Skating Through Quarantine The Trending Sport’s Return to Popularity Written and Photographed by Kelsie Stevens othing says “quarantine” like picking up a new skill. Nothing says quarantine like picking up a new skill. While many people chose to learn how to make whipped coffee or homemade bread, another group of people were learning how to roller skate. Although roller skating has been a popular sport for years, coronavirus isolation and social media have helped make the hobby more prevalent than ever before. According to local shops such as Empire Skate in Upland, Calif., “recreational roller skating was starting to get popular last year but increased tenfold during the quarantine.” These skate shops, like Empire Skates and more have seen business boom in all aspects of outdoor activities, but roller skating has become its main focus thanks to social media. “They say a TikTok video increased awareness on roller skating during the pandemic,” says Amy Frilot, co-owner of Empire Skates. “We used to sell a lot of roller derby skates, but now it’s mainly recreational skates with outdoor wheels.” While this trend has been great for small shops, for people trying to get into the hobby, the popularity has
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Above: Katie Zander, Instagram fashion blogger, gets ready to start practicing her skating at Newport Beach. Right: Roller skates from Empire Skates in Upland feature a variety of colors and styles to give skaters their personal touch.
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only made it harder. Katie Zander, Instagram fashion blogger and a newcomer to the roller-skating hobby, has seen this issue firsthand. “In the beginning of COVID, everyone wanted roller skates so they were sold out everywhere,” Zander says. “I had to drive an hour away to buy skates at a small, random skate shop.” Despite her troubles getting into the hobby, Zander still has a positive view of the skating scene thanks to her social media connections. “My whole Instagram Explore page is full of roller skating accounts. I like following them because it encourages me to get better,” she says. This rise of skating on social media has allowed people like Zander to not only gain new followers but a new community. She says many people over social media have begun planning meetups at skate parks and beaches to help one another and teach new techniques. These groups have become creative with where they are meeting, and are continually trying to follow COVID-19 guidelines, but Zander says that “once things like roller rinks start to open back up, I feel like more people will go to them instead.” Along with making new connections, people have also begun using this new wave of skating to talk ➤
