Felicity, Cheese Stick underpass, Flemington, Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Country
Mid-lockdown 2020, I got roller skates as a new challenge and a way to build strength. It was a reason to leave the house every day for our 1 hour allocation of exercise. I started rolling around on a flat patch of concrete below the nearby flats where I felt like no one was watching, even though everyone stuck at home in their apartments could look down on me skating below
The act of skating gave me confidence, and I worked on getting better. I went to the museum where I heard other skaters would go. We had masks on but we smiled underneath and waved. We watched and learned from each other, and we moved and fell over to the same music.
In a time of isolation, those small interactions were huge, and it felt really liberating.
Making new pals was also an unexpected bonus to learning to skate. The community has been great, and there’s an instant bond when you meet someone else who’s moving through the world on little wheels.
Two years on, and I’m hooked on roller skating. It can be so many things—sometimes it’s meeting up with friends, tunes and dancing. It can also be time spent alone, soaring down a river path at sunset. Exploration of back streets and underneath bridges, contemplating curbs and cobblestones. Pushing my body to its limits, falling and getting back up again. But most of all, it’s playful and fun.