Do you know how to roller skate but haven’t nailed down any skills? Or perhaps you are a complete beginner and want to learn the basics? Every Thursday evening at Invisible Wind Factory’s Rollerdrome, Amy Cottom holds an hour long class giving in depth tutorials on everything you need to know!
As someone who has been able to roller skate for a few months now, I was intrigued by this class. Although I can skate around in a circle very confidently, I had no actual techniques nailed down. Luckily for me, the Thursday session I attended at IWF Rollerdrome focused on how to stop safely when moving – which is something I probably should have learnt as soon as I started roller skating!
The class consisted of around 20 people with varying abilities, making me feel comfortable with the level I was at. After a quick warm up skating around the rink and doing some ‘bubbles’, we all found a space and learnt about the T-stop. Amy explained everything in a slow and clear manner, and reenacted the move many times to ensure we knew what to do.
We then split into two groups. I liked that we were not placed into groups, but rather given the choice depending on how confident we felt. I chose to join the more beginner-friendly group and got to focus on the basics like building up confidence with balance. The more confident group were learning how to spin which looked really fun and inspired me to hopefully reach that level soon!
Amy made sure to watch every one of us and give tips where needed – such as to bend your knees and push your chest out. These tips were handy to know since they can be applicable to many other moves. By the end of the session I could safely and confidently stop mid-skate and felt confident to balance on one leg whilst moving.
After all the hard work, I joined the Rhythm and roll skate which takes place right after Amy’s class. I was able to have fun and skate around the rink for up to three hours with a DJ playing. This also allowed me to practice my stops when travelling at a faster speed.
I felt very informed on the necessary skating techniques by the class and hope to attend another session very soon to develop my skills even further!
