areas that cause a break to in link of optimally functioning chain].
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 never anticipated! I enjoyed helping adult skaters to get a handle on the basics and recognise just how much further they could go [just like I had done]. The classes steadily grew in size, and so I decided to bring in my oldest friend Donna to assist with supporting the complete beginners - which has worked out absolutely great!
We've literally known each other from day one! Our mums we're friends before we were born, we grew up in the same block at preschool age, then lived next door to each other [until I was 17]! We went to the same primary AND secondary school. The way I see it, fate brought us firmly into each other's lives right from the off, but it is definitely a conscious choice to remain connected through our lives (hopefully forever]! The respect and understanding we have for each other has long since been deep! Come to think of it, I don't think we've ever even had a fight or crossed words ...that's actually impressive! Although I’ve always been taller than Donna (and only a year and a 1/2 older) she was always my advocate and regularly ran off any bullies that that came for me [and they definitely did]!
Donna has always been a source of support, as well as a force for regular belly jokes and holding unwavering sister energy! Class just wouldn't be the same without you (and I know the students would agree with that sentiment). Working with someone you know, love and trust is truly a gift. Together we've been able create an amazing environment, full of positive energy and support for our [Core Skills] adult beginners. We have ourselves a whole 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. For me, skating just never gets boring! What's interesting is that I still appreciate all of the elements that captivated my attention all those years ago. Skating still challenges in positive ways, thrills me and allows me to generate a sense of creativity, presence and freedom in ways that I love. Its a moving meditation and beautiful endeavour to me.
Roller skating makes you stronger, braver while building a real appreciation for being in the moment. 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 meaningful connection and builds confidence, whilst advancing the skills of all students that come our way! I enjoy taking older adults like myself on a voyage of discovery, one that uncovers their innate sense of creativity and 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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