A REVOLUTION OF THE WHEEL

If you attended an adult skating session in the Mid-Atlantic area earlier this year, then you probably saw a stack of colorful flyers for a skating contest, along with Paul (last name withheld by request), the fellow skater behind it, fiercely promoting his brainchild.

A green border of money surrounded the words of the announcement on the actual flyer, calling attention to cash prizes, $1000 first prize, $500 second prize, $250 third prize. There’s nothing like firmness of purpose. Potential contestants saw this, thought deeply and carefully about it, and made their decisions.

“It reminded me of the old days,” recalled Michael Johnson, who skated off with 1st prize.“In the 1980s, it wasn’t unusual to see skating contests with as much as $10,000 prize money and entertainment like Kool & The Gang. Skating was definitely a fad back then and had greater mass acceptance.”

Roller skating doesn’t have the mass enthusiasm it once had, but with the changing times, strong vision and a proper course of action, it could reach Olympian heights. Enter Paul of the Velocity Boyz.

A Man With a Mission

Paul and I chatted on the phone for nearly two hours and it felt more like two minutes. He was hesitant about the interview at first and admitted that he was on break from the skating world post-haste. It was completely understandable considering the stresses of a large project. Regardless, after a few warm-up questions he opened up.

“Planning the event required much legwork,” said Paul, who single-handedly promoted and funded the skate contest. “Some weeks, I would spend $150 visiting different rinks. At one or two of those establishments they even cut the music and asked me to leave. There were definitely conflicts of interest, as expected. There needs to be more than a mere love for Roller skating, it needs to be promoted like a sport.”

Paul is no newcomer to roller skating. In fact, he’s been on wheels and passionate about it for nearly 25 years! His contest idea was almost two years young. With seven tangible months of production, he put his money where his mouth was. The initial sponsorship proposal for the contest included deals with Snap-On Tools and Wheels in Motion Roller Rink. Channels 5 and 9 were also contacted for press coverage.

“I didn’t do it to make money. I wanted to create something special for skaters to work toward. We live in a capitalist country so competition is only natural.”

The Big Event

The contest was held on January 19, 2003 at Branch Brook Park Roller Skating Center in New Jersey and it was roller skating history in the re-making. Skaters enjoyed an open skate, live musical entertainment and a delicious buffet. There were also vendors with tables selling various goods.

“It was a shame more people didn’t notice the singer,” said Paul. If they missed the singer, they definitely noticed the police who paid the contest an unexpected visit and even threatened to shut the event down. Apparently neighbors had complained about the noise but Paul immediately took charge of the situation and the event resumed.

“We stood there wondering what the trouble was,” said one skater. Paul mentioned that an emcee had been planned for the night but that it didn’t pan out. A little comic relief might have eased the tension of the police situation, but the event went on strong nevertheless.

After about an hour the music stopped and the focus shifted, the time had come. There were 16 confirmed contestants, however, five were no-shows. Paul handpicked most of the skaters. Some were asked to participate in hopes of attracting others. He wanted a cross section of talent, which made judging the contest extremely difficult. Contestants received a list of criteria that included appearance, showmanship, execution, time and degree of difficulty.

Of the 5 confirmed judges, only three showed up: Bill S, who runs a skate shop and has more than 20 years of skating experience, Tony, who manages the Branch Brook Rink, and Bill Butler, creative director of a skatedance company and more than 60 years of skating experience. In most cases, the judges didn’t know what to expect. They worked from the criteria list but felt uneasy about it.

“Paul deserves credit,” said Bill B.   “He had an excellent idea that needed refinement. Hopefully we will see more events with more pre-planning behind them. Take the Indy 500 for example,  it’s a major event and you need a seriously fast car to even qualify. That gives you position in the race. The kind of conditioning and preparation needed to get there takes years.”

A handful of people interviewed felt the judging was uneven, perhaps a symptom of a larger problem, but in general, the crowd appeared content with the performances. The judges favored the strong, choreographed routines of Michael J., Anthony Camacho and Vickie Condi, the contest winners, but others also stood out with their lively performances.

“It was a lot of fun!” exclaimed 22-year-old Mo Turner who gave a very funky improvisation, despite a couple of falls. “As far as the contest was concerned, I didn’t choreograph anything specifically for it. To me skating is more of a feeling, so I let what comes naturally come out. People need to stop stressing so much about their skating.  It hinders the learning process. Passion: that’s when you excel! You are naturally pushing yourself to the next level and free from stress. It doesn’t matter if this contest wasn’t perfect, I would definitely enter others. It’s all a learning process. Roller skating could eventually become a sport.”

He is a skate guard at Brooklyn New York’s Empire Roller Skating Center and is arguably one of the savviest young skaters around. A positive outlook has blessed him on and off the skate floor. When he’s not getting down on wheels, he’s an honors medical student.

“I changed my music at the last minute,” said L’nnay Davis, one of the contestants. “There wasn’t a whole lot of time to come up with a routine, but I went for it anyway because I felt the contest would showcase diverse skating styles and I wanted to be part of that. The prize money somewhat spoiled it for me. Skating is a form of creative expression and, more importantly, fun. Competing puts people against one another and takes away the fun.”

For others, competing was at the very heart of fun.  “Paul gave us a criteria list two weeks prior to the event. That was kind of tight, but I managed to choreograph something in one day, incorporating combinations from previous pieces I’ve worked on...A dance routine must be sensual and carefully considered, from appearance to skating the breaks. You are interpreting on skates what an artist has expressed musically,” said Anthony, the second place winner.

The After Skate

There was a puzzled vibe at Branch Brook after the distribution of prize money while some lingered to socialize.
DJ Big Bob, who has been the musical force at Empire for many years, was among the spectators and commented on the anatomy of skating competitions

“A contest should be broken down differently, not everybody competing against everybody. Skaters aren’t all at the same level. There should be clear-cut categories, solos, couples, all girls, all guys and trios.

“Today, what we see on skate floors is unstructured and lacks creativity. There used to be a learning night back in the 80's lead by Bill Butler.  He would teach hundreds of people at the same time. People flowed together in unison. It was truly amazing! This is the kind of thing that would help skaters improve and qualify for contests. There’s nothing like that going on today. Just watch how it would change the face of roller skating as we know it,” he said.

The Multi-State Skate Contest: A revolution of the wheel

As we collectively skate from the heart, we look for signs from each other. Potential is already here, but are we mentally, physically and spiritually prepared for competitive sport? Will annual skating events like Skate-A-Thon in Atlanta become the site of the next Roller Skating Olympics? Until next time……keep on skating!

(Thanks to Paul and the Velocity Boyz for their determination and courage.)

– OP –

(O-Positive is a skater and freelance writer living in Philadelphia.)