Posts tagged "roller skates"

Skate With Sade!

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Feature, Latest | by — September 1, 2020

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ROLL, BOUNCE, SKATE vibes is what skater Sade is serving all of 2020!  Hailing from Baltimore, Maryland, the talented 19 year-old rekindled her love for roller skating + has inspired her digital community during qurantine to lace up, have fun + zone out. Documenting her journey as she masters her ‘Skater Bucket’ list showcases her bubbly personality matched with her addictive playlist. Sade’s  fresh skills + style will leave you feeling inspired to not only roller skate but conquer your goals!

Let’s get to know Sade a little better…

Watching your skating videos makes us want to lace us + head to the rink! What or who inspired you to start roller skating?
I have been roller skating ever since I was around 6 years old when my dad would take me to the rink and taught me how to skate. As I got older, I went to the rink maybe 2-3 times a year up until recently when I finally decided to get into skating more! I was always inspired by seeing amazing skaters at my local rink that would just glide across the floor with such ease. It was something extremely mesmerizing to watch and I would also tell myself I’d love to skate like them but never actually tried. The only thing I really knew how to do in skates was go forwards, turn, and stop by running into the wall! However, all of that changed when this February 2020 I was scrolling through my timeline on Instagram and randomly saw a skater who I now know is @lilyskatesalot on Instagram and was blown away by her skills! I didn’t realize it was possible to roller skate outdoors until that moment and I was hooked!

For hours after I found myself deep into watching other skate videos on instagram and spent the rest of the month researching different types of skates to buy. And now here I am today doing the 365 days of skating challenge!

Whats your fave ol’ school + new school songs you like to skate to?
Oh man there are so many! A large majority of my playlist is made up of old school songs and some of my favorites to skate to are “Get Off” by Foxy, “Love Come Down” by Evelyn “Champagne” King, “Give It To Me Baby” by Rick James, “Hollywood Swinging” by Kool &  The Gang, “Let it Whip” by Dazz Band, “Stomp” by The Brothers Johnson, and “Let’s Get Married –
ReMarqable Remix” by Jagged Edge.

Some of my favorite new school songs to skate to are “Toast” by Koffee, “Tadow” by Masego, “Work REMIX” by A$AP Ferg, “Jerry Sprunger” by Tory Lanez, “Spaceships + Rockets” by Bas; LION BABE, and pretty much anything by Childish Gambino or Chris Brown! The music you listen to can really make skating an even more magical experience and feel as if you are in your own world.

Practice leads to perfection which is easier said than done! What’s the hardest move youve nailed?
Toe spins! After lots and lots of practice, frustration, and determination I can say I have nailed the ability to do toe spins. However, there is still lots of room for improvement in store for me since toe spins have a ton of different variations that I am currently working on!

Being able to express yourself is such a gift! How does skating make you feel? What’s your ultimate goal as a skater?
The first thing I think of when someone asks me what it feels like to skate is like a butterfly. I feel like I can fly and go wherever I want to with my skates as if they have a mind of their own. Roller Skating is an amazing form of expression, self care, emotional release, and utter joy. Whether that’s lacing up at the rink, trail, skatepark, tennis court, parking lot..really any place I can roll is happiness for me. It is freedom on eight wheels and there is never a day that I regret joining the skate community.

My ultimate goal as a skater is not only to achieve a list of moves on my “skate bucket list” but also have a certain flow and style that I am comfortable with. It can be hard to explain in words but it’s something I feel will take a couple years to finally feel “achieved” and I look forward to that moment!

Being young, juggling responsibilities while reaching your dreams can sometimes get to be a bit overwhelming, how do you regroup and motivate/inspire yourself when you’re feeling a little defeated?
Recently, skating has been my way to regroup and motivate myself when I am feeling defeated or overwhelmed as a way to “escape”. However, my main way to do that especially before skating was through music! Listening to music is something so therapeutic and powerful for me and I do not know what I’d do without it. There are so many talented musicians out there that have no idea how big of an impact their voice, sound, and message have not only on me but on so many others as well.

One song I have gone back to for many years whenever I am really feeling down is called “All Right” by Carolyn Malachi. It is something about the combination of her voice, the violin in the background, and her assuring me that I am going to be alright helps every time. On the other hand, even songs that are more catchy and created for fun and dancing can have a huge impact on my mood as well!

Oftentimes black girls are labeled with numerous stereotypes, what’s a way we can continue to break barriers and create an authentic representation of ourselves?
BE OURSELVES!!! We are way too often put down, judged, or expected to act and look a certain way and for those reasons it can be difficult to live out our dreams and best lives. It can create a pressure to feel as if we need to change ourselves or act like someone we are not in order to be successful and respected but that is NOT the case at all.

As black girls we have so much strength, passion, and intelligence within us that is just waiting to be shared with the world. We are the beauty and the brains that are needed in so many fields in society whether that be STEM, Healthcare, Law and Policy, Arts, Education…you name it. We need to continue to break down the barriers that keep us from entering the fields of our dreams and showing the world the black girl magic we embody everyday.

What’s one mantra or positive quote you live by?

I don’t really have a mantra but one thing I do always live by is to never pass up an opportunity. No matter how big or small, an opportunity is an opportunity and you never know how far it can take you! It could be something as small as going to a community event to as big as attending a career fair. If you don’t go, if you don’t speak up, if you don’t take the chance then you will never know what you may have missed out on. The same thing even applies for me when skating! There are some things I thought I never in my life would do such as dropping in at a skatepark. But one day the park was empty and I had the chance right then to attempt to drop in and I did successfully! Even though not all opportunities will end in happiness and success, at least a valuable lesson was learned!

Time for faves! Artist? Food? Movie? Celeb crush?
My favorite artist of all time is Childish Gambino and seeing him in concert for the first time two years ago was one of the most memorable experiences of my life! I also really love Maxwell, dvsn, and Erykah Badu.

As far as eating goes, I love all pastas especially spaghetti, Taharka
Bros Honey Graham Ice Cream, and Angie’s Boom Chicka Pop Sweet and Salty Kettle Corn.

For movies I could watch Spiderman Into the Spiderverse, Do The Right Thing, and Let it Shine a million times and never get tired of any of them! And a Celeb crush I don’t think I really have a set one but I am sure there are many that I would very likely become speechless if I was approached by any one of them HAHA. 

Follow more of Sade’s skate journey here!

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