Tracey Zarowski started Suns Out Skates Out to help those wanting to improve their roller skating skills. Photos: Keeli Royle.
A new roller skating school in the Illawarra is riding the recent boom of popularity in the retro sport and teaching people of all ages the skills they need to embrace the activity while also creating a social community where skaters can connect.
Tracey Zarowski started roller skating when she was eight and spent many years competing and representing in the sport, but as she got older and decided to travel overseas and start a family, she pushed the skill to the side, until recently when she found a reason to get back on wheels.
“I just started picking up skating again to keep up with my daughter on her scooter,” Tracey said.
“It took me a second to find my feet but now I’m just finding that I’m more having fun with it now more than when I was competing.”
The Corrimal mum searched the local skating scene to find a community of like-minded people but found, despite an increasing number of people gaining an interest in the sport, there was not much support.
“The more I looked into it there was just nobody down here doing lessons and nobody teaching recreational skating or beginners,” Ms Zarowski said.
Tracey decided to utilise her expertise and start Wollongong’s first roller skating school, Suns Out Skates Out, to help give those interested in the sport a place to start.
Interest in skating lessons has skyrocketed within the Illawarra community.
“I teach proper technique, so anything from tying up your laces and checking your skates through to basic marching, skating,” she said.
“I’m doing a little bit of dance skating with my adults as well, basic backwards skating, just very basic techniques from beginner through to intermediate at the moment.”
After putting feelers out about interest late last year, demand skyrocketed and classes sold out quickly, with the idea attracting an extremely diverse group, from those looking for some fitness to those seeking a bit of nostalgia.
“For kids it’s anywhere from six years and up – some of them have skated before, some of them have never put skates on,” Tracey said.
“Then for the adults it’s a mixed bag; there’s a lot of mostly ladies at the moment but a few guys, coming in and saying, ‘I used to skate when I was a kid’ or such a long time ago, or some of them have skates but haven’t actually used them much – so there’s a lot of people coming out of the woodworks.”
And it has continued to grow.
“This year I’ve had more than double the new students come through, so I’ve started to put on a couple of extra classes on the weekend which I didn’t do last year,” Tracey said.
Now Tracey’s tapping into schools with programs offering the fun form of fitness to students.
And she’s also planning social meet-ups to help bring people together and build on the bond that skating has created.
“I just want to grow a really strong skating community down here and see more people out skating and having fun,” Tracey said.
To find out more visit the Suns Out Skates Out Instagram or Facebook pages.
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