Submitted by Sydney Berkey on the 2020 winter session study abroad program in Australia sponsored by the Department of English…
Rolla Bae, inspired by the iconic Venice beach roller skaters, opened in 2018, is a perfect way to “get a whole lot groovier”. The company itself was opened by two best friends, Bec and Meagan, who have an extreme passion for roller skating and wanted to offer those in St. Kilda an unusual experience. Bec has been skating ever since she can remember; “I feel uncomfortable in regular shoes. I tried to go out to the bars in my skates and the bouncers weren’t about it. However, I kept showing up with them on, became cobbers (friends) with them, and they eventually let me go in with skates. Skating is really my life. I started this business to help build the skating community here at St. Kilda and to give people a look into my passion. Plus, I get to wear my skates at work, nothing is cooler than that.” For only 25 Aussie dollars, you have your choice of renting either hot pink, glittery, or cheetah roller skates for an hour. The very retro peachy pink caravan, located on St. Kilda’s foreshore, isn’t only the perfect Instagram spot, but it is the perfect skating distance from several “funky” places in the beach town of St. Kilda.
The first stop is the foreshore trail, an 11 km trail most traveled by bikers and runners. Although a bit of a bumpy ride, both the beach and the city of Melbourne were highlighted on the trail. Skating by the bay without lots of people around is a perfect way to really take in the beauty of the water and nature. Along the foreshore trail is the St. Kilda Skate Park where many locals like to hang out. According to one of the skaters there, this particular spot is his favorite because of the granite, which makes you go “wicked fast”. The skating community in Melbourne seems to fluctuate, somewhat like a “sine curve”, every five years there is a dip. “Skateboarding and scootering is a big activity here; up until about five years ago, there wasn’t anyone using roller blades . Ever since Impala came out with the very vintage 70’s style roller skates, the roller blade presence is undeniable.” From the looks of it, the Skate Park was mostly for average skater “geeks” and extremely good roller skaters, due to the lack of roller blades on the ramps and pipes. Since I didn’t fully trust my skating ability at the Skate Park, I stood back and admired the “fakies”, “heelflips”, and “nosegrinds” from afar.
Nearing the end of the hour, I was very dehydrated. Boulevard, a cute ice cream and popsicle shop, seemed like the perfect place to stop to get a frozen treat before zooming back to the groovy caravan. Deciding between mango ice cream and a raspberry popsicle was a hard choice for my sweet tooth; in the end, the popsicle was a great way of satisfying my sugar cravings, quenching my thirst, and rewarding myself for the roller blade workout. This exploration type of experience isn’t for newbie skaters; those new to skating do have the chance to get a demo on the basics by the Rolla Bae gang and have the chance to flaunt lots of padding. By the end of the hour, I was drenched in sweat and had some very sore shins, but the experience was unlike no other; being able to roll my way around town provided me with not only a workout, but also a faster mode of transportation so that I could see more of the town in a short amount of time.