Hi! I’m Jeff, but on skates I go by Jeffrollz. I have been skating for more than 40 years. Skating has always been my happy place and a guaranteed mood lifter. I enjoy sharing that experience and helping others improve their skating skills. I am a certified and insured Level 1 SkateIA skating instructor. I offer skating lessons that cover a wide range of skills for beginning and intermediate skaters. I also teach roller dance steps and routines with an emphasis on common social roller dances and moves - far too many to name here. Contact me for more specific details about those, or for any other additional information.
My Story
I started roller skating as a kid in the 70s, starting with the adjustable metal clamp-on skates (those who know, understand), tearing up neighborhood sidewalks and driveways. This was a great seasonal activity in my native Iowa, but not in the off season or during inclement weather. I did ice skate occasionally in the winter when some local ponds froze over, but I always missed the stability that quad skates provided.
It was the golden era of roller disco and rinks were abundant, which is where I spent most off-season weekends and some weeknights during the late 70s through mid 80s. I graduated pretty quickly from rental skates to my own and said my goodbyes to the clamp-ons for good. I eventually invested in a quality pair of skates with a price tag that sounded absolutely insane to my parents. But I had saved for months for them and I HAD to have them. Silly teenager!
Those skates made the move with me to California after high school. I continued to skate on them at local rinks throughout Los Angeles and Orange County during my college years and continue to do so. And while there’s nothing quite like skating a beach boardwalk - such a quintessential Southern California experience that it’s practically a cliché - I admit my bias to a good wood skate floor, where I do my best skating. I could go pretty fast both forwards and backwards, but nothing too dangerous. It was my comfort zone and that's where I stayed.
One Skateful Day
I was having a particularly good skate at a rink one day back in 2017. While taking a break, my eyes were drawn, as they often were, to watching the roller dancers in the center do their tricks and routines, awed by their amazing skills, not to mention the cool factor.
Not being much of a dancer myself - step, ball, change warps my brain - it just never occurred to me join them. Probably for that reason. But even if it had, I'm sure my pragmatic brain shot down any inkling of putting wheels under my step, ball, change "skills". And remember that comfort zone I mentioned?
A Journey to the Center of the Rink
This day was different, however. Mid-life crisis? Maybe. But on that day a switch flipped and I soon found myself being magnetically drawn into middle. Once there, not really being sure of what to do, movement of some kind seemed to be required. So I stood behind and watched a couple doing a routine, while I surreptitiously (or so I thought) and clumsily tried to copy their every move.
Finally, one of them made eye contact, despite my best attempts to avoid it. I got the "oh bless your heart" look. What she did next altered my course entirely. I would have been totally fine with her going back to what she was doing with her partner, leaving me to keep going it alone. Instead, she skated over to me, introduced herself and offered to show me the steps, to which I answered a nervous but hopeful "yes". Goodbye comfort zone, hello Skate Love!
She was a patient and empathic teacher. The initial result wasn't exactly pretty - think Bambi on ice - but by the end of the session I could remember the 8 counts, complete them without falling, all while having fun doing it. Take that, step, ball, change!
8 Wheels and a Milestone
This truly was my "Eureka!" moment. Turns out, having eight wheels under my feet while dancing wasn't such a bad thing after all! Quite the opposite in fact. It was the magic that made dancing work for me.
It really is magic. I can't explain why, any more than I can explain what drew me into the middle on that fateful day. Whatever it was, I am forever thankful because it changed the course of my life in the best possible way and expanded my skate journey beyond anything I could have ever imagined. It inspired me to work on improving all of my skating skills and getting certified as an instructor.
It Ain't What You Do, It's the Way That You Do It
Honing old skills and learning new ones takes hard work, and lots of it. That applies to pretty much any passion, and skating is no exception. You have to love something enough to put in that work, otherwise you are just going through the motions. And really, what's the point of that?
Has roller dance come easily to me? Not at all! But I enjoy it too much to let the more difficult challenges deter me - if anything they steel my resolve to keep trying new things and putting in the work towards new goals. I live by the "drill it 'til you kill it" motto of one of my favorite teachers.
As I continue to build my skills, learning new ones is slowly getting easier. I have learned so much from teachers, friends and strangers near and far, in person and virtually. The Skate Love is real, alive and well. I look forward to the learning ahead, both as a student and as a teacher. I love the process and the journey that I am on.
Now I want to hear from you! Tell me about your skating journey and where you’d like to go.
My Story
I started roller skating as a kid in the 70s, starting with the adjustable metal clamp-on skates (those who know, understand), tearing up neighborhood sidewalks and driveways. This was a great seasonal activity in my native Iowa, but not in the off season or during inclement weather. I did ice skate occasionally in the winter when some local ponds froze over, but I always missed the stability that quad skates provided.
It was the golden era of roller disco and rinks were abundant, which is where I spent most off-season weekends and some weeknights during the late 70s through mid 80s. I graduated pretty quickly from rental skates to my own and said my goodbyes to the clamp-ons for good. I eventually invested in a quality pair of skates with a price tag that sounded absolutely insane to my parents. But I had saved for months for them and I HAD to have them. Silly teenager!
Those skates made the move with me to California after high school. I continued to skate on them at local rinks throughout Los Angeles and Orange County during my college years and continue to do so. And while there’s nothing quite like skating a beach boardwalk - such a quintessential Southern California experience that it’s practically a cliché - I admit my bias to a good wood skate floor, where I do my best skating. I could go pretty fast both forwards and backwards, but nothing too dangerous. It was my comfort zone and that's where I stayed.
One Skateful Day
I was having a particularly good skate at a rink one day back in 2017. While taking a break, my eyes were drawn, as they often were, to watching the roller dancers in the center do their tricks and routines, awed by their amazing skills, not to mention the cool factor.
Not being much of a dancer myself - step, ball, change warps my brain - it just never occurred to me join them. Probably for that reason. But even if it had, I'm sure my pragmatic brain shot down any inkling of putting wheels under my step, ball, change "skills". And remember that comfort zone I mentioned?
A Journey to the Center of the Rink
This day was different, however. Mid-life crisis? Maybe. But on that day a switch flipped and I soon found myself being magnetically drawn into middle. Once there, not really being sure of what to do, movement of some kind seemed to be required. So I stood behind and watched a couple doing a routine, while I surreptitiously (or so I thought) and clumsily tried to copy their every move.
Finally, one of them made eye contact, despite my best attempts to avoid it. I got the "oh bless your heart" look. What she did next altered my course entirely. I would have been totally fine with her going back to what she was doing with her partner, leaving me to keep going it alone. Instead, she skated over to me, introduced herself and offered to show me the steps, to which I answered a nervous but hopeful "yes". Goodbye comfort zone, hello Skate Love!
She was a patient and empathic teacher. The initial result wasn't exactly pretty - think Bambi on ice - but by the end of the session I could remember the 8 counts, complete them without falling, all while having fun doing it. Take that, step, ball, change!
8 Wheels and a Milestone
This truly was my "Eureka!" moment. Turns out, having eight wheels under my feet while dancing wasn't such a bad thing after all! Quite the opposite in fact. It was the magic that made dancing work for me.
It really is magic. I can't explain why, any more than I can explain what drew me into the middle on that fateful day. Whatever it was, I am forever thankful because it changed the course of my life in the best possible way and expanded my skate journey beyond anything I could have ever imagined. It inspired me to work on improving all of my skating skills and getting certified as an instructor.
It Ain't What You Do, It's the Way That You Do It
Honing old skills and learning new ones takes hard work, and lots of it. That applies to pretty much any passion, and skating is no exception. You have to love something enough to put in that work, otherwise you are just going through the motions. And really, what's the point of that?
Has roller dance come easily to me? Not at all! But I enjoy it too much to let the more difficult challenges deter me - if anything they steel my resolve to keep trying new things and putting in the work towards new goals. I live by the "drill it 'til you kill it" motto of one of my favorite teachers.
As I continue to build my skills, learning new ones is slowly getting easier. I have learned so much from teachers, friends and strangers near and far, in person and virtually. The Skate Love is real, alive and well. I look forward to the learning ahead, both as a student and as a teacher. I love the process and the journey that I am on.
Now I want to hear from you! Tell me about your skating journey and where you’d like to go.