If you're a dedicated skater who's influenced by the global skating scene, you'll likely be interested in this educational and riveting documentary.
United Skates is a 2018 documentary that dives deep into the cultural, social, and political importance of roller skating rinks across the United States — particularly within black skating communities through the generations. What starts as a story about roller skating quickly becomes a much bigger conversation about identity, urban culture, the influence of MoB, space, and what happens when culture isn’t protected.
The film is produced by Dyana Winkler and Tina Brown, whose combined backgrounds bring both cultural insight and social urgency to United Skates. Winkler is a filmmaker and former competitive skater with deep roots in rink culture, while Brown is a seasoned producer and journalist known for documenting underrepresented communities and social justice issues. Together, they approach the story not as outsiders looking in, but as advocates preserving a culture that has long been overlooked, giving the documentary its authenticity, credibility, and emotional weight.
What's The Documentary About?
At its core, United Skates explores the impact of the rapid closure of roller rinks across America and asks why they’re disappearing. Through interviews with skaters, rink owners, historians, DJs, and activists, the film shows how rinks have long been more than just places to enjoy the occasional skate. They’re community hubs for longstanding adult skaters, safe spaces, and cultural incubators.
The documentary spotlights just how many rinks — especially those serving predominantly black skaters — were shut down due to discriminatory practices, over-policing, noise complaints, and redevelopment pressures. It also highlights the different regional skate styles [from JB to Detroit, LA, and beyond], showing how deeply skating is tied to music, fashion, and self expression.
This isn’t about nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake. It’s a crystal clear look into how systemic racism, gentrification, and cultural erasure have attempted to push urban skating culture to the periphery — not at all dissimilar to what we've experienced here in the UK when it comes to obtaining support and funding to support designated recreational skating spaces.
Where You Can Watch It
United Skates is available on many of the major streaming and digital platforms, including:
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HBO / Max
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Amazon Prime Video (rent or buy)
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Apple TV / iTunes
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Google Play Movies
Availability can vary by region, but it’s widely accessible and definitely worth a watch.
Why It’s Essential Viewing For Our Global Skating Community
No matter where you skate — or how — the themes in this film are likely to hit deep.
Skaters the world over understand what it’s like to have spaces threatened, misunderstood, underappreciated or shut down. Whether it’s a skate rink, skate park, multipurpose community space or other small scale skating initiative, we've always relied on spaces that exist slightly outside the mainstream. United Skates reminds us that when those spaces disappear, something much bigger, and much deeper is lost.
For Gen X and older skaters especially, this film connects the dots between our historical timelines of skating as a subculture through the decades, and the broader forces that have helped shape it. It shows how skating survives not because it’s trendy, but because we — the skating community — have fought for it. Today in the UK, you'll have noticed that nearly all of the recreational skating projects are being curated by us, for us — out of necessity.
➡️ Listen to the words of OG skater Tony Lenehan [@skatelife.tee] on UK skate culture from the 80's to the present day.
The Overarching Message
So what's the big takeaway from United Skates of America?
Skating is a culture and culture needs protection for its survival.
Our rinks don’t just vanish by accident. When communities aren’t valued, their spaces aren’t either. The film challenges all of us to recognise skating as a legitimate cultural force — and to actively support the people and places that keep it alive. They are in fact spaces where we come together, support one another and thrive — they're a life force for so many of us.
What's The Take Away
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Support your local rinks and skate spaces — financially and socially.
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Learn the history behind the skating styles and scenes that you enjoy.
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Honour the voices and communities that have instilled so much richness into this culture [long before the present day].
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Understand that skating has always been about freedom, and resistance, with community at the heart.
United Skates of America reminds us that no matter where and how we skate, it's what we stand for— together— that matters.
If you have a passion for skate life, it's culture and its origins, then you'll do well to consider giving this documentary a watch.
Kelly
Cranial Osteopath | Wellbeing Coach | Roller Skate Instructor
🗯️ Have you seen the documentary? What was your big take away? Did it change anything for you? Let us know in the comments below, or leave a quick emoji response.
