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How Do You Sk8!
The Transformative Impact of Skating: Jacob Kirby's Inspirational Tale
What if your passion could save your life? Join us as we explore the remarkable and inspiring journey of Jacob Kirby, who rediscovered his love for skating in his 20s and used it to turn his life around. From his early days at Skate City in Littleton, Colorado, to meeting influential figures like Brian Witt and Brian Klukas, Jacob's story is a testament to the transformative power of skating. Listen to how he evolved from aggressive rollerblading to mastering rhythm and JB style, all while emphasizing a unique, self-expressive approach to the sport.
Jacob opens up about the emotional highs and lows of returning to skating, sharing how it became a vital outlet during challenging times and helped him avoid a reckless lifestyle. The supportive and welcoming nature of the skating community shines through as we honor the memory of influential figures like Josh Ingram. Jacob also talks about the positive impact of skating on his family life, encouraging children to embrace the sport and build lifelong connections.
Dive into the world of skating gear, where Jacob discusses the importance of investing in quality equipment and consistent practice to enhance skills. Hear personal stories of falling and getting back up, underscoring the resilience required in skating. From reminiscing about past experiences in New Mexico to celebrating the vibrant Colorado skate scene, this episode is a heartfelt tribute to the camaraderie, inclusivity, and joy that the roller-skating community brings. Don't miss out on this inspiring conversation that highlights the power of passion, perseverance, and community.
Hey there, welcome to how Do you Skate, the ultimate destination for all skating enthusiasts. We cater to everyone, from beginners to pros. Whether you love inline and ice skating or prefer quads and skateboarding, we have it all covered, and we bring you exclusive interviews with professionals, talented amateurs and influencers in the industry. So sit back, relax and get ready for an exciting journey into the world of skating.
Speaker 2:Welcome to. How Do you Skate? My name is Sean Egan, I am your host and I'm here with my friend Jacob Kirby. How are you doing today, sir?
Speaker 3:I'm great, Sean. Thanks for having me on today. It's good to see you.
Speaker 2:So when did skating start for you? That's something I actually never knew.
Speaker 3:That's fair. Yeah, so I started skating when I was a kid. Right Skate City, littleton, was my home rink. I grew up in the littleton area until high school, um, and so, like most of us, we skate middle school because there's not really a better place for us to be. Um, yeah, I remember going around and probably about 93 or so I really started skating and then probably stopped about 97, 98.
Speaker 3:I went through high school thinking I was too cool to go roller skating and then when I hit my 20s, like most young 20-year-olds, I was out drinking and partying and having a good time, and I don't know. I got around the age of 24 years old. I kind of recognized that I was doing a little too much of that. So what I ended up doing was deciding to take a break right from drinking and partying with my friends and I thought I'll take a month off. No big deal, and it always sounds good on paper, right? You're like oh, I'm just going to take a break.
Speaker 3:The problem is is in your 20s, all of your friends are downtown, all of them are going to the bars, they're having a good time, and you're the only guy who's trying to stay away from it. So I thought to myself like hey, what am I going to do with my time? It's Friday night, it's Saturday night, what am I going to do? So I recall, you know, going roller skating when I was a kid and I loved it, my friends were there, all that good stuff, goodbye. So I decided to go roller skating again, and I was brave man. I'll tell you what. In my, my early mid-20s, I go on a friday night. There's a ton of kids there feel completely out of place, you know, um. And so I skated for a little while. Uh, one of the staff members said you know, maybe come on a sunday, it's a little less people there and I decided to go on a Sunday.
Speaker 3:I went on a Sunday and I met Brian Witt and I met Brian Klukas the two Brians. So Brian Klukas actually came up to me right away and started talking to me and he's like, hey man, there's these adult nights and I was like, yeah, that'd be great, I'd love to go skate with you guys. And so Brian ended up asking me to go skate with him and I decided to go and kind of the rest from there is history. Brian Witt ended up starting a roller skating company, an accessory company, and so the more that I skated, the more I stayed sober and the less I felt like going out and partying and drinking my money away.
Speaker 3:And so I continued to skate and now I'm 39 years old and I've been skating for, you know, the better half of about uh 14, 15 years, pretty consistently. I took about a three year hiatus and stopped skating for a little while, uh, and came back to it.
Speaker 2:So when did the the? Because when I met you I keep telling the story. It's like I told Angela that when I first met you I called you a devilishly handsome guy. So but when did the artistic skating? Or do you consider it artistic, or dance skating, or what do you consider your style?
Speaker 3:You know. So originally I started out as a rollerblader back in the nineties. Rollerblading was really big. I had a pair of K2 fatty pros and some K2 Backyards and so I did a lot of aggressive skating. And then, as I got older, I switched to jam skating and I started doing jam skating. So I had a bunch of Vanillas, vanilla Curves, stuff like that.
Speaker 3:And then when I got a little bit older, you know, I started hanging out with JB and a bunch of those guys down from Aurora and got into more of the JB skating and got into high tops. And so then I ordered my own high tops. I skated some crazy skate high tops for a little bit and then I finally looked around and found some older high top skates from Rydell, and so I consider it more of like a rhythm and JB style skating. I kind of got my own thing going. I don't really conform to that You're. Hey, this is my style, this is what I do. I just kind of do what feels right to kind of express myself, depending on the mood that I'm in and where I'm at in my life.
Speaker 2:Do you do competitions at all too, or is it just?
Speaker 3:Completely recreational Love to just hang out in the skate community, love hanging out with all the people. As you both know, you know, you and all, I'm sure, everybody listening right now the skate community is full of a lot of different kinds of people and that's one of the things I absolutely love about it is meeting people from different walks of life, being able to hang out and learn new stuff from people. Again, after this kind of a collage of a skate style, I don't really conform to one thing. I like pulling from all different directions and kind of doing my thing.
Speaker 2:Okay, Now I remember talking to you and you. You skate with a partner sometimes.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so Melissa is my skate partner. We we started skating about a year and a half ago almost two years ago now, Um, and she's just awesome. You know like sometimes you skate with some people and it just seems to fit Right. So Melissa and I don't necessarily focus on getting routines down as much as we focus on having fun. We're out there to have fun. Yeah, it's nice to get some things down and stuff, but when you click with somebody, it just works.
Speaker 2:Yeah, are you? Are you thinking about ever doing competitions at all? Cause I know with our skate community out here in Colorado we've got um Devin the DJ, who's been what four-time national champion or five-time national champion, so it's a pretty rich skate culture out here. So yeah.
Speaker 3:So to your point, I don't have any plans of trying to compete whatsoever. As you mentioned, Devin is an amazing skater. You know, when I go out there and I'm looking at everybody else and how they skate, like my true deepest feelings about it is that there are so many other people that are far more talented than I am on skates that it's just an absolute pleasure just to be around those people and learn from them, and Devin is certainly one of those people that you know. As you know, he gets the groove going. He DJs really well, he keeps everybody moving and when he gets a chance to go out there and skate, it's a pleasure to watch him.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I kind of sometimes have to stop and watch what he's doing too, just because he's that good. And his brother. It's kind of funny how him and his brother two totally different skate styles One's a speed skater and one's artistic Absolutely.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:But so since you started skating again, have you had any times where it's just been frustrating, where you wanted to give up and quit, and just had those times where you're just like I'm done, I can't deal with this crap anymore?
Speaker 3:You know, I've never really gotten to the point where I was like I'm going to quit skating. Um, I've certainly taken some breaks at times, you know, where I've kind of disappeared from the rings for a week or two, or possibly even three weeks, and I always find that it's really good for me to do that. Sometimes you just get stuck in the monotony of, hey, I keep getting stuck on this one move, or I'm trying to do this thing and it's just. It's just not as fun as it used to be Right.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And I find myself to be a pretty competitive person with myself, especially pushing myself to get more, to do more and be better, and so I have to take a step back sometimes and I feel like when I do that and I come back to it, I feel incredible. I feel like I'm actually doing more than I was before, I feel smoother, I feel like I'm actually having fun again.
Speaker 2:Yeah, sometimes you just need that break just to kind of recharge and regenerate, like the last. I don't think I've skated in the last three weeks, so it's been trips and and camping and really getting to experience a lot of Colorado that I haven't got to experience before. But you were talking about how you got back into skating when you were just trying to take a break from drinking. Um, how would things have been different, like, if you didn't take that break from drinking and never got back into skating? Do you think your life would be like way different than it is now? Or do you think you would have stuck with the partying?
Speaker 3:Yeah, absolutely Good, great question. So, um, I think about kind of the lifestyle that I was living back then. This was before I had my daughter and uh, all of that good stuff, before I had a real major career path. You know, and I was living in a house at the time with these two other girls uh, roommates of mine, super awesome people, still friends and how crazy we were. I mean it was we would drink and barbecue every single weekend and you know, it was a party house and you know, I think about some of the reckless behavior that I was displaying back then in my life and I do, I truly believe that skating saved my life.
Speaker 3:I was, I was definitely drinking and driving and doing some things that I'm not very proud of, and that was kind of the catalyst for realizing that I needed to make a change in my life. And so when I think about skating and why it holds such a close to my heart, such a deep place for me to meditate and kind of ground myself and get back to who I am deep down, is that it really did save my life and the community itself. I mean, if it wasn't for Brian Witt and Brian Klukas coming to me and approaching me that Sunday, I don't know if I would be in the community. I don't know if I would be skating this day. I don't know if I would have pursued that as a sport and a hobby.
Speaker 2:Now that first time, when you started skating again, did you just go solo and decide I'm just going to go skate.
Speaker 3:Absolutely man, and I felt, like I said, I felt a bit out of place. I felt like I was decent. You know I could do a little bit of crossovers and stuff like that, you know but I felt a bit out of place. And, as you can imagine going to an adult night too, when you're just starting back up again, or even maybe it's just your first time going you feel like, wow, these people are absolutely incredible and maybe I don't belong here. But fortunately for us, especially here in Colorado, and my experience throughout the entire United States has been that the skate community is a very welcoming community. It doesn't matter your walk of life, your religious beliefs, your political beliefs None of those things matter at the skate rink, right? We're all there for the same reason. We're there to be healthy and have a good hobby that is cost efficient for everyone to really join and do, and so it's a very welcoming community.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I was the same way because I got back, I started again in December and just going by myself to the skate rink. The first couple of times I showed up to Arvada before I met you, I had my headphones in and I was just skating with my headphones because I didn't know anybody. So it was a. It's amazing how the community and you just start making friends and new friends and then it just keeps adding every time you go skating. Even the people. I have a tendency to welcome a lot of the new people and give them compliments about you know getting better every time I see them and that kind of stuff, because you don't want to go somewhere where someone gives you a bunch of crap or anything like that. If you give that negative vibe, then you're not going to get people to come back and enjoy themselves.
Speaker 3:Absolutely. You know, and I want to give a big shout out to somebody who recently an absolute giant amongst men and in the skate community, Josh Ingram. Right, Josh Ingram just passed away. Josh Ingram is a part of the Ingram family who own a lot of the skate cities. Ingram is a part of the Ingram family who own a lot of the skate cities. No-transcript. You know, a lot of people have a skate life and then they have a whole other personal, family life maybe, or a business life, and that's their life away from life, if you will. And so we take on these new roles to welcome people and do new things.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly. So now, when we were talking earlier, you were talking about your daughter skating and my two youngest ones like skating too. Well, actually, my 17 year old actually works at Skate City, westminster. So how old was your daughter when she started skating? Did you take her like right off the bat?
Speaker 3:Absolutely man. Um, I believe we celebrated her third birthday party at Skate City, littleton. I remember my buddy, brian Klukas, who got me into this world again. His daughter celebrated her second birthday party there on roller skates and continues to do it and I've been blessed to have her there inside of that hobby of mine that I love so much and that she enjoys doing it with me. You know I used to joke around with her mom about I've got a reason to skate every single Sunday for the rest of my life. So it's been. It's been great man to watch her develop her skills and to watch her interact with other kids and just kind of pick up her own style and what she wants to do.
Speaker 2:And which direction is she heading with skating she?
Speaker 3:definitely looks like she's kind of taken after her dad in a lot of ways. She definitely likes the dance and rhythm skating a lot. She started out on rollerblades and she was having a blast with that and then finally she said dad, you know, I really want some high tops, and so I bought her some high tops, and recently I bought her some Moxie skates for her 11th birthday, and so she's getting on top of those and seems to be doing really well.
Speaker 2:I'm hoping to get the founder of Moxie on here soon, eventually, so. But you know, when she turns 18, you're going to be taking her to adult night too.
Speaker 3:I certainly hope that she wants to continue skating well into her adulthood, um, for multiple reasons, right. Not just because it's healthy and the community is good, uh, but also to kind of keep her out of trouble, right, like uh again, like I know where I was at when I was 20, 21 to 24. And I'm hoping to provide an outlet for her that she can go and do by herself even without me and, you know, get an early footstep into the community.
Speaker 2:Yeah Now, is she ever thinking about competition, or is she just doing it recreationally too?
Speaker 3:Definitely just for fun. She just loves to go out there and skate and you know it's awesome. You know we have a couple of other hobbies that we do too, but I would say skate, skating is probably the main one that we do, more often than the others.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and the nice thing about skating not only does it keep us as adults active, but it keeps the kids more active where they're not stuck behind video games all day. So it makes it a very nice outlet even for kids, especially now, because when I was growing up, we were outside playing all the time. Now it seems like you have to kick the kids out of the house just to go outside and play. So, yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 3:You know, I was born in 1985. And, as I recall, we weren't allowed in the house, right Like if it was summertime or, you know, the weather was decent, and even sometimes when it was snowing outside, like we weren't supposed to be in the house, we were supposed to be out of the house. My mom could be cleaning or doing whatever it is that she wants to do in the house, watching her soap operas, days of Our Lives or whatever was going on. And you know we were out looking for our friends' bikes in the neighborhood, and, and you know we were out looking for our friends' bikes in the neighborhood, and that's where everybody was at.
Speaker 3:You know, or we were hanging out at the park, or, on a Friday or Saturday night, we were hanging out at Skate City getting our skate on.
Speaker 2:So now, how many nights a week are you skating? Now, because I know last night and usually Thursday night.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so those are typically my skate nights Tuesday, thursday, right Tuesday at Littleton, skate City. Thursday night at skate city, arvada. Um, you know there is an event that happens down at the exo event center, um, which now is called real works, which is also a lot of people know as tracks and the beauty bar, and they open up all this stuff once a month, usually every third friday, and they call it roll denver. Back in the day before it was roll Denver, there was a different outfit running it and it was called down and Derby and so originally it started as down and Derby and I used to go there when they first started it.
Speaker 3:Um, so you know, to your point, to answer your question, uh, about two to three days a week, is is usually what I try and get in there. Uh, does that always happen? Absolutely not. You know, I've got another life to take care of and work and the kiddo and stuff like that, and so I wish I could skate more. You know, back when I first started skating again in my early or my mid 20s.
Speaker 3:I went through a time period where I skated probably every single day, and some days I was skating anywhere from four to eight hours a day, maybe even more, and like really pushing myself to get out there until I was at the point of exhaustion and I could barely walk when I was coming out the door.
Speaker 2:Now, did you change all your eating habits when you were skating four to eight hours a day? Definitely not.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, I noticed if I eat like crap, I skate like crap, and the better, the more quality food, especially as I get older. The better the food, the better I skate, and it just also helps drop weight too At our age okay, you're still a lot younger than me, but at my age if I don't stay active I can put it on really back really quickly, and that's the nice thing about skating is that even two hours of skating you're anywhere from 10 to 15 miles at the roller rink. That I don't think people realize that. So, but you ever going to get into doing a race with me?
Speaker 3:You know, if I ever upgrade my bearings to some Swiss ceramics, uh, you can catch me around the quarters.
Speaker 2:Okay, what kind of bearings are you using now?
Speaker 3:You know I've got some, uh, swiss bone reds right now that uh, I've been rolling on for I don't know just a few months. And then I just recently acquired some new wheels and bearings from a buddy of mine, and I can't remember their varsity wheels but I can't remember what the bearings are that are in there, but they are nice and smooth. So big shout out to Joey for hooking me up for my birthday. Uh, my man gave me a pair of uh varsity wheels and bearings on um, a pair of OGs.
Speaker 3:So that was really awesome and hooked me up like that.
Speaker 2:Nice Is OGs what you're wearing now.
Speaker 3:No, you know, I tried the OGs out for a while and, um, I, I reverted back to my old Rydell's and I'm just really used to those. And uh, believe it or not, like I didn't spend, you know, eight or a thousand dollars on my skates. I just did about one hundred and twenty dollars on my boots and I have a pair of nylon crazy skate plates on there and they're actually smaller than what I should probably have for my size foot. And because you know, x actually came to me years back and he, because you know, um X actually came to me years back and he said you know, you really want to get good, uh, my suggestion is to get a pair of skates. He's like, I don't care how much they cost, just get a pair of skates and just skate on and just keep skating on them and keep putting the work in and eventually you know that'll all come together. And man, uh, xavier couldn't have been more right about that, right like I mean he just couldn't more right.
Speaker 3:So even when I step into a different plate or a different pair of wheels or a different boot that is a lot more expensive and a lot better engineered, um, I don't feel quite as confident, I don't feel quite as smooth on it as I do. My old setup that I just I can't get enough of.
Speaker 2:Okay. Is it just because you can't get used to them, or you're just so comfortable with your old setup that you just prefer your own setup?
Speaker 3:I think it's just that I'm real comfortable with my old setup. Um, certainly, if I were to spend the time in a new setup and, you know, spend a year or something like that skating in a brand new boot or even a used boot that was just a higher quality boot and a high end reactor plate or something like that then certainly, like I, would probably get a little better. Maybe unlock a couple of things, be a little smoother, but I just really enjoy that nylon plate and I'm a heavier set guy.
Speaker 3:I'm like 240 pounds, I'm six foot two, uh, and that plate definitely flexes a little bit with that weight, uh, depending on what I'm doing. So I've gotten used to that and I really enjoy it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm looking at some Rydell Um, they're the derby skates and they they run. They're pretty pricey, but they got the metal plate underneath. So and I2M6 too, and weigh a little bit more than you. Not going to get into details when we wait on the air.
Speaker 3:You look incredible.
Speaker 2:It's just, it's all muscle.
Speaker 3:That's right, that's right. Baby, there you go.
Speaker 2:But so now, as an adult, now that we got this weird addiction to skating I guess you could call it how many pairs of skates have you owned since you've become an adult?
Speaker 3:That is a good question. So I thought about this the other day. So I bought a pair of Rydell's. Well, there was one kind of a cheaper pair of skates I had. Then I bought a pair of Rydell's for like my first pair. That cost me $260. I can't remember what boot they were, but I absolutely love those skates for a while. And then I ended up spending about $400 on a pair of vanilla curves, curves, and then, after the vanilla curves, I had the. I had the crazy skate high tops for a while when I switched to high tops and then I had my Rydell's and then I had a pair of OGs Thanks to Joey hooking me up for my birthday. So what is that? Five, six pairs of skates, something like that.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so I think that's quite a lot of pair of skates. Personally, I've definitely met people that you know they're like I just never have bought another pair. They've had their original ones. That they've had, you know, they've been skating on for 10 plus years or even since they were kids. And then, of course, you know there are a couple of other people out there that they kind of have a roller skate addiction, like they got stilettos. They're out there spending more money on their skates than women spend on their stilettos. So you know, I see people out there that drop, you know, anywhere from $600 to 16, $2,000 on some on a pair of skates.
Speaker 2:So why do you got to call me out online?
Speaker 3:Yeah, that you know there's, there's I won't name drop on some of these other people Absolutely love everybody in the community. It's nothing negative about it. Everyone's got their passion and incredible styles. That's one thing that was really cool about people spending that extra money. Yeah, I think they're spending their money on it and I'm not spending my own money to see setups that they have Absolutely incredible Different color schemes and different styles and different kinds of artistic skates and JB and rhythm skates, even like down to the diamond walkers and you're, you're looking at, you know the Rydell jam skates and stuff like that, like some of those setups. They get up there and they're they're quite expensive.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm looking at three more pairs and I'm on pairs seven and eight right now. But the speed skates I have, they're designed more for outdoors and marathon, so I got to get the indoor set up and then, uh, something with smaller wheels so I can actually start doing tricks on roller blades. And then, of course, the quads. So, cause, I want to do roller Derby, I want to knock people over and be me.
Speaker 3:I mean you really should do roller derby. It's a blast. You know I've been approached a couple of times in the past to join the roller derby club and the community and, um, I just I played football in high school and middle school and my body is always, even in my twenties, was just like Nope, I'm not doing that. And that's kind of happy to hang out with you guys, happy to show up at practices and just kind of do some light stuff. But uh, again, like as far as competing goes, uh, I'm just not there and never really had a passion for competing on skates.
Speaker 2:Dude, we've got to do roller Derby together. We can be like a tag team and just like annihilate people, although you do have better hair than I do.
Speaker 3:For now. For now, I've got a couple of years here that they could disappear.
Speaker 2:I've been doing this since 95, and that was when I was 23. And it worked out better for me then than with that little hair that was growing.
Speaker 3:Well, you look amazing, my friend. You look great, not as good as you.
Speaker 2:You don't lie to yourself, sean.
Speaker 3:You look great man. You're the one with the girlfriend.
Speaker 2:Remember that this is true, she's a beautiful girlfriend too.
Speaker 3:So yeah, she is, she's very kind, she's sweet too, but very nice, pleasant to meet so now I haven't had Doughboy on yet, but I plan to.
Speaker 2:Are you planning on attending Mile High Rollers this year or next year?
Speaker 3:Oh, absolutely. You know they just started that Mile High Roller, the first annual skate party. Great turnout, people from all over the United States party. Great turnout, people from all over the united states. Uh, thanks to um you know, colorado skate connection, xavier jb, all the guys who have been original skaters to that and started that, um, those guys are some of the nicest guys I've ever met in my life and for them to really get that together I know it's always been kind of a lifelong goal in their life for skating. To get an event like that set up and to see it come together and rotation on that was just absolutely incredible man. And big shout out to Darian Doughboy. I mean that guy and I go way back and has always been just an incredible guy. You know his wife, also an incredible person. I can't say enough good stuff about the Colorado Skate Connection community and that crew out there and what they do for the community and the skate life, as I like to call it. They are absolutely incredible people.
Speaker 2:So I didn't get to make it this year, but I plan on actually being media next year for it. What was your experience there? How was it? I mean, I didn't hear a lot of stories about it, but definitely interested in hearing about how it went.
Speaker 3:So for me, and just some context, a little background on me. I've been out to a lot of different skate events throughout the United States. I was very lucky to be able to skate with a lot of good people and Brian and his company to go promote his product back when we were doing that in my 20s. So I got to travel all over the place and this skate session, this skate party, was second to none. It was definitely especially for a first time annual skate to come together and have that big of a turnout. It was absolutely incredible. Different skaters, different styles.
Speaker 3:Um, you know, when we did a, they did a special uh style skate where they called out certain styles and that style was to go out there and skate and kind of show off the community of, like you know, their contribution to what they do in the skate community and how they've given, uh, different styles and stuff like that. And it was absolutely incredible. Everybody was super nice, everybody got along, you know, and that's generally the skate community anyway. Uh, generally I don't really hear of any drama and problems and stuff like that. Uh, it's, it's a pretty neutral spot and, you know, this party was definitely awesome. We had a white party, you know, with dinner and hangout and a dance, and you know I think they even had a pool party. I wasn't able to attend all the events. We even went down to Dave and Buster's and hung out and did games and stuff with everybody. So big shout out to Carl's Gate Connection, doughboy, darian, jb, xavier, all those guys for putting that together and putting their personal lives on hold to make this event happen.
Speaker 3:I mean, it takes an incredible amount of dedication to have something like that come together.
Speaker 2:Okay Now, what are some of the, with you being the dance and your own kind of jam. What's some of the music styles that you like to listen to when you're skating?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so, um, generally I try not to bring my headphones in. Uh, I, I really like being in the vibe and most of the DJs out here I really like and respect. Occasionally I'm in my own head right Like we've all been there. Maybe we've had a shitty day, maybe it's been a crap shoot of a day, maybe, you know, our personal lives aren't exactly where we'd hope they'd be and we need to be in our own world. So when I do that and I listen to my own music, it does change per mood.
Speaker 3:I do that and I listen to my own music. It does change per mood but I listen to anything from. I'll listen to electronic EDM, I'll listen to James Brown, to you know funk, to 90s hip hop, 90s rap. I'll even listen to some country. Occasionally I'll be in the mood to put on some classical music and kind of jam to that skate nice and slow and work on being smoother and that sort of thing. So generally I listen to just about everything but being a rhythm kind of skater and being more of a jb skater, I generally like a lot of East Coast hip hop. I like horns in my music, I like just kind of the beats that come out of the East Coast. You know, west Coast obviously has its own flavor and that's always great to listen to, but generally I gravitate towards that East Coast style.
Speaker 2:Okay, so now you meet new skaters. What advice do you have for them? If they want to go the style of jam skating and that, what advice would you give them for skating?
Speaker 3:Be dedicated. It's just like any other hobby that you might have right. If you wanted to lift weights and you wanted to get a certain physique, you got to put the work in right. It definitely takes that dedication. Don't be afraid to fall, Don't be afraid to push yourself. You know, if you're a brand new skater, the one thing I really tell a lot of people is if you've ever been on a horizontal escalator, think of it like that when you're out there, the floor is moving and you're not actually moving right, You're just making steps on the floor. That's actually moving. That tends to help people kind of get the gist of how to get their balance right and so absolutely hands down. It is about the dedication, it is about putting the work in. You've got to get out there and do it, but don't ever forget to have the fun If you're not out there having fun.
Speaker 3:You're probably not doing it right, because skating should be fun, absolutely so.
Speaker 2:Now I know one of the things that people freak out about is falling with skating. So what's one of your nastiest falls?
Speaker 3:um, so, and actually I I kind of caught this one on film one day. Someone was actually filming me and I was at wagonagon Wheel Skate Center and those of you that aren't from Colorado, wagon Wheel is an absolutely incredible place to go Beautiful wood floor. It's inside of a barn. They have three tree trunks in the middle. It's a suspended floor, so there's really nothing underneath the floor. Absolutely incredible place to go.
Speaker 3:Jantel out there, a big shout out to her for being an amazing person and, you know, running a really good rink. And you know she had kind of a tragedy a couple of years back and lost her husband and she really bounced back from that and I speak very highly of her. And but yeah, I was out there and skating in my 20s man, I was in my vanilla curves and learning to spin Right. You know I was. I was really putting the work in trying to learn how to spin and, brother, I spin real hard and I fell super hard and because of that hollow floor it sounded so loud I felt like I shook the whole building.
Speaker 3:I'll have to send you that video. I've got it and maybe you can clip it in here or something like that when I find it, but it was an experience and I didn't actually get hurt Right. And that's the kind of the thing with roller skating and falling. You always hear like the horror stories of people breaking bones and stuff like that. It is so very rare that people actually get hurt like that out there from falling. And the other thing is, is we all fall?
Speaker 2:Yeah, if we're not pushing ourselves.
Speaker 3:that's you know we're not falling if we're not pushing ourselves. The best of the best skaters that we've seen out there they fall a lot. You know they're out there pushing themselves, so don't be afraid to get out there and fall.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the guy that actually taught me how to skate. When I got my first pair of rollerblades back in 1988, he taught me how to fall. That it's back in 1988. He taught me how to fall. That was the first thing. He would actually run into me. So I fell and learned how to fall. And once you're not afraid to fall, then it just that fear leaves your mind and then you can get out there and skate.
Speaker 2:Because I've had some nasty ones where it was actually at the Golden Skate in San Ramon in California where I went around and clipped and this is during fast skate and I clipped my own back of my skate on a turn and went slamming into the wall. My, my whole side was just black and blue. So it was a bad fall. But I finished skating that night and just recently went down and and speed skating practice and skinned my whole leg. I don't know if you saw that, but it was bad and it stung and took. It looked pretty rough. Yeah, it took about three weeks to heal but I still got up.
Speaker 2:I went skating later that night for four hours and then it's when you fall, you just need to get back up. So, even like when you learned how to walk, you kept falling when you started to learn how to walk and you just kept getting back up. So, even like when you learned how to walk, you kept falling when you started to learn how to walk and you just kept getting back up and moving forward. And that's that's what I tell a lot of beginner skaters too. The first question they asked is like well, how do I get better at this, how do I get better at that? And my first response is just keep doing it.
Speaker 3:That's it. Dedication putting in the work, you know. Yeah, I did have one other fall. That was really good and this one actually jacked up my knee pretty bad. So I was out practicing at Skate City, littleton. I was in my, you know, mid to later 20s, probably about 26 or 27. And we were doing a backwards skate. And I was practicing because Brian and I were doing like a get a, a get together with Wayne's Western wheels.
Speaker 3:Right, we're going to shoot like a little commercial thing and hang out, get some dinner and just kind of hang out with another skate crew and uh, I was going backwards gate and I was going real fast and it was an all skate session and a little girl, uh, who was an avid, normal skater coming a lot, uh, decided to dart out onto the floor in front of me and I tried to save her before I saved myself and I really jacked up my knee and so I was. I was actually, if you find the Rollerbrights Wayne's Westerns wheels video, I was skating on a pretty bad knee during that time and that's probably one of the worst ones, um, that I experienced as far as like injuries go and stuff like that. And I definitely tore something in my knee and thankfully held up pretty well, but on those cold Colorado days I definitely feel it.
Speaker 2:Now, what was it called Wayne's what?
Speaker 3:Wayne's Western wheels, and so it was like cowboy boots on skates. Oh, okay, and so you, you, you can definitely find the video still on uh youtube if you're interested in taking a look at that, sean, and try not to give me too hard of a time. It was a different time in my life we've all had those times.
Speaker 3:Oh man, I had an absolute blast no shame in the game. I mean, it was so much fun and those people were very nice, uh, very cool to hang out with. Um, it was a good time we all met up in. I believe it was new mexico, right, I think we went to albuquerque or something like that okay did you know some video shooting and stuff like that, and uh went out to dinner with them and they were very nice people now are they still in business you know?
Speaker 3:I'm not sure I know they're out of texas they came from originally. Um, my guess is is probably they're probably still in business and still making skates. Um, it's just not as popular in the Colorado area Right, I imagine, on Texas and some of the Southern States like that, it is probably still pretty popular out there.
Speaker 3:I've just never found cowboy boots comfortable just to walk in, let alone skate in Well and I come from a rancher family, right, so I've got family out in that cattle ranch and so, um, I was never really a cowboy boot kind of guy either. Um, but, surprisingly enough, when I put on their their skates um, it fit my foot pretty well and it felt pretty comfortable.
Speaker 2:Very cool. One of the things I like about, especially out here in Colorado, the skate community it's. I know, like you and I met, and I know I've got like a lifelong friend in you now and just the people that I've met that are becoming lifelong friends. And not only that as I was telling you earlier, tomorrow night I'm going to be playing roller hockey with my son. So that's going to be playing roller hockey with my son, so that's going to be very interesting and it's just kind of it makes it fun that you actually get to skate with your kids and they enjoy that and it's and we've talked about getting our kids together skating and I look forward to that, just because it's such a positive outlet. I mean my youngest, he likes skating and he likes horror movies and doing makeup, so we got a good combo there so we can make some some falls look pretty nasty when they're not even real falls.
Speaker 3:So that's a, that's a cool hobby doing horror makeup and stuff like that and you know, um, I would encourage you to go talk to john John. He actually works at the 13th floor and does a bunch of that stuff, so it's a lot Um, but yeah, I mean, you know to your point, you know, uh, absolutely amazing community to be a part of and, um, to have so many different kinds of people in there and for everyone to really be able to get along is is absolutely incredible.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean there's. There's been some moments that I have accidentally pissed people off, but I didn't do it at purpose, but usually the next week they forgot who you are.
Speaker 3:So well and generally you know, like you never know what people's frame of mind is right. You know everybody has whatever personal stuff they're dealing with in their life and you know, sometimes people make contact with each other, sometimes people have misunderstandings and sometimes people don't see eye to eye on things. And you know, a lot of the time when there's an issue in the skate rink, a lot of people within the skate community will come in and mediate and work out the differences and, at the very least, keep it a very neutral place. You know, um, you know, occasionally you hear about that kind of stuff where people don't get along, they don't like each other or for whatever reason, and generally they can keep the skating community a very neutral place, uh, and keep things very calm there.
Speaker 3:All of us are there for the same reason. We're all there to skate, have a good time, get some exercise and generally have some conversation with people, and sometimes those people you only see them once a week, right? So you've got quite a bit to catch up on with some people. It's a very nice social setting for a lot of us.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I love it and I'm actually happy that I was welcomed in to the skating community out here. As big as I am, I have not skated in Aurora or Littleton yet. I've done Roller City, Wagon Wheel and Westminster and Arvada.
Speaker 3:Roller City West. Have you been to Roller City West yet?
Speaker 2:That's the one in Lakewood, right? Yeah, I like the open floor. It's really cool with no walls and it is bigger.
Speaker 3:A big shout-out to Brian for bringing that place back. It was shut down for many, many years and Brian and his wife finally made that dream come true and set that rink up. A big shout-out to Kiki down there, the GM Absolutely incredible skater, also a speed skater, who competes across the United States and owns it. That woman can skate. She won nationals, didn't she? She sure did. Yes, she did. She absolutely owns it when she goes out there and she takes her training very seriously.
Speaker 2:From what I understand, she's actually the fastest woman in the US right now.
Speaker 3:That is my understanding as well. And no surprise like that woman gets up at, like, I think, four or five o'clock in the morning every day. She works out, she eats right, she works at the rink all day.
Speaker 3:She's also an educator too, so she works with kids and she does a lot of stuff, and so, uh, she's an absolute incredible human being, uh much like a lot of people in the skate industry or the community, you know, uh, people that are very dedicated to, to that community, and especially the ones who actually work in the rinks and stuff like that. Um, let's be honest, you know that that's not going to make you rich, right? Um, even if, let's be honest, you know that that's not going to make you rich, right? Oh, absolutely, they do it because they love it. They do it because they love the people that come in. They do it because they love the kids and they want to keep, you know, the next few generations skating and give them something productive to do.
Speaker 2:So now I know I started. I got new skates during the pandemic to start skating when everything was closed started. I got new skates during the pandemic to start skating when everything was closed. What was the culture like out here during the pandemic as far as skating goes? Since I was still in California at that time.
Speaker 3:You know, to be honest, that was my three-year hiatus of not skating. You know, probably from about 20, late 2019 to 2022 thereaboutsabouts. You know that's when I I wasn't skating and it didn't have to do with the pandemic and the rules and the things like that. Um, it just had to do with my personal life. I had a lot of stuff going on. I just started a new career path and I was extremely focused on that um and trying to be very good at that job. Also, I was involved in a relationship that was taking up and consuming an incredible amount of my time and I was very dedicated to that person at that time and so I really put all of my time and energy between my daughter, my relationship and my new career path. Like that, I didn't really have time for skating and, looking back on it, I wish that I had made time for skating, especially during that time period. But you know, you kind of it is what it is. You know that's where things are at and I got back to skating as quickly as I could.
Speaker 2:Nice Now, since you brought up the relationship. Was she not supportive of skating Nice Now, since you brought up the relationship, was she not?
Speaker 3:supportive of skating. I know, absolutely, yeah, absolutely. So the person that I was with did not like me roller skating. She did not want me to kind of be out there and that sort of thing. It was not a very healthy relationship for me especially. And so you know, ultimately, like if anyone tells you that you can't go skating, that's probably not the person for you.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's that is the rule I live by now if I can't go roller skating with my friends, then you know um, I and, I think, my my buddy, michael jordan I'll call him mj he came out with, uh, some shirts. Uh, not too. That said, if you don't skate, we can't date.
Speaker 2:I have one.
Speaker 3:All right, I've got one too. I bought one from him too, and it's true, at the very least, if I can't skate, then we can't date, and that's a very big part of my life, and it has been for a long time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, my first marriage. I did give up skating because she thought it was childish, and now I'm very fortunate that not only is Angela supportive of me skating, but she's also supportive of the podcast and me doing the podcast. She actually listens, even though I can't get her on a pair of skates.
Speaker 3:She's awesome, you know I, as you know, I had the pleasure of going over there and meeting her and she's just an amazing person. Her know I, as you know, I had the pleasure of going over there and meeting her, and she's just an amazing person. Her daughter was very nice as well, and so you know nothing like having a partner that supports your hobbies and your dreams, right, like if you can find somebody in this crazy world who supports your dreams, who is kind and sweet, no matter you know what your preferences are or your, you know whatever it is that you're into, if your significant other and your partner supports your dreams and can be behind you on that, stuff like that is a keeper, a hundred percent.
Speaker 2:Oh, absolutely Now, was this the only person that you dated, that you had issues with being able to skate, or Okay, yeah absolutely yeah, and actually my daughter's mom and I are not together anymore.
Speaker 3:Um, we have a great co-parenting relationship, um, you know, but uh, before I had my daughter, that's when I started skating Right, and so I had my daughter when I was 28,. I started skating when I was about 24. And so for four years my daughter's mom really supported, uh, my skating and then really allowed me to go do that as an outlet to, um, keep myself occupied and keep myself grounded and to keep myself sober Um that was kind of the big thing for me and you know I'm very thankful for her for being very cool about all that stuff.
Speaker 3:You know she's a good person and I'm very happy that we have a child together and we can co parent. She definitely helped me to really pursue that hobby and to keep me grounded. I mean it's been great.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's the one thing that I've noticed is one of the common themes with the previous guest. She started skating, coming out of domestic abuse, and I've met several people that skating has taken the place of alcohol as a more healthier, more healthier choice and I just like the way that something so basic, so simple, that's been around for so long can help so many people without really people realizing it. Because when you start getting exercise and you start working out and being active, it not only helps you physically but it also helps you mentally, just gets those endorphins going and helps you think straight and so. But I do remember when I was younger and single in my early twenties and late teens, going to the roller rink and not going to lie half the time. I was there to meet women Okay, girls.
Speaker 3:Well, and let's be honest, you know for um, a lot of single people, you know, if you're looking to meet somebody who is into a healthy hobby, um, this can be a great place to meet new people If you're in the dating world and to uh kind of pursue something. You know a lot of skaters have a rule that they don't date other skaters, but certainly it's a great place to meet someone who does a healthy hobby and, you never know, you might find love. We've definitely seen people in the skate community that are have been together for a long time, like Dane and Gina. Those two met roller skating right Years and years ago and they are together to this day and you can catch them at the rinks, you know. And Gina's been a part of the Colorado Skate Connection for a long time as well, and Dane, you know, came from Conifer and he started skating with us and you know those two obviously madly in love with each other and I love seeing that.
Speaker 3:And there's there's plenty of OG skaters out there. You know there's plenty of other skaters that are well into their sixties, that are married and skate and they love the community, um, and they just set a really good example for people. So, um, it is definitely. It can potentially be a very good place to find love as well for people that are kind of looking to maybe find a good partner yeah, and I know future guests that I have coming on david kruikshank and bonnie blair.
Speaker 2:They're married and they're both olympians for speed skating, so that's awesome. It definitely works. And I mean I know eventually we'll get get Angela on skates between the two of us. We'll. We'll talk her into it, so just show her skates. Angela, it's your time, let's go you know she's gonna listen to this to just give me a dirty look while she's listening to it maybe, maybe, um, but you know what, who knows?
Speaker 3:maybe you know. Angela, if you are listening, I hope to see you out on the rink soon. I really do. I think are listening. I hope to see you out on the rink soon. I really do. I think it would be great to see you out there. And, um, I certainly know sean that would love to see you out there, you know well her daughter's got skates.
Speaker 3:Oh well, she should come too, exactly. You know, going back to that relationship stuff, you know a lot of us know the titan luke, right, like luke is, I believe, one of the the titans of the skate community as well and does a lot of things to make everybody feel welcomed and absolutely incredible person to talk to. And him and his wife you know they're both skaters and they've been married for a long, long time and you know their kids also skate occasionally and stuff like that. They just put up a thing Uh, I believe it was in Telluride, right, and so they had like a friend family uh skate event up in Telluride that they're trying to make a uh annual event as well. I unfortunately wasn't able to make it out to that, um, but man, the videos that I saw, the stories that I heard from people absolutely incredible.
Speaker 2:Definitely have to make it next year. Yeah.
Speaker 3:Road trip. That's right, man, the Airbnb full of skaters, you know, maybe, uh, we'll find one that has a hot tub so we can skate all day, relax at night, loosen up the muscles in the hot tub That'd be nice, absolutely, you know, and and Telluride's very well known for their hiking and their ski resorts, and their food up there is incredible. So certainly, you know, if you wanted to go up there for the event. You don't have to skate all day, you can go for a few hours at night or do whatever it is that you want to do and make it a vacation.
Speaker 2:And then go sit in the hot tub.
Speaker 3:And go sit in the hot tub. That's right, that's, that's my goal.
Speaker 2:Mine too. I'm right there with you so well. I want to thank you for coming on the show today.
Speaker 3:Thank you for having me out, sean. I really appreciate it. Man, um, I was a bit nervous coming on here. I, um, you know, generally don't do stuff like this, but you know, big Sean was like hey, will you come on my podcast? I was like for you, buddy, absolutely.
Speaker 2:Well it's, it's. I want all different styles of skating on here so people can, so we can actually expand the skating community. And I know right now from my stats I'm actually getting downloaded in five different countries, which I think is really cool. So just want to keep growing and bring more people. And that's why it's I don't just want famous people, I want the people that are the beginners, the regular people that people don't know about, just so that if you're a beginner or you're a pro, you can feel comfortable. You'll find someone that you can relate to in one of the episodes.
Speaker 3:Absolutely, and you know again, like for anybody who's listening, please come to the rink. We'd love to have you guys out there, skaters from out of the country, or just people from out of the country, people who are thinking about doing something else with their time. Certainly, come down, come skate with us. We're friendly. Come say hi, you know. Come say hi to me. I'll welcome you into the rink. I'm not the best skater, but I'll certainly teach you what I know and kind of give back, you know.
Speaker 3:The other thing is is never forget that Denver is probably the only city in the United States, and possibly the world, that every single night is skate night.
Speaker 2:Exactly, and every single night we have an adult skate night somewhere. So that's what makes it nice. If you're scared of skating and afraid of tripping over kids, adult night's the best place to go.
Speaker 3:Absolutely, and if you're looking at whatever city that you live here in Denver, there is a roller rink in one of those cities, including Colorado Springs. Roller rink in one of those cities including Colorado Springs. Let's not forget the springs Incredible skaters, incredibly clean rinks, very talented people out there All the way out to Pueblo, colorado. They have an incredible wood floor out there at Skate City. Never forget about those guys out there too. Absolutely incredible skaters and rink people out there as well.
Speaker 2:And let's not forget, fort Collins has a rink too.
Speaker 3:That's right. Fort Collins out North, let's go. Fort Collins is great too, you know, and a lot of the Fort Collins rinks out there are also tied in and very close with Jantel and Wagon Wheel. Wagon Wheel is absolutely a staple in the Colorado skate community. It definitely a special place for me. I've been going there since I was a kid, so definitely love giving them a shout out. I wish I could get up there more often.
Speaker 2:Definitely. And then I actually spent New Year's Eve there. That's how I welcomed in the new year. Dj Doughboy was there and they had like till 2 am in the morning for skating and New Year's. It was a potluck, it was. It was fun. I really enjoyed it.
Speaker 3:So that's great man. I heard stories about that too. Unfortunately, I had some other plans this year for 2024 and um, but man it was. It was hard pressed for me to not go to that skate. I was like oh, so I would have met you earlier.
Speaker 3:Absolutely, but you know what Timing is everything. I'm I'm very thankful to meet you, sean. You've been a great person to hang out with, skate, with, talk to Um and I wish all the success to you and thank you, um. You know what's really cool, I think also about our relationship is we're both HVAC guys, yeah, and our personal lives, but to be able to come and skate and find some common ground beyond the HVAC world is absolutely awesome. So it's been a pleasure, man.
Speaker 2:Definitely, and I'm not much of a drinker, except for football season. When the Raiders score their touchdowns, then I do the touchdown shot.
Speaker 3:See, you're in Bronco country buddy, we can't go there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but I grew up in the Bay Area.
Speaker 3:Lifelong. We'll get together on that bronco raiders game and we'll hang out and we'll do some food we're actually having a blackout party.
Speaker 2:So we a lot of the super fans you see from the raiders, like the pirate and all that they're all going to be out here and hanging out and then we tailgate at the, at the stadium.
Speaker 3:So I'll go with you, man, just send an invite and I'll make some time. I'll come out there and, um, you know, we'll do some grilling and some hanging out and, uh, we'll watch everyone argue about who's gonna win the game us, I don't know. Man, you know, I just went to the packers game. Um, I was lucky enough to get hooked up with Brian over there with Minuteman HVAC. They do commercial, right, minuteman. Okay, brian, absolutely incredible guy. His son, dylan, also a very cool guy, but we had some box seats and we spanked Green Bay. I think it was like 27-2. Yeah, so, you know, this year you Raiders guys better watch out because we're coming hard. Sorry, I had to laugh.
Speaker 2:Just the way you said it. I'm like I got that middle school mentality Like Raider Nation let's go, we're huge out here.
Speaker 3:I didn't realize how many raiders fans were out here. You know colorado's really exploded with a lot of uh population from california, new york, texas and stuff like that and I'm not one of those colorado natives that is not welcoming of that, you know. I think it's great and the culture and everything, but all you raiders fans need to go home no I left california and it's like I make more money out here than I did out there.
Speaker 2:Funny how that works. And less rent, less, everything's cheaper absolutely for now.
Speaker 3:you know we're going to try and maintain the the economy, get things to hopefully come down a little bit. You know it's different for me because I did grow up out here and I remember when houses out here cost $75,000, right yeah.
Speaker 3:My parents bought a house in the 80s for $75,000. I think my grandparents bought their first house here in Colorado in the valley, right Like they bought a house in the Valley for like $62,000. Um so, and you know, now they're 850 plus. You know million dollar homes in the Valley and stuff like that. So I'm okay with that Absolutely, especially if you're the one who bought cheap and you're, you know you've got that equity sitting around and uh, who knows, maybe it's your nest egg. Or you know rentals are huge out here too, the rental business is big. So, yeah, I'm just, I'm just a rent a room right now, but plan on buying a house. Yeah, you know the market's finally starting to kind of settle down. So you know, best of luck to you on getting a place. You know things are starting to look good for buyers. It's definitely becoming more of a buyer's market right now.
Speaker 2:It'll still be a few years. Got some stuff in the works as far as this goes, but then also the video you're going to send me. I might actually just use that in the documentary. I told you that, didn't I?
Speaker 3:You can use it, man. I'll send it to you on Facebook for a decent quality. But yeah, I felt pretty fucking hard. No lie, it was. It was a good one, man, it was a good one. And um, you know that all goes back to don't be afraid to fall, Don't be afraid to get out there and get it. Um, we all fall, I don't care how good you are. I don't care how long you've been skating for Um, we all do it.
Speaker 2:We all fall. Oh, and one thing I'm going to mention to my audience is that Jacob is actually the one that came up with the name. How do you skate?
Speaker 3:How do you skate? I wish I would've grabbed my shirt. I still have that shirt, um so, when I was skating with roller brights and Brian wit uh, I had come up with that because I was going around and traveling and I was like, you know, I wanted to see everybody's style. I wanted them to show me Right, yeah, it wasn't. It wasn't more of a question, as it was a statement Like how do you skate? Like show me what you got. I want to see all the different styles. I want to shamelessly steal from those styles and make it my own. So I'm so happy that you used it, man. I think it's going to be great for you. Just to be kind of a part of this is a big deal for me, so I really appreciate you. Thank you.
Speaker 2:And I just had to give you your flowers for the name. So I really appreciate it because it was. We had that struggle of trying to come up with a name and then, of course, Mindy came up and then she was she's like use this?
Speaker 3:Yeah, absolutely, and Mindy is also one of those people that's very welcome in the community and just a stellar person to be around. So you know, and that's just kind of how the skate community is right, like when we need help and maybe we're stumped on something or we're trying to brainstorm collectively, we come together to make stuff happen.
Speaker 2:Oh, absolutely, and I look forward to more future events and actually traveling and getting to meet skaters from around the world. I know I got some more skaters coming up. I have one coming on from London and that way we can see the skate community. I'm talking to one lady and she's out of Italy, but we're going to have to use her friend who speaks English to kind of translate. I just want to see how the skating culture is around the world and that's one of the reasons for the podcast is that we can bring the skating community together, and that's why I cover all forms of skating, not just inline skating or hockey or roller Derby. I think that there was a need to kind of bring all styles together.
Speaker 3:Absolutely, man. I think that is an incredible idea. I really like the fact that you know you're pulling all the different kinds of skating together and again, like, how do you skate? Uh, it just fits your podcast right. It fits that narrative of like it's not just roller skating, it's not just speed skating or jam skating, it is not just a skateboarding. You know, it is everything that has to do with skates, anything that's on wheels and bearings. Uh, and blades and blades.
Speaker 3:There, there are wheels and bearings too, I guess. Well, no, I'm talking about ice blades, we're're.
Speaker 2:They're wheels and bearings too, I guess. Well, no, I'm talking about ice blades. We're doing blades too.
Speaker 3:Yeah, okay, and that's also, I mean, to be truth and you know, to be fair. Like would roller skating really have as big of a fit if it wasn't for blades?
Speaker 2:I think that if it wasn't for ice skating, like wood roller skating be where it's at, probably not because now it's just we're starting to see like skateboarding in the olympics and right, hopefully eventually we'll start seeing, like you know, different styles of skating as far as like either the jam skating or like the skate cruise and that kind of stuff, yeah and, and you know, skating so big in the winter Olympics but with ice hockey and speed skating and inline or not inline figure skating and short track, so you've got a lot of skating right there.
Speaker 3:Absolutely. Um. You know, one question I was hoping you would ask me about was who would have been my like big skate, um idol or somebody that I really looked up to for skating and like someone that I kind of like pushed myself for, um, and there's kind of two guys, but the biggest guy for me was tony zane. Uh, tony zane was a jam skater that was signed to vanilla skates and did vanilla skates competition jam skating for many, many years. I still follow him and kind of check out his life and what he's doing. He looks very good and healthy and still throws on the skates. The other person who skated with tony zane, uh, would be diamond walker and I still follow diamond walker too and just you know, if you guys don't know who tony zane is, if you don't know who diamond walker is, youtube it, google it, do whatever you got to do.
Speaker 3:Uh, those guys were my idols for a very long time. Absolutely incredible skaters, probably some of the most gifted jam skaters I've ever seen I'm definitely gonna have to look them up and hopefully possibly get them on.
Speaker 2:Oh, man.
Speaker 3:You should reach out to Tony Zane. He's an incredible person, so awesome to talk to, man. Um, you know I I caught him a while back at at the uh, las Vegas skate convention once and just dude was super cool, very nice guy. Um, so he is a busy guy, but I bet you, if you reach out to him and tell him what you're doing, I mean he would be an absolutely incredible person to have on there, because he's been around to all the States I imagine he's been around to most of the countries that have roller skating as well. Um, and he could probably speak volumes about the skate community, and especially on a competition level.
Speaker 2:Nice, definitely. Well, I look forward to having you on in the future, maybe even your daughter when she gets to be a better skater.
Speaker 3:Absolutely, man. She's going to be better than me someday. I guarantee you that. I mean, like she's already picking up on her spins and she's only 11, and I didn't learn how to spin until I was well into my twenties, late twenties.
Speaker 2:Now did you show her the video of the fall?
Speaker 3:oh yeah, oh yeah, she laughed at me pretty good and they'll use that against you for the rest of your life you know, I certainly hope so, so that we can both laugh until I'm gray-haired and, and you know, not able to skate, which I hope never happens.
Speaker 2:But yeah, I'll be skating. I'll probably even have wheels on my car. Actually, you know what? That's a little morbid it is.
Speaker 3:I know where you're going with that, but you know what, hey dude, if we're both in in wheelchairs, we're gonna be like we're gonna be doing our thing yeah, if I ever end up in a wheelchair, I'm doing, uh, the wheelchair rugby yeah and you know that's another thing. Like you know, people in wheelchairs um are welcome at the rink. Yeah, more than welcome to come down and skate with us.
Speaker 2:Man, you're on wheels, let's go exactly so, but I appreciate it and I look forward to your success out there in the field of skating and hvac I appreciate you, man.
Speaker 3:You too, um, we'll get together soon enough. I'll probably see you tomorrow. Oh wait, you're doing hockey, so I won't see you tomorrow. But I might show up afterwards, depending on what time I get done, cause I don't have to work on Friday.
Speaker 2:And then I got to. I'm doing another podcast interview Friday morning.
Speaker 3:And well, and let's get, let's get the, the, the, the shuffle skate this weekend. Let me know if you can make it out there on Friday or Saturday and I'm going to try and get out there and do the shuffle skate. There's a possibility I might go camping this weekend with my daughter. It kind of depends on the weather and that sort of thing. And whether or not, I can get my newly acquired trailer rewired and get new lights on it before this weekend, which I'm running out of time, you got two days.
Speaker 3:Yeah, which isn't, isn't a lot of?
Speaker 2:time, not at all so, but definitely y'all let you know about this weekend and the, the what's it called? Uh, shuffle, shuffle skate. Okay, definitely, definitely. Thank you, thank you.