Learning to Skate? Follow These Black Women on TikTok
Photo by: @joshi_mayaka/Instagram
Starting a new sport or activity as an adult can be intimidating or downright scary. We worry about making mistakes, getting hurt, and even not fitting in. And if there aren’t instructors and other students who look like us, then there are other things to worry about. The good news is this: The awkwardness we may feel now is just temporary. We all start somewhere. We all fail, fall, and go through the same learning processes, no matter our age.
I interviewed two Black women who are sharing their skate journeys on social media and was surprised to find out just how accessible roller skating is. You don’t need to travel far either. A living room, driveway, skate park, skating rink, or empty sports court can be the perfect spot to practice your snake walk, or, you know, figure out how to stop!
Dasia Washington
Dasia Washington began skating in 2021 after looking for a low-impact activity that would provide a good cardio workout.
Since then, she has skated through grief and major life changes—all while sharing her love of skating with the world. “I've had sad girl skate sessions and then I've had ‘Oh my God hype, we're about to take over the world’ skate sessions,” said the 31-year-old.
She posts beginner-friendly tutorials, advice, and skate sessions for her 254k+ followers across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.
“I love flowing through the air and being able to just turn my brain off while I was roller skating,” said Dasia, who skates to clear her mind and pay attention to what's happening in her body. “Feeling the wind on my face, the air in my lungs. It's just, it's perfect for centering yourself.”
Skating is more than just a workout for the influencer. She also doesn’t believe in gatekeeping the sport. With very little prior experience with skating, Dasia once turned to YouTube to learn the skills and tricks she now displays on her own social media for anyone to learn. Dasia also offers an Adult Beginner Roller Skate Course
Dasia’s tips for beginners:
Get a pair of skates that fit you appropriately. A properly fitted skate should feel snug, it shouldn't feel tight or pinch you at all. That's gonna shape your entire skate experience. If your boots don't feel good, you're gonna be distracted thinking about your boots.
Wear some protection. Even if you feel like you don't need it, just wear it and then once you get used to it, take it off. If you're stressed out about falling, you're never actually putting yourself into the movements.
Bend your knees way more than you think you need to. A lot of times you're walking on skates and gliding, but it's harder to do that if you don't bend your knees, so bend your knees and I promise you'll minimize how many times you have to pay the floor tax.
Don't give up before the magic happens.
Zulfiye Tufa
Zulfiye Tufa, a Turkish and East African (Oromo) skater from Australia also began skating during the pandemic, about three years ago.
When Zulfiye began skating, Australia had one of the strictest lockdowns in the world; people could only go outside for a couple of hours each day. Having just moved into a new house, Zulfiye took advantage of the lack of furniture and ample floor space and began skating.
“Roller skating for me was an escape and it was the first time that I've ever actually experienced using my body in a way that I could feel it was making a difference in my life,” said the 33 year old. “I really connected with my body for the first time and I think that's why I stuck with it.”
The sense of community has also been a big draw.
“I find that skating is meant to be inclusive,” Zulfiye reflected. Skating in Australia has made it challenging to find other Black women to skate with, but she’s found community nonetheless.
“I think it is very different in the States to Australia though,” she added. “There's a lot of Black history in skating, in the U.S, whereas in Australia at the roller rink, I'll be the only Black person many times.” Though Zulfiye doesn’t relate to the disco-born skate culture in Australia in the broad sense, she has found community with other skaters, as well as with the online community she successfully built.
She now inspires other people to try roller skating by posting beginner-friendly content for her 425k+ followers across TikTok and Instagram.
Zulfiye’s tips for beginners:
If you want to start skating, buy a pair of skates and start. You don't have to buy excellent skates, just skate.
In terms of finding a community and getting in touch with people, one thing that you can do is go to a skate park and talk to whoever's there. I know they're very intimidating, it took me like six months or eight months to even step into a skate park. But then as soon as I stepped in, I realized that this is honestly one of the friendliest places. Everyone, especially the adults, are really open to welcoming new people.
Find meetup groups on Facebook or Instagram and don’t be afraid to DM people. Everyone's feeling the same. Everyone wants to have people to skate with.
Although learning something new can be challenging, it can also be exciting. It can open up a whole new world of experiences and opportunities. As both Zulfiye and Dasia mentioned, you just have to get started. That’s often the hardest part. After that, keep practicing, and remember to appreciate all of the progress you make.
It can be difficult, not allowing imposter syndrome to creep in when you are comparing yourself to others or even to old versions of yourself. Zulfiye reminds us that “it's so important to welcome those new parts of you. When you experience imposter syndrome, acknowledge that that's a thing and not allow it to stop you from seeing yourself in a space and owning that space and having a right to be in that space.”
Happy Skating!
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