You know how we all went into quarantine thinking we were going to accomplish some long put off task, or we’d finally learn how to or at the very least: banana bread. Well here we are three months later reshaping society by demanding accountability and action. Quarantine productively literally spiked on day: last.
I’m all in on this bighuge change, but I have to admit, my first 8 innings weren’t exactly teeming with accomplishment. I worked out a total of 2.6 times, despite the fact my bedroom shares a wall with the community gym- no joke. You know how you have dreams you find an extra room in your house – well I had a real life that included a legit workout room in my annex yet I went none times.
What I feel most defeated about is I wanted to become a roller-skater. Well, become again a roller-skater. Reemerge.
See I was raise by the skating rink. It started innocently enough. My mom would always pick me up from school on report card day with my ‘skatecase’ in the car, a change of clothes (neon biker shorts and an oversized Umbro t-shirt and slouch socks) and a happy meal from McDonalds and we’d head directly to Skateland (I was a competitive overachieving only child, so my mom always assumed I’d have straight A’s – and I did – I slayed 3rd grade).
I was on the speedskating team and I went to every Saturday skate. Eventually, my social life was entirely situated at Skateland. I made out with boys in dark corners, shuffle skated to to Rob Base, ate pickles at the snack bar, argued with Jennifer Stanley and debuted all the latest fashion trends, including: oversized Starter jackets draped fashionably off the shoulders, Baseball jerseys and Junos turned backwards a la Kriss Kross, Britches rugby shirts and head to toe Duckhead ensembles. I was great at skating.
So, I thought I’d skate over q-tine at my kondo komplex for exercise. There’s a big loop of a parking lot here that inspired me to take a deep swan dive on Tik Tok, watching all the youths and their skatestylez.
Poised to rekindle my skate career, I researched skates online, but got sidetracked and my dreams lay unactualized and overlooked.
UNTIL TODAY! I measured my foot, I made some tough decisions about neon wheels vs neon boots and I 👏🏼 submitted 👏🏼 purchase.  These ombre objet d’arts are otw, and in 7 – 10 days, this is about to be your girl.
Denver, CO here. Love your voice. Please watch the documentary, United Skates on HBO: For years, roller-skating rinks have been a constant for African-American communities across the U.S., serving as a meeting ground, a place to have fun and an incubator of iconic hip-hop talents like Queen Latifah and N.W.A.
As America’s last standing roller rinks are threatened with closure, a community joins forces in a racially charged environment to save the underground African-American subculture of roller skating, which has been overlooked by the mainstream for generations – yet has given rise to some of the world’s greatest musical talents.
ahhhh, Tate had a friend’s birthday celebration at Skateland last year. You will be not surprised to know it is exactly the same, including that ginormous black skate! I made her take a pic in front of it. I skated with her – so much fun and so many crazy memories. (Tony Cafolla in addition to all the things above)
ABBY – with the Tony Cafolla memory. Lord help, I wonder what he’s up to.